Dealer-only vehicle platforms in Europe: access requirements
Dealer-only means not everyone may buy. Anyone wanting to purchase on a trade-only platform in Europe must prove they are a business — in a way the operator can verify. This page explains which documents are customary, why the VAT identification number sits at the centre of it, what differs between countries, and how approval works at Worldtrader24.
Inventory updated on 2 October 2026
Why there is a check at all
Commercial vehicle trading inside the EU rests on a tax particularity: in an intra-Community supply between two businesses the seller invoices without VAT and the buyer accounts for the acquisition in their own country. That construction only works if the buyer really is a business and the VAT identification number is valid at the time of supply.
For a platform operator the check is therefore not a formality but part of its tax due diligence. Second, the check protects the price structure: net partner prices are wholesale prices and not intended for end customers. Third, it keeps the marketplace free of enquiries that can never turn into a transaction.
Which documents are customary
First, proof of trade: the trade registration in Germany, the trade licence in Austria, the commercial register extract or national equivalent elsewhere. It shows that a company exists and what it does.
Second, the VAT identification number. It is the actual key, because it can be checked automatically against the issuing country’s database through the European VIES system. A number without a valid VIES entry is worthless for intra-Community trade, even where the company genuinely exists.
Third, proof of authority to represent: whoever orders on behalf of the company must be entitled to. Fourth, depending on the provider, details of the business activity — dealer, fleet operator, importer, exporter — because access and range are aligned to it.
One frequent and easily avoided mistake: the VAT number is entered without its two-letter country prefix. “12345678” is not a VAT identification number; “BE0123456789” or “IT12345678901” is. Without the prefix the automatic check fails and the application stalls — not because anything is wrong, but because two letters are missing.
Country differences in practice
The basic logic is the same across Europe, the practice is not. In Germany the VAT identification number is separate from the tax number and must be applied for; a company holding only a tax number cannot buy intra-Community. In Italy the Partita IVA must additionally be enabled for intra-Community trade, otherwise it does not appear in VIES even though it is nationally valid. In Belgium and the Netherlands the number is closely tied to the commercial register entry.
In Poland, Romania and Croatia the number is issued but not in every case automatically active for EU trade. In Spain and Portugal registration in the respective register of intra-Community operators is required. For markets outside the EU — Turkey, for instance — the intra-Community mechanism does not apply at all; export and import rules with customs clearance take the place of acquisition tax.
For the buyer this means one thing: check before the first purchase whether your own number can be found in VIES. It takes a minute and saves queries that otherwise take days.
How approval works at Worldtrader24
The process has four steps and is free of charge. First, registration with company details, address, contact person and VAT identification number. Second, the automatic check: the number is verified against the European VIES system, a missing country prefix is added automatically, and the company details are matched against publicly available company data.
Third, review by the team: where details remain unclear or contradictory, a contact person gets in touch. Fourth, approval as a B2B partner. Only from that point are net partner prices visible; before it the platform shows specification, availability and, where held, the manufacturer’s recommended retail price as a gross figure.
There is no joining fee, no minimum purchase and no contractual commitment for access. Access is personal: each person in the company receives their own account with its own rights, so it stays traceable who placed an order.
Common reasons an approval stalls
The most common cases are mundane: a VAT number without the country prefix, a company name differing from the register entry, an address without a house number, or an e-mail address that belongs to no company domain and cannot be matched to a business. Less common but unambiguous: a number not held as valid in VIES, or a business activity unrelated to vehicle trading.
In none of these cases is an application quietly rejected. It stays open and a query goes out — usually a single correction is enough.
Which documents to have ready
Approval is considerably faster when the documents are complete rather than requested one by one. In practice there are four: a current commercial or trade register extract, proof of the VAT identification number, an address matching the register entry, and a named authorised representative with a business e-mail address.
Register extracts need not be certified, but they should be current and fully legible. For young companies a formation document suffices, provided the VAT identification number has already been issued and can be retrieved through the European confirmation procedure. Without that number approval is not possible, because no zero-rated intra-Community supply could be handled.
The business e-mail address is not a formality: quotations and order documents go there, and with free webmail addresses the link to the company cannot be verified. An address on the company’s own domain therefore shortens the check noticeably.
Companies outside the European Union are assessed differently, because the confirmation procedure does not apply: there, a register extract, the tax number of the country of seat and a statement of the intended export route take the place of the VAT identification number.
What the check actually involves
The check runs in two steps. First the VAT identification number is queried automatically through the European confirmation procedure, comparing number, company name and address. Minor spelling differences are uncritical; a different company name is not. If the country prefix is missing from the number, it is added automatically before the query runs.
Second, it is verified that the company actually trades in vehicles. The basis is publicly available information: register entry, company website, legal notice. No credit data is collected and no third-party enquiries are made beyond publicly accessible sources.
The normal case is a decision within one working day. It takes longer when the registered address differs from the address given, when the VAT identification number is not confirmed, or when the business purpose is not evident from the documents. In those cases you receive an e-mail query rather than a silent rejection.
After approval, net partner prices become visible, quotations can be generated as PDFs and orders can be placed. Access is free of charge, with no minimum purchase and no contract term; there is no approval fee and no monthly base fee.
Account data stays editable: if the address, company name or authorised representative changes, it can be updated in the profile, and the check is repeated for the changed details.
After approval: rights, duties, limits
Approval changes what you see: net partner prices, delivery windows and the full equipment list become visible, quotations can be generated as PDFs for your own end customer, and vehicles can be ordered bindingly. What does not change is the published vehicle data itself — consumption and emission figures, equipment and availability are identical for signed-in and signed-out visitors.
Access carries an obligation to treat the terms confidentially. Net partner prices are commercial terms between businesses and are not intended for consumers; the quotation PDF generated for an end customer therefore contains the dealer’s own customer-facing calculation, not the purchasing side.
If an account lies dormant it is kept, though it loses points in the loyalty programme; it is not deleted automatically. If a company is struck from the register or its VAT identification number becomes invalid, access is suspended pending clarification — not as a sanction, but as the precondition for continuing to supply zero-rated within the EU.
FAQ
Do I really need a VAT identification number?
For intra-Community purchasing, yes. Without a valid VAT identification number findable in VIES, a VAT-exempt intra-Community supply cannot be processed.
My number is not recognised — why?
Usually the two-letter country prefix in front of the digits is missing, for example BE or IT. In some countries the number must additionally be enabled for intra-Community trade, otherwise it does not appear in VIES even though it is nationally valid.
What does approval cost?
Nothing. There is no joining fee, no minimum purchase and no contractual commitment for access.
How long does the check take?
The automatic check runs immediately after registration. Where details are complete and the number valid, the next step is release by the team; if anything needs clarifying, a contact person gets in touch.
Can several employees have access?
Yes. Each person gets their own account with its own rights, so it stays traceable who enquired and who ordered.
Does this apply to buyers outside the EU as well?
For markets outside the EU the intra-Community mechanism does not apply. Export and import rules with customs clearance apply instead; proof of commercial activity remains a requirement.
