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Greece VAT Number Format (EL123456789)

Φόρος Προστιθέμενης Αξίας (ΦΠΑ) number structure, regex & verified examples

Everything you need to know about Φόρος Προστιθέμενης Αξίας (ΦΠΑ) numbers in Greece — they follow the pattern EL + 9 digits (e.g. EL123456789), and can be verified against VIES. For the rates themselves, see Greece VAT rates and their history. Building a check into your app? See the Greece VAT API.

The standard ΦΠΑ rate has been 24% since 2016, up from 23%.

EU Member StateΦΠΑ — Φόρος Προστιθέμενης ΑξίαςEUR

VAT Number Format

Structure

EL + 9 digits

Example format

EL123456789

Regex

^EL\d{9}$
Note: Greek VAT numbers always use the prefix EL (e.g. EL123456789). The ISO 3166 code GR is used only for VAT-rate lookups – it is not a valid VAT prefix, and the validation API rejects a GR-prefixed number.

VAT numbers are not case-sensitive – lowercase input is automatically normalised. See how this format compares across all 27 EU countries.

Company and Tax Identifiers in Greece

What the registrar, the register and each identifier are called, in every official language and in English. These are names, not numbers.

Company registrar
  • Greek: Κεντρική Ένωση Επιμελητηρίων Ελλάδος
  • English: Union of Hellenic Chambers of Commerce
Company register
  • Greek: Γενικό Εμπορικό Μητρώο
  • English: General Commercial Registry
Register number
  • Greek: Αριθμός Γ.Ε.ΜΗ.
  • English: G.E.MI. number
Tax ID
  • Greek: ΑΦΜ
  • English: tax identification number
VAT ID

No official name confirmed

Each name is checked against the registrar’s or tax authority’s own pages or legal text. The same names ship in eu-vat-rates-data.json and in GET /v1/rates.

More on Greece

What we return for Greece

Greek VAT numbers are checked against VIES. A valid result also returns company name and address and national tax number (ΑΦΜ).

  • VIES validation (valid / not valid)
  • Company name & address
  • National registry ID
  • National tax number
  • Founded date
  • Legal form
  • Industry
  • Works if VIES is down

See the full coverage table for all 27 EU member states + Northern Ireland →

Famous Greece VAT Numbers

OTE S.A. (Hellenic Telecom)

EL094019245

Hellenic Telecommunications Organization — largest Greek telecom

Verify →

HELPE S.A. (Hellenic Petroleum)

EL996689451

Greek integrated energy and refining company

Verify →

Metlen Energy & Metals S.A.

EL094316669

Greek industrial and energy conglomerate (formerly Mytilineos)

Verify →

Piraeus Financial Holdings S.A.

EL094014298

One of the four major Greek banks

Verify →

Eurobank Holdings S.A.

EL094014250

One of the four major Greek banks

Verify →

Public Power Corporation S.A. (ΔΕΗ)

EL090000045

Greek national electricity utility

Verify →

Check a Greece VAT Number

Enter a ΦΠΑ number starting with EL to verify it against VIES.

Format: EL + 9 digits

Example:

Validate a Greece EL VAT number via API

Get Greece VAT rates via API — free, no key

No API key required
Request
curl "https://api.vatnode.dev/v1/rates/EL"
Response200 OK
{
  "countryCode": "EL",
  "countryName": "Greece",
  "isEU": true,
  "vatName": "Φόρος Προστιθέμενης Αξίας",
  "vatAbbr": "ΦΠΑ",
  "currency": "EUR",
  "standardRate": 24,
  "reducedRates": [
    17,
    13,
    6
  ],
  "superReducedRate": 4,
  "parkingRate": 13,
  "vatNumberFormat": "EL + 9 digits",
  "vatNumberPattern": "^EL\\d{9}$",
  "identifiers": {
    "registryAuthorityName": {
      "el": "Κεντρική Ένωση Επιμελητηρίων Ελλάδος",
      "en": "Union of Hellenic Chambers of Commerce"
    },
    "registryName": {
      "el": "Γενικό Εμπορικό Μητρώο",
      "en": "General Commercial Registry"
    },
    "registryCodeName": {
      "el": "Αριθμός Γ.Ε.ΜΗ.",
      "en": "G.E.MI. number"
    },
    "taxIdName": {
      "el": "ΑΦΜ",
      "en": "tax identification number"
    },
    "vatIdName": null
  },
  "updatedAt": "2026-10-04"
}

