Creating Test Users in the Sandbox

As of 25th Nov 2021, the below setup is working:

Prerequisites:

1. Setup vendor application on the Developer Hub for the Sandbox environment

2. Subscribe your vendor application to the VAT APIs you are trying to test:
   • VAT (MTD) API
   and the following:
   • Create Test User API

Steps:

1. Create a user using the /organisations Create Test User endpoint (Documentation)
   Alternatively use the Create Test User frontend

   Example response

   {
    "userId": "571213830501",
    "password": "aJ9so7mildjq",
    "userFullName": "Claude Venables",
    "emailAddress": "claude.venables@example.com",
    "organisationDetails": {
        "name": "Company UHNS5I",
        "address": {
            "line1": "16 Portobello Road",
            "line2": "Nottingham",
            "postcode": "TS5 1PA"
        }
    },
    "vrn": "966673662",
    "vatRegistrationDate": "2018-05-02"
   }
   

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2. Grant authority for your vendor application to act on behalf of the user (Documentation)

   Navigate to the grant authority URL

   • Use your application client_id
   • Use your application redirect_uri
     
     

   https://test-api.service.hmrc.gov.uk/
     oauth/authorize?response_type=code
       &client_id=
         &scope=read:vat+write:vat
           &redirect_uri=
   

   Login with the user's userId and password to grant authority

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3. Retrieve access token with /oauth/token endpoint (Documentation)

   Example response:

   {
    "access_token": "661a961bacea332f852d397a2dafc83",
    "refresh_token": "dbebf893f08bcb18bb91311a6a952881",
    "expires_in": 14400,
    "scope": "read:vat write:sent-invitations write:vat",
    "token_type": "bearer"
   }
   

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4. Using the vat-api (Documentation)

   • Use user's Authorization access_token returned in step 3
   • Use user's vrn from step 1