Validation API API
The Validation API checks business and contact identifiers as clean JSON.
🤖 Using an AI assistant? Copy this link into ChatGPT / Claude / Cursor — it reads every endpoint and parameter instantly and tells you if this API fits your use case.
The primary vat endpoint validates a VAT number and returns format validity plus company name and address where available, and you can validate an IBAN, an email and batch. It is built for billing, KYC and onboarding forms that need to verify identifiers before accepting them. One ReefAPI key, one shared credit pool, the standard envelope.
Real request and response JSON
Captured from the indexed primary action, vat, on .
{
"method": "POST",
"url": "https://api.reefapi.com/validate/v1/vat",
"headers": {
"x-api-key": "$REEF_KEY",
"content-type": "application/json"
},
"body": {
"vat_number": "IE6388047V"
}
}{
"ok": true,
"meta": {
"api": "validate",
"endpoint": "vat",
"mode": "live",
"latency_ms": 824,
"record_count": 1,
"bytes": 551,
"cache_hit": false,
"method": "eu_vies_rest"
},
"data": {
"valid": true,
"format_valid": true,
"query": "IE6388047V",
"vat_number": "6388047V",
"full_vat_number": "IE6388047V",
"country_code": "IE",
"vies_country_code": "IE",
"company_name": "GOOGLE IRELAND LIMITED",
"company_address": "3RD FLOOR, GORDON HOUSE, BARROW STREET, DUBLIN 4",
"request_date": "[redacted-phone]T17:20:42.583Z",
"request_identifier": null,
"consultation_number": null,
"user_error": "VALID",
"source": "vies"
}
}What the Validation API API does
| Action | Description | Concrete use case | Key params |
|---|---|---|---|
| vat | Validate an EU VAT number via VIES → validity + registered company name & address. | Ops teams call vat to validate an EU VAT number via VIES → validity + registered company name & address.. | vat_number, country |
| iban | Validate + parse an IBAN offline (ISO 13616 mod-97) → country, BBAN, bank/branch/account. Optional enrich=true adds BIC + bank name/city (openiban.com, proxied). | Developer tools call iban to validate + parse an IBAN offline (ISO 13616 mod-97) → country, BBAN, bank/branch/account. | iban, enrich |
| Validate an email: syntax + live MX + disposable-domain + role-account flags. | Validation workflows call email to validate an email. | email, check_mx | |
| batch | Validate up to 100 mixed items ({type:vat|iban|email,value}) in one call. | Data-quality teams call batch to validate up to 100 mixed items ({type:vat|iban|email,value}) in one call.. | items, check_mx |
Call vat from your stack
curl -X POST https://api.reefapi.com/validate/v1/vat \
-H "x-api-key: $REEF_KEY" \
-H "content-type: application/json" \
-d '{"vat_number":"IE6388047V"}'import requests
r = requests.post(
"https://api.reefapi.com/validate/v1/vat",
headers={"x-api-key": REEF_KEY},
json={
"vat_number": "IE6388047V"
},
)
print(r.json()["data"])const res = await fetch("https://api.reefapi.com/validate/v1/vat", {
method: "POST",
headers: {
"x-api-key": process.env.REEF_KEY,
"content-type": "application/json",
},
body: JSON.stringify({
"vat_number": "IE6388047V"
}),
});
const { ok, data, meta, error } = await res.json();Ask your MCP-connected assistant: call reefapi.validate.vat with {"vat_number":"IE6388047V"}.Who uses this API and why
- Billing systems call vat and iban to validate a customer's tax and bank details.
- Onboarding forms use email validation to catch typos and undeliverable addresses.
- Compliance pipelines use batch to validate a list of records.
Questions developers ask before integrating
What is the Validation API API?
Validation API API is a ReefAPI endpoint group for validation api It returns live JSON through POST requests under /validate/v1.
Is the Validation API API free to try?
Yes. ReefAPI starts with 1,000 free credits, no card required. Validation API calls use the same shared credit balance as every other ReefAPI engine.
Do I need a Validation API login or account?
No login to Validation API is needed for the API response. You call ReefAPI with your x-api-key header, and the playground can run live examples before you create a production key.
How fresh is the Validation API data?
The page example is captured from a live vat call, and production requests fetch live data through ReefAPI rather than a static sample.
How many credits does the Validation API API use?
Validation API actions currently cost 1 credit per successful call. Failed or blocked calls are free, and all APIs draw from one credit pool.
Can I call Validation API from an AI assistant or MCP client?
Yes. Connect ReefAPI once through MCP and your assistant can call validate actions with the same key, credit pool and JSON envelope used by normal REST requests.
Is the Validation API API a Validation API scraper?
It is the managed alternative to a DIY Validation API scraper. Instead of building and maintaining your own scraper — proxies, headless browsers, captcha and constant breakage — you call one ReefAPI endpoint and get the same validation api back as clean JSON.
Why does my Validation API scraper keep getting blocked?
Most Validation API scrapers break on anti-bot defenses, rate limits and IP bans that need rotating residential proxies and browser fingerprinting to clear. ReefAPI handles all of that for you — no proxies, no captchas, no maintenance — and returns live JSON. Blocked or failed calls are free.