diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4bc1e52..09056df 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -48,6 +48,30 @@ Subpaths follow the source layout: `stdnum/<country>/<number>` (e.g.
 `stdnum/it/codicefiscale`), and `stdnum/<country>` for a whole country's
 validators.
 
+Tree-shaking the root `stdnum` entry works because `package.json` declares
+`"sideEffects": false`: anything you import from it that you don't use, such as
+the `stdnum` object or the validator tables below, can be dropped by the
+bundler.
+
+## Validating by country code
+
+When the country is only known at runtime, these functions pick the
+validators for an ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (case-insensitive):
+
+    import { validatePerson, validateEntity, validateVat } from 'stdnum';
+
+    validatePerson('BR', '390.533.447-05'); // personal ID numbers
+    validateEntity('US', '12-3456789'); // business and tax numbers
+    validateVat('DE', 'DE136695976'); // VAT numbers
+
+Each returns `{ checked: true, isValid, matchedValidators }` when it knows the
+country, and `{ checked: false }` when it does not.
+
+`validateVat` covers the countries in the `euVat` table: the EU member states
+plus some non-EU countries (such as AD and CH). It only pulls in those VAT
+validators, so it adds far less to a bundle than `validateEntity`, which
+references every country's business validators.
+
 ## Supported Countries and Numbers
 
 How you can help! This library currently support about half the countries in the world. It would be great if we can get to 100%. Submit an issue with any reference documentation and I'll do my best to integrate it, bonus points if you can get detailed descriptions of checksums or other validation criteria.
diff --git a/src/index.spec.ts b/src/index.spec.ts
index 433c31f..06099e0 100644
--- a/src/index.spec.ts
+++ b/src/index.spec.ts
@@ -30,3 +30,49 @@ describe('index exports', () => {
     expect(lib.stdnum.AI.tin.validate('12345-67890').isValid).toBe(true);
   });
 });
+
+describe('validateVat', () => {
+  // Valid and invalid values are taken from the country specs.
+  it.each([
+    ['DE', 'DE136695976', lib.DE.vat], // src/de/vat.spec.ts
+    ['FR', '40303265045', lib.FR.tva], // src/fr/tva.spec.ts
+    ['CH', 'CHE-107.787.577 IVA', lib.CH.vat], // src/ch/vat.spec.ts, non-EU
+  ])('accepts a valid %s VAT number', (country, value, validator) => {
+    expect(lib.validateVat(country, value)).toEqual({
+      checked: true,
+      isValid: true,
+      matchedValidators: [validator],
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('rejects an invalid VAT number', () => {
+    // Bad check digit, per src/fr/tva.spec.ts.
+    expect(lib.validateVat('FR', '84 323 140 391')).toEqual({
+      checked: true,
+      isValid: false,
+      matchedValidators: [],
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('accepts a lowercase country code', () => {
+    expect(lib.validateVat('de', 'DE136695976').isValid).toBe(true);
+    expect(lib.validateVat('fr', '84 323 140 391')).toEqual({
+      checked: true,
+      isValid: false,
+      matchedValidators: [],
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('does not check an unknown country', () => {
+    expect(lib.validateVat('XX', '40303265045')).toEqual({ checked: false });
+    expect(lib.validateVat('XX', '40303265045')).toEqual(
+      lib.validateEntity('XX', '40303265045'),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('does not check a country that has entity validators but no VAT entry', () => {
+    // Valid US EIN, per src/us/ein.spec.ts.
+    expect(lib.validateEntity('US', '123-45-6789').isValid).toBe(true);
+    expect(lib.validateVat('US', '123-45-6789')).toEqual({ checked: false });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 7c591ea..cda5c86 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -697,6 +697,32 @@ export function validateEntity(
   return { checked: true, isValid: match.length > 0, matchedValidators: match };
 }
 
+/**
+ * Apply the VAT validator for a given country to validate a VAT number.
+ *
+ * Covers the countries in `euVat`, which besides the EU member states
+ * includes some non-EU countries (such as AD and CH). A country that is not
+ * in `euVat` returns `{ checked: false }`, the same result `validateEntity`
+ * gives for a country it does not know.
+ *
+ * This only reads `euVat`, so a bundler can leave out the much larger
+ * `stdnum`, `personValidators` and `entityValidators` tables.
+ */
+export function validateVat(
+  country: string,
+  value: string,
+): { checked: boolean; isValid?: boolean; matchedValidators?: Validator[] } {
+  const vset = euVat[country.toUpperCase()];
+
+  if (!vset || vset.length === 0) {
+    return { checked: false };
+  }
+
+  const match = vset.filter(grp => grp.validate(value).isValid);
+
+  return { checked: true, isValid: match.length > 0, matchedValidators: match };
+}
+
 /**
  * Validate a passport number for a given country.
  * Like validatePerson, returns `{ checked: false }` when the country has no