Italian VAT number lookup: how to check a partita IVA
Updated to
In short: to look up an Italian VAT number (partita IVA), use the Italian Revenue Agency's ("Agenzia delle Entrate") free verification service, which confirms validity, the activity status recorded in the tax registry and the holder's name. For intra-EU operations the Agenzia points to VIES. A valid number is not a reputation check: Veryfy's Verifica (€19) goes on to the register, owners and protests, in Italian.
Part of the guide Vetting an Italian company or counterparty: a guide for US businesses.
The Italian tax authority's checker
The Italian Revenue Agency's service lets you check whether a partita IVA is valid and see what the tax registry (Anagrafe tributaria) records about its activity status and the holder's name, which is the business name for companies or surname and first name for individuals (Italian Revenue Agency: Verifica partita Iva). The page says the service is provided under art. 35-quater of DPR 633/1972. It does not tell you whether the owner is solvent, who controls the company, or whether the email you received belongs to it.
When VIES is the right tool
The same Agenzia page states that the service does not cover intra-EU operations and sends users to VIES to check whether a VAT number belongs to a person authorized to carry out intra-Community transactions (Italian Revenue Agency: Verifica partita Iva). For a US buyer, VIES is the EU-wide check; the free Check anti-truffa in every Veryfy company product looks up the VAT number in VIES and shows the registered name so you can compare it with the name on your invoice.
Ask for the company's PEC
Italian companies organized in corporate form must state their digital domicile (domicilio digitale, usually a PEC address) and register it with the business register (D.L. 185/2008, art. 16, para. 6, Normattiva: D.L. 185/2008, art. 16). It is the address where formal notices to the company are valid, so ask for it in the contract and check it against the register (Registro Imprese, the Italian business register portal (InfoCamere)).
What a valid number does not prove
A valid partita IVA proves that a number exists in a registry. It does not prove that the person writing to you is the company, that the IBAN is theirs, or that the company is safe to extend credit to. Verifica (€19) adds the register data, beneficial owner, directors and shareholders, protests and insolvency signals, and an estimated operating credit limit.
Every company product comes with a free Check anti-truffa (anti-scam check): it looks at the VAT number in the EU VIES register, free webmail or disposable email, domain age, domains flagged for malware or phishing, SPF and DMARC protection, the VAT number shown on the website, data breaches affecting the site, and whether the IBAN is correctly written and from a country consistent with the company.
The service and the report are in Italian, built from Italian official sources: company names, offices and procedures keep their original Italian wording. Veryfy does not offer a translated report.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I check an Italian VAT number for free?
On the Italian Revenue Agency's Verifica partita Iva page, which shows validity, the activity status recorded in the tax registry and the holder's name. For intra-EU operations the Agenzia points to VIES.
Does an Italian company need a PEC?
Companies in corporate form must indicate their digital domicile and register it with the business register under art. 16, para. 6 of D.L. 185/2008.
Does a valid partita IVA mean the supplier is trustworthy?
No. It shows the number exists in a registry. Ownership, directors, protests and payment details need separate checks.
More in this cluster
Hub: Vetting an Italian company or counterparty: a guide for US businesses. Related guides:
- EIN vs partita IVA: vetting an Italian supplier
- BEC and wire fraud with an Italian counterparty
- Italian company report glossary for US readers
- Italian company credit report: what a US buyer gets
- Paying an Italian supplier: name-to-IBAN checks before you wire
All guides: Guides.
Sources
Official sources opened and read on October 24, 2026 (2026-10-24).
- Italian Revenue Agency: Verifica partita Iva
- Normattiva: D.L. 185/2008, art. 16
- Registro Imprese, the Italian business register portal (InfoCamere)
General information, not legal advice. Sources verified on 2026-10-24.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I check an Italian VAT number for free?
On the Italian Revenue Agency's Verifica partita Iva page, which shows validity, the activity status recorded in the tax registry and the holder's name. For intra-EU operations the Agenzia points to VIES.
Does an Italian company need a PEC?
Companies in corporate form must indicate their digital domicile and register it with the business register under art. 16, para. 6 of D.L. 185/2008.
Does a valid partita IVA mean the supplier is trustworthy?
No. It shows the number exists in a registry. Ownership, directors, protests and payment details need separate checks.
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