Before paying the VAT on an invoice, verify that the supplier's Tax Registration Number (TRN) is genuine. VAT paid to an unregistered business cannot be recovered, and may be funding fraud. Any 15-digit UAE TRN can be verified in under a minute using the official FTA checker; the link, and exactly how to read the result, are set out below.
If a TRN does not verify, or an invoice appears incorrect, send it over and we will advise on the appropriate course, without charge. Your details remain confidential.
No obligation. Your details remain confidential.
A TRN, Tax Registration Number, is the unique 15-digit number issued by the UAE Federal Tax Authority (FTA) to every VAT-registered business. It is the official proof that a business is registered for VAT and entitled to charge it.
Every VAT-registered business in the UAE. A business without a valid TRN cannot lawfully charge VAT.
On tax invoices, VAT returns and official correspondence; it must appear on any valid tax invoice.
Input VAT can only be recovered where it was charged by a genuinely registered supplier, so a valid TRN protects the payer's own VAT position.
This is among the most common questions, and the direct answer is: not through any public search. The FTA's tool operates one way only: a TRN is entered and the registered legal name returned, confirming the two match. No public directory exists that returns a TRN from a company name. A supplier's TRN should therefore be requested from the supplier, it should already appear on their tax invoice, and then verified on the FTA checker.
The unique 15-digit Tax Registration Number issued by the FTA to every VAT-registered business in the UAE, and the official proof of VAT registration.
Tax Registration Number.
Through the FTA's official verification page on the EmaraTax portal: enter the 15 digits, complete the captcha, and a valid TRN returns the registered legal name, which must match the supplier on the invoice.
The VAT portion should not be paid until the position is resolved. The supplier should correct the invoice; where doubt remains, professional advice should be taken before payment.
No. The FTA tool verifies a TRN and returns the name; it does not search by name. The TRN should be requested from the supplier and then verified.
Yes, and it is prudent to do so after registration and periodically thereafter, confirming the registered legal name is accurate.
A TRN is issued by the FTA once a business meets the VAT threshold criteria. Cressford Chartered Accountants advises on the threshold assessment and the supporting documentation so the process goes smoothly.
From returns to refunds, Cressford Chartered Accountants keeps your VAT position clean, so your own TRN always checks out.