How do I find my EORI number? (UK and EU)
Lost your own EORI number? Where HMRC says to find a GB or XI number, where it shows in your paperwork, and who to ask for an EU number. No new application.
3 min to read / Rules to be read again by 2027-01-24
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.
Do not apply again first
A person can hold only one valid EORI number at a time (European Commission). If you once registered, the number almost certainly still exists. Find it before you start a new application.
GB numbers: the two official places
| Where | How, according to HMRC |
|---|---|
| The EORI digital registration | Sign in at gov.uk/eori with the details you used to register. Your number is shown once you are logged in. HMRC says not to sign in through any other login page, such as the business tax, personal tax or general HMRC account pages |
| The Customs Declaration Service (CDS) financial dashboard | Log in to CDS and open the financial dashboard |
Source: GOV.UK.
Note the login point. An EORI does not appear in the account you use for self assessment or VAT just because it is the same business.
A shortcut for VAT-registered UK businesses
For a VAT-registered business, the first nine digits of the GB EORI are the same as its VAT number, after the prefix GB (HMRC). HMRC's example is GB123456789000. If you know your VAT number, you can build the likely EORI and confirm it on the GB checker. Do not use it on a declaration until the checker says it is valid.
Your XI number
An XI number uses the same digits as the holder's GB number, with XI in front (HMRC). Once you have found your GB number, you know the XI one. It is checked on the EU service, not the GB one (GOV.UK).
Paperwork that already shows it
Your number goes on customs declarations and summary declarations where you act as declarant, importer, consignee or in similar roles (Commission guidance). So look at:
- import or export entries your customs agent or courier made for you;
- ATA or CPD carnets you used (box A on an ATA carnet, box 1 on a CPD carnet);
- an AEO application, if you made one.
A freight forwarder or courier that cleared goods for you used your number on those entries. Ask them for it, then confirm it on the official checker.
EU numbers
Only the customs authority that issued an EU number can give it back to you. Each Member State registers its own operators and keeps their data (Commission guidance). The Commission's registering authority search shows who to contact. In some countries the EORI is built from a national company or tax number: for example, a French number is FR plus the SIRET, and a Danish one DK plus the CVR number (Commission, national implementation). See formats by country.
Still stuck with a GB number?
GOV.UK offers an enquiry form about EORI numbers, with a reply within 5 working days, and the import and export general enquiries team, which passes questions it cannot answer to the EORI team (GOV.UK). If your details have changed since you registered, update them first: a VAT-registered business does it in its VAT online account, others use HMRC's change of circumstance form (GOV.UK).
Once you have it
Run it through the format checker to spot a slip, then confirm it on the official service. Keep it where your team can find it next time.
Spotted an outdated EORI rule? Report an outdated rule