Is there a way to hasten up or check on my VAT registration?

So I've been stuck on the last step of my VAT registration for like a six months now. It's preventing me from being able to apply for a new visa for the UK because my taxes need to be done and settled. They're all done except I've been trying to register for the VAT for a year. I even already paid my amount required, however I just need that number so I can send in the paperwork and look all good to the tax people so I can get this visa.

People make it seem so easy and maybe I've been unlucky.

I hired some people to handle my tax situation and starting in August they tried to register. I got nothing in the mail. They registered again and this time I got something in the mail that said I must respond in like 20 days or whatever and I can get my number. They had to fix something because apparently my bank account info was wrong (I don't know if my accountants put it in wrong or if the HMRC input it wrong). So I give that note to my accountants who then fumble completely and miss the deadline. So they apply again and honestly, I'm kind of thinking they lied about applying again because I again got nothing. Stuff doesn't get lost in the mail THAT often... I think.

So I got a new tax guy to handle my VAT specifically. He applied. We're on like week 5 and still nothing in the mail about this VAT number.

All I want to do is successfully pay my taxes and have all the paperwork complete. VAT isn't supposed to be THIS difficult.

Is there ANY number I can call to try to sort this out? Any number I can call to see if my VAT registration is being looked at or got through? It seems that all my options are mail and for whatever reason that is not going well. Heck, I'd pay for flight tickets just to go handle this in person if I knew where to go! It's just frustrating and it seems the only thing I can do is more of the same, send in mail and hope it makes it to me... :/

I'm on the 4th or 5th time I'm trying to register. It seems like a dumb problem to be stuck on and until it's solved I'm stuck in LIMBO (living with my parents, not being able to start my business for reals until I get that visa and get back).

Hi,

It seems there's more to your business setup than you've posted to be having this level of issue for trying to register for VAT. I'll guess that you are out of the UK in terms of residency and or domicile, but are the director/owner of a UK business that's either gone over the mandatory threshold to register for VAT or you're on a FLAT rate scheme or are applying for voluntary VAT status. I am speculating a bit there as it should take more than a few weeks ordinarily to register for VAT.

I've found this webpage which you may have already seen

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/vat-enquiries

I guess you could try the phone number and press them about your situation but further down the page there's a link for providing information on longer questions for an online response etc. I suspect if you try to call, they'll point you in that direction to log the issue and begin the process of them trying to help you.

4th or 5th time to register? what happened with the previous attempts?

I'm perhaps soon going to go for voluntary VAT, I have a good accountant who has excellent charges and won't want much to handle it all for me. It does sound as though you've got some lazier UK accountants if they can't or haven't sorted this for you ?

Reading your post again, are you sure you actually need to register for VAT? That said, given there's a multitude of scenario's etc, perhaps you do, but just asking!

Cheers, DtM!West London & Slough UK!

This is getting extremely frustrating. It's supposed to be a simple thing but every time we send in a VAT registration we get no reply. One time we got a reply saying we needed to correct some bank info but nothing since then. That was like 8 months ago.

The latest is like 3 weeks late now. It's delaying everything. I call them and they say they can't help. I mail them and I get no replies. I can't seem to actually get a VAT number. I've had two accountants handle this and none can get one.

I have no idea what to do. I've been stuck in limbo for almost a year now because I cannot seem to get a VAT number and they refuse to work with me over the phone to seee the status of my applications, if I actually have a VAT number but it was lost in the mail (freakin' like 5 times?), blablabla...