What format is a Greek VAT number?

A Greek VAT number is the country code EL followed by the nine-digit AFM (tax number). For example, EL090000045. The EL prefix is what distinguishes the VAT identifier from the plain domestic AFM.

Is the Greek VAT number the same as the AFM?

The digits are identical — the VAT number is simply the AFM with an EL prefix added. Greece uses EL rather than GR as its VAT country code, which sometimes surprises people doing intra-EU trade.

How is the check digit verified?

The first eight digits are weighted by descending powers of two (256, 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2), summed, then reduced with (sum modulo 11) modulo 10. The result must equal the ninth digit, exactly as for the AFM.

Does a valid format mean the business can reverse-charge?

No. A valid check digit confirms the number is well-formed only. For intra-EU reverse-charge you must also confirm the VAT number is active and valid in the EU VIES system, which this tool does not contact.

Why does my Greek VAT number use EL not GR?

Greece is the one EU member state whose VAT prefix (EL) differs from its ISO country code (GR). This is historical and entirely normal — VIES and EU invoicing both expect EL for Greek VAT numbers.

Greece VAT Number Validator

A Greek VAT number is the EU VAT identifier for a Greek business: the prefix EL followed by the nine-digit AFM. It appears on cross-border invoices and is checked through the EU VIES system. Before applying reverse-charge or saving a supplier’s details, you can confirm the number is well-formed using the official modulus-11 check, run here entirely in your browser.

How it works

The number is EL plus nine digits, and the ninth digit is a check digit on the first eight:

Confirm (or add) the EL prefix and isolate the nine AFM digits.
Weight the first eight digits by descending powers of two: 256, 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2.
Sum the eight products.
Compute (sum mod 11) mod 10.
That value must equal the ninth digit.

This is the same algorithm as the domestic AFM check — the VAT number only adds the EL prefix.

Example

Validate EL090000045. The nine AFM digits are 090000045; the first eight give a weighted sum of 1160. 1160 mod 11 = 5, and 5 mod 10 = 5, which matches the ninth digit 5. With the EL prefix present and the check digit correct, the VAT number is valid.

Notes

A valid result confirms the VAT number is well-formed — not that it is active. For reverse-charge certainty, verify it in VIES. Greece uses EL, not GR, as its VAT prefix. Everything runs locally.