VIES ERROR: “The maximum number of concurrent requests has been reached” (MS_MAX_CONCURRENT_REQ)
for French (FR) EU VAT numbers
Dear customers,
Due to the very large number of emails and phone calls sent to us, we would like to inform you that for about a week we have been noticing a very large number of errors returned from the VAT Information and Exchange System (VIES) for requests sent with French EU VAT numbers (with the “FR” prefix).
All errors returned concern the limit related to reaching the maximum possible throughput of the French tax system: The maximum number of concurrent requests has been reached (MS_MAX_CONCURRENT_REQ).
Due to the numerous questions, we would like to emphasize very strongly that this is not an error related to our API (viesapi.eu), because apart from limiting the number of requests purchased within a given plan, we do not apply any limits on the number of requests sent via our system.
The same situation occurred in 2023, but it concerned the German tax system (DE), which was also practically unavailable for 2 months due to very high traffic and a large number of requests. You can learn more about that situation in our article, which we also published at that time to explain the situation: Serious problems (MS_MAX_CONCURRENT_REQ error) with verifying companies from Germany (starting with DE) in VIES.
We do not note similar errors in the case of other tax systems of EU Member States. Currently, there are problems only with the verification of contractors from France (with the FR prefix).
You can read more about this problem and others related to the availability of VIES in the article on our blog: https://viesapi.eu/vies-unavailability-of-vat-information-exchange-system/
Please send all emails directly to the official technical support address of the VIES system: TAXUD-VIESWEB@ec.europa.eu
We hope that the large number of reports about the unavailability of VIES and the inability to verify contractors from France (FR) will have a positive impact on the quick resolution of the problem.
Workaround: At the moment, the only workaround we see that works is to send requests (EU VAT number with FR prexif) outside peak hours, i.e. 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 a.m.
VIESAPI Team
