Check Malta VAT numbers
Validate Maltese VAT numbers (VAT) against the EU VIES registry. Maltese numbers are MT followed by 8 digits. Malta's small economy means the registry is compact, but VIES validation follows the same path as all other EU member states. Every response includes the company name, registered address, and validity at query time.
Try it
curl -X POST "https://api.vatverify.dev/v1/validate" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $VATVERIFY_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"vat_number":"MT10365719"}'Facts
Format
- Prefix
- MT
- Digits
- 8
- Regex
- ^MT\d{8}$
MT10365719MT10365710MT1036571VAT rates (EUR)
accommodation services
printed matter, confectionery, certain medical items
What we return for Malta
{
"data": {
"valid": true, // boolean validity at query time
"vat_number": "DE129273398",
"country": {
"code": "DE",
"name": "Germany",
"vat": { "standard_rate": 19 }
},
"company": {
"name": "SIEMENS AG", // legal entity name
"address": "..." // when VIES provides it
},
"verified_at": "2026-04-25T10:00:00Z"
},
"meta": {
"request_id": "019dc...", // for audit trail correlation
"source": "vies",
"source_status": "live", // live | cached | degraded
"cached": false,
"latency_ms": 234
}
}
Test against production VATs
Real numbers from publicly-documented corporate filings. Click to see the live result.
Watch out for
- Malta's 8-digit format is straightforward, but a missing leading zero can occur in older systems; MT0365719 (7 digits after MT) is invalid.
- The 7% reduced rate applies specifically to accommodation services; general hospitality and food services may fall under the standard 18% rate.
- Malta is a small registry; some VIES lookups may return no company details even for valid numbers.
Format: 8 digits
Maltese VAT numbers are 8 digits prefixed with MT. The full
structure is MT followed by exactly 8 digits.
The underlying identifier is issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Revenue (CfR), Malta's tax authority. Maltese VAT registration numbers are assigned sequentially as businesses register; the format does not encode entity type or category.
vatverify validates MT\d{8} and routes through VIES. The Maltese
VAT number carries a check digit that is verifiable offline.
CfR is the tax authority
The Maltese tax administration is the Commissioner for Revenue (CfR, Kummissarju tat-Taxxi). CfR maintains the VAT register and pushes updates to VIES on a regular batch cadence.
The public portal at cfr.gov.mt exposes domestic VAT details including registration date. For VIES-equivalent checks the public portal is the right tool when you need additional fields beyond the binary valid flag.
VAT rates
Malta runs four rates: 18% standard, 12% reduced, 7% reduced, and 5% super-reduced. The 12% bracket has historically applied to specific health-related and accommodation supplies under recent legislative changes. The 7% bracket covers accommodation and several other tourism-related categories. The 5% super-reduced bracket covers a narrow defined list including books, newspapers, medical equipment, and certain confectionery and similar items.
Maltese rate composition has been adjusted multiple times in recent budget cycles; date-aware lookups against current CfR publications are the safer default.
Tourism, gaming, financial services
Malta's economy is heavily concentrated in tourism, online gaming, and financial services. Each sector has VAT-specific rules:
- Tourism: the 7% accommodation rate is the dominant bracket for hotel and tourism invoicing.
- Online gaming: VAT exemption applies to specific gambling supplies under EU rules; many Maltese gaming operators issue exempt invoices for in-scope gaming services.
- Financial services: VAT-exempt or partially-exempt status applies to many regulated activities; the buyer-side VAT treatment depends on whether the service falls under the financial-services exemption.
For invoicing flows targeting Maltese counterparties, the sector of the counterparty often determines the applicable VAT treatment more strongly than in other EU member states.
English as a primary language
Malta is one of two EU member states with English as an official language (alongside Ireland). Maltese tax documentation, registration confirmations, and CfR communications are typically available in English in addition to Maltese. For non-Maltese sellers invoicing Maltese counterparties this simplifies record-keeping and audit reconciliation; the company-name field returned by VIES is in the language used at registration, which for most Maltese entities is English.
Cross-border within the EU
Malta is an island state with no land borders. All cross-border supplies are by sea or air. Standard EU intra-Community reverse-charge applies to B2B supplies between Malta and other-EU VAT-registered businesses.
Italy, Cyprus, and Greece are particularly active trading partners due to Mediterranean shipping routes; standard EU rules govern those flows.
Caching against the CfR cycle
CfR pushes registration changes to VIES on a regular batch. Newly-registered Maltese numbers are generally visible in VIES within 24 to 48 hours. vatverify's default TTLs (30 days for valid, 24 hours for invalid) line up with this cadence.
Automate Malta VAT checks in your stack
Replace manual lookups with one API call against VIES. Drops into invoicing, checkout, and signup flows in any language. 500 free validations per month, no credit card.