View full rates API reference →

Get Greece VAT rates via package — offline, no HTTP

eu-vat-rates-data
Request
# npm install eu-vat-rates-data
import { getRate } from 'eu-vat-rates-data'

const rate = getRate('EL')
console.log(rate.standard) // EL standard VAT rate
getRate() result200 OK
{
  "country": "Greece",
  "currency": "EUR",
  "eu_member": true,
  "vat_name": "Φόρος Προστιθέμενης Αξίας",
  "vat_abbr": "ΦΠΑ",
  "standard": 24,
  "reduced": [
    6,
    13,
    17
  ],
  "super_reduced": 4,
  "parking": 13,
  "format": "EL + 9 digits",
  "pattern": "^EL\\d{9}$",
  "identifiers": {
    "registry_authority_name": {
      "el": "Κεντρική Ένωση Επιμελητηρίων Ελλάδος",
      "en": "Union of Hellenic Chambers of Commerce"
    },
    "registry_name": {
      "el": "Γενικό Εμπορικό Μητρώο",
      "en": "General Commercial Registry"
    },
    "registry_code_name": {
      "el": "Αριθμός Γ.Ε.ΜΗ.",
      "en": "G.E.MI. number"
    },
    "tax_id_name": {
      "el": "ΑΦΜ",
      "en": "tax identification number"
    },
    "vat_id_name": null
  }
}

View package on GitHub →

Validate Greece EL VAT numbers

Requires API key
Request
curl "https://api.vatnode.dev/v1/vat/EL094019245" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
Response200 OK
{
  "valid": true,
  "vatId": "EL094019245",
  "countryCode": "EL",
  "companyName": "OTE S.A. (Hellenic Telecom)",
  "companyAddress": null,
  "companyRegistrationDate": null,
  "companyForm": null,
  "industryDescription": null,
  "registryCode": null,
  "registryCodeName": null,
  "taxId": "094019245",
  "taxIdName": "ΑΦΜ",
  "commercialName": null,
  "companyStatus": null,
  "secondaryActivities": [],
  "companyAgeYears": null,
  "registryPrivacy": false,
  "verifiedAt": "2026-04-25T12:00:00.000Z",
  "checkId": "019dc41e-d64d-7255-8ed7-cf5443103cd8",
  "countryName": "Greece",
  "countryVat": {
    "vatName": "Φόρος Προστιθέμενης Αξίας",
    "vatAbbr": "ΦΠΑ",
    "currency": "EUR",
    "standardRate": 24,
    "reducedRates": [
      17,
      13,
      6
    ],
    "superReducedRate": 4,
    "parkingRate": 13,
    "vatNumberFormat": "EL + 9 digits",
    "vatNumberPattern": "^EL\\d{9}$",
    "identifiers": {
      "registryAuthorityName": {
        "el": "Κεντρική Ένωση Επιμελητηρίων Ελλάδος",
        "en": "Union of Hellenic Chambers of Commerce"
      },
      "registryName": {
        "el": "Γενικό Εμπορικό Μητρώο",
        "en": "General Commercial Registry"
      },
      "registryCodeName": {
        "el": "Αριθμός Γ.Ε.ΜΗ.",
        "en": "G.E.MI. number"
      },
      "taxIdName": {
        "el": "ΑΦΜ",
        "en": "tax identification number"
      },
      "vatIdName": null
    },
    "countryVatUpdatedAt": "2026-10-04"
  },
  "consultationNumber": null,
  "specialTerritory": null,
  "source": "VIES"
}

View full API response schema →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the VAT number format in Greece?▾

VAT numbers in Greece follow the format: EL + 9 digits. Example: EL123456789. VAT numbers are not case-sensitive – lowercase input is automatically normalised.

What is the VAT number regex pattern in Greece?▾

Use this regular expression to validate VAT numbers in Greece ΦΠΑ number format locally:

^EL\d{9}$

Test against the uppercase number. Format validation catches typos locally — always follow with a VIES check to confirm the number is active.

How do I validate a VAT number in Greece programmatically?▾

Send a GET request to https://api.vatnode.dev/v1/vat/{vatId} with your Authorization: Bearer header. The API checks the number against VIES and returns a JSON response with a valid field, company name, address, and current ΦΠΑ rates. Free plan available — 100 requests/month, no credit card required.

What does ΦΠΑ stand for in Greece?▾

ΦΠΑ stands for Φόρος Προστιθέμενης Αξίας — the Greek name for Value Added Tax (VAT). It appears on Greek invoices and tax documents.

VAT Number Formats for Other EU Countries

Validate Greece VAT numbers in your app

Use the vatnode API to automate ΦΠΑ validation in your invoicing or checkout flow. Free plan available, no credit card required.

Get API KeyView Quickstart