Seller VAT number invalid — 15 digits starting and ending with 3

What does this mean?

The Saudi VAT registration number is 15 digits long, the first digit is 3 and the last digit is 3. Anything else is rejected before the rest of the invoice is even read.

The eleventh digit carries an extra meaning: if it is 1, the establishment is a member of a VAT group, and the unified number then becomes mandatory alongside the VAT number.

Why does it happen?

Ordered from the most common to the least — your cause is most likely the first or the second.

• Putting the CR number (10 digits) in the VAT number field.
• Using the unified number of the establishment, which starts with 7.
• A space or a dash inside the number or at either end — it counts as a character.
• Arabic-Indic digits instead of Latin ones; they look correct to the eye and fail validation.
• Using the number of the VAT registration certificate rather than the VAT number itself; the two are different.

How to fix it

2 steps, then send the invoice again.

1. 1
   Copy the number from the VAT registration certificate

   The number you need is the one the certificate labels as the VAT number: 15 digits starting and ending with 3. Then confirm it really is the right number with the VAT number lookup: if the name of your business appears, the number is valid and registered.

2. 2
   Clean the number before you save it

   Strip spaces and dashes, convert any Arabic-Indic digits to Latin ones, then check that the length is exactly 15 and that both ends are 3.

Once corrected, send the invoice again. A rejected invoice was never recorded with the Authority, so it needs no credit note — send the corrected invoice itself.

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