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Automation · 02.2026

VAT-EU checks: half a full-time role, handed to a bot.

Profile trade, sales to EU countries
Process counterparty checks in VIES
Scope 1 process, 3 trigger modes

Three answers, three flags on the list

shipping list closes 20 / 70 → bot takes the VAT ID and country code → VIES API
3 Green flag VAT-EU number active, sales to the EU allowed
2 Red flag number inactive — flag applied to every line item on the list
4 Yellow flag VIES isn't responding, a re-check is needed

Every line item for a counterparty gets the flag. Yellow means there's no answer and a re-check is needed.

Starting point

Half a full-time role re-typing from a browser.

Open the European Commission's lookup, enter the VAT ID and country code, read the result, save it. And do that for every counterparty on the shipping list. It added up to half a full-time role a month, no trace was left in the system, and a skipped check risked an invoice error.

What we built

The bot starts itself, without a reminder.

The check starts on its own the moment a shipping list closes at status 20 or 70, or when a user triggers it from a list item. The bot takes the VAT ID and country code from the payer file, queries the VIES API, and organizes the response.

Results saved in a separate table: VAT ID, country, status, date, list number
Status flags visible in the shipping list item overview
VAT-EU data flows onto invoice printouts
When the service doesn't respond: a yellow flag, a log entry, a re-check
A full check history for audits and reports on past periods

What had to change

Workflow first, then the bot.

Three things had to happen on the ERP side: turn on the workflow, add a table for the results, and change the invoice templates. The bot handles the rest using what the system already offers.

Results

80–100 h → 2–3 h work per month
~95% time reduction
minutes → seconds one verification
200–250% estimated 12-month ROI
Tools Dedal (low-code RPA) VIES API (European Commission) Saturn Workflow Firebird VAT-EU invoice templates EDIH hub4industry

Recurring data checks are the first thing worth automating.

We don't name the company. Numbers come from the audit and process measurement at the client.

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