Edits by date
At a loading dock or a desk? Install the checker and the shape test keeps working after the signal drops.
What the EORI guide does: 8 tools
- EORI number checker type a GB, XI or EU number and see at once whether its prefix, length and characters fit the published rules.
- Check a list of EORI numbers paste up to 500 numbers from a spreadsheet and get a reason, a suggested fix and the right official service for every row.
- Compare an EORI with a UK VAT number see whether the first nine digits of a GB or XI number match the holder's VAT number, as HMRC says they should.
- Which EORI number do I need? say where you are based and what you will move, and learn whether you need a GB, an XI or an EU number.
- EORI number formats by country type how many characters your number has and see which of the 29 prefixes allow that length.
- Do I need an EORI number? answer four questions about who you are and how often you make customs declarations to see whether you must register.
- Where to apply for an EORI number pick your situation and see which customs authority issues the number, with a link to the official list of authorities.
- How long an EORI number lasts enter the date a number stopped being valid and see the earliest date its record can be deleted, ten years on.
Changes to the guides, the checker and the legal pages, one row each.
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-26 | Guides and shape checker first published. |
| 2026-11-07 | Northern Ireland rules brought up to date with the GOV.UK guide of 6 July 2026 on where an EU EORI number works there; the parcel duty note now says the €3 duty is per item. A saved check brings back the mode it was saved in. Old page addresses forward to the new legal pages again. |
| 2026-11-06 | Interface rebuilt on a new framework with a new look. The checker has three modes (One number, List and VAT, Full trace), a character strip that shows which character broke the rule, and five memory slots that bring a whole check back. The home page now holds the checker only; the route, need and application tools live on their own pages. New tool on how long an EORI number lasts, and a length tool on the formats page. Legal pages rewritten, with a table of every storage key, and moved to new addresses. |
| 2026-10-30 | New checker: one number or a list of up to 500, with a reason and a suggested fix for each slip (UK instead of GB, a VAT number instead of an EORI, a letter O for a zero, a missing prefix, a short Dutch number), country shapes for Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Portugal from the Commission's table, a VAT number comparison for GB and XI numbers, and separate copy lists for GOV.UK and the Commission's service. A 15-digit GB or XI number is now marked as possible but unusual. New "Which number?" route check from GOV.UK's rules. XI application details and German portal wording corrected. |
| 2026-10-26 | GB and XI format settled from HMRC guidance (GB plus 12 digits, XI same digits); Commission guidance date clarified; wording for non-EU operators aligned with the Commission; new pages on applying for GB and XI numbers and on the 2026 EU and UK customs changes. |
| 2026-10-26 | New pages: how to find your own EORI number (GB, XI, EU); finding an EORI by company name or VAT number (what the official checkers allow); CBAM basics for importers and the EORI link (EU since 1 January 2026, UK from 1 January 2027). The how-to-check page title now names GB, XI and EU numbers. |
| 2026-10-26 | Review fixes: "Who needs an EORI" is now a role-by-role table for the EU and UK, and the general rules sit on the need check; the home page shows the number shapes by prefix; inline sources added for the €3 duty, the €2 handling fee and the German portal; CBAM figures reworded to match the Commission's dates; one checker error message made clearer. |
Spotted an outdated EORI rule? Report an outdated rule
Edited