Where to apply for an EORI number
Only one customs authority can assign your EORI number. Find which country's customs to contact, whether you are based in the EU, outside it or in Britain.
2 min to read / Rules to be read again by 2027-01-28
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.
One number, one authority
Only one customs authority can assign an EORI number, and the number is valid across the EU (European Commission). Applying twice in different countries is not the way to get faster service.
Which country
- Established in the EU: the national customs authority of your country of establishment.
- Not established in the EU: the EU country where you first lodge a customs declaration or apply for a customs decision.
- Not established in the EU but with several permanent establishments in EU countries: any of those countries.
All from European Commission. The Commission publishes a search for registering authorities.
Worked examples
The businesses below are invented; the rules applied to them are the Commission's (European Commission).
| Situation | Where it applies | What the number looks like |
|---|---|---|
| A Swiss toolmaker whose first EU import declaration will be lodged in the Netherlands | Dutch customs, because that is where its first customs operation takes place | NL plus 9 digits (Commission, 2022) |
| A US retailer with permanent warehouses in Belgium and France | Either Belgian or French customs, its choice; once, not in both | From Belgium: BE, then US, then 6 digits; from France: FR, then US, then a customs number (Commission, 2022) |
| A Polish manufacturer that starts exporting | Polish customs, its country of establishment | PL plus up to 15 letters or digits |
| A UK company selling to EU customers, with its EU customers or their customs agent declaring the imports | It needs a GB number from HMRC for the GB side; it needs an EU number only if it lodges EU declarations itself (GOV.UK) | GB plus 12 digits |
In each case the number then works in every EU country. If the Swiss toolmaker later imports through Hamburg, it uses the same NL number, and the shape checker on the front page will read an embedded code such as US in a Belgian or French number as the holder's home country, not as a mistake.
Great Britain and Northern Ireland
GB numbers are issued in the UK; see GB, XI and EU numbers for when an XI number is needed for Northern Ireland.
A German detail
German customs issue the number free of charge through the customs portal; since 1 October 2026 the portal has been mandatory for applying for or cancelling a number, and paper forms are kept for emergencies (Zoll).
How to run the check
Pick your situation and type the country. The app shows the authority to contact and the link to the Commission's list. Then use the format checker to test the number you receive.
Spotted an outdated EORI rule? Report an outdated rule