Over 6 Months Without VAT Number Letter — No Clarity on Processing Times

Hello all, Our VAT registration was approved by HMRC in October 2024, and we received the official confirmation letter — however, we have never received the VAT certificate (VAT4) containing our VAT number. Our Principal Place of Business (PPOB) is based in the United States. Unfortunately, we changed offices in the US shortly after the VAT approval, which is likely how the original letter was lost. Following guidance from HMRC’s helpline, we: 1. Sent a letter by post to update our PPOB address (as instructed). 2. Followed up by phone numerous times and were told that, as the letter lacked a VAT number, it would be placed at the end of the queue, with no indication of when it might be reviewed. 3. Due to business growth, we have since moved again and have submitted a second PPOB update, both sent by tracked mail with proof of delivery to HMRC. To date, neither update appears to have been processed — and we remain without access to our VAT number. This delay is now over six months, and is preventing us from: • Importing our goods into the UK • Obtaining our EORI number • Launching our UK operation • And, critically, beginning to comply with our UK tax obligations We’re ready to trade, contribute, and comply — we simply need the number issued. If anyone has faced a similar situation or can offer any advice on how to move things forward, we’d be sincerely grateful. Thank you for taking the time to read. Warm regards, Daniel

The confirmation letter should already contain the VAT number and the date of registration, so you may want to double check the letter as it may not be obvious as the VAT number will be mentioned within an paragraph of words and not highlighted or in large font, the format of the VAT number is xxx xxxx xx. I'm a tax agent and submit VAT registrations regularly and the confirmation letter does contain the VAT number, you do not need a VAT certificate (VAT4), that is just another piece of paper that confirms the VAT number, all that matters is knowing what your VAT number is. HMRC do not give out VAT numbers over the telephone, they can only send a copy of the VAT certificate in the post, and of course if you've changed address twice, then the chances are any request to send a copy will go to the old/original address.
If for some reason you do not have a confirmation letter that shows your VAT number, then it will be difficult to fix things, HMRC will not accept a change of address over the telephone, it has to be in writing. That you do not have a VAT number should not see it put to the back of the queue but will probably mean it will be difficult to allocate the PPOB notification automatically as there is no VAT number which means it will be dealt with manually which will take some time. I cannot post external links here but there is a website that allows you to search for VAT numbers by entering the company name into a search box, HMRC do not offer this service, so you may need to do some Googling, but if you find the right website then you will find your VAT number and then you can setup a government gateway and add the VAT service to your government gateway and then you can make amendments to PPOB online as well as be able to file your VAT returns.

Hi Momo Lifestyle,
I am sorry that you have not yet received the VAT Certificate and for the problems this is causing.
If you have sent a letter to us to update your new PBOB then this will be completed by our Variations Team therebying allowing us to send out the Certificate to the new address.
Please contact us so that we can trace your VAT details and send out the Certificate to your new address:
VAT: general enquiries.
Thank you.

Hi, just an update following the guidance — we’ve now spoken with HMRC via webchat. Our VAT registration was approved in October 2024, but since our Principal Place of Business (PPOB) is in the U.S., and we changed offices shortly after the approval, we never received the original VAT certificate. We sent two VAT484 forms with proof of delivery to update our PPOB, but received no confirmation. Today, HMRC confirmed: • The VAT account still shows the original PPOB address from our October application. • The IN01 address at Companies House is separate and does not reflect VAT records. • The previous VAT484 forms weren’t processed because they were missing the application number, which is critical if the VAT number isn’t known. • We now need to send a new VAT484 form with a cover letter clearly stating the application number and the reason (not having received the VAT number). • Once received and processed (in 10–15 working days), we can request the VAT certificate via chat or phone. • Finally, due to GDPR, agents cannot share the VAT number or registration date by chat or phone. We’re resending the VAT484 with the correct info and hoping to resolve this soon. Appreciate all the support so far. @Admin – does this understanding and the course of action advised by HMRC make sense to you? Would you say this is the correct path to move forward? Thank you, Daniel

Hi Momo Lifestyle,
Yes this is the correct course of action for you to receive your VAT number.
Thank you.