EORI glossary
Plain definitions for the vocabulary of EORI guidance, with the official source for each: economic operator, UCC, CDS, AEO, XI, carrier, invalidation, and similar terms.
2 min to read / Rules to be read again by 2027-01-19
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.
Definitions restate the sources. Where a source does not define a term, the entry says so.
EORI – Economic Operators Registration and Identification number. A unique identifier in the EU customs territory, assigned to an economic operator or other person for customs purposes (guidance, Art. 1(18) UCC DA).
Economic operator – A term defined in Article 5(5) of the Union Customs Code. The guidance lists who counts and who is only an "other person".
Person – Defined in Article 5(4) of the Union Customs Code. Only a legal person or an association with legal capacity can receive an EORI number.
Permanent business establishment – Defined in Article 5(32) of the Union Customs Code. It matters for deciding where an operator is established.
UCC – The Union Customs Code. The guidance cites it for the rules on registration and invalidation, for example Article 9.
Registering authority – The customs authority that assigns the number. The Commission publishes a search for registering authorities.
Invalidation – The act of making a number invalid, at the holder's request or when the activities stop. The data is kept for 10 years.
XI – The prefix of EORI numbers issued by HMRC to operators for Northern Ireland. An XI number contains the same digits as the holder's GB number, and both are in HMRC's database (HMRC).
GB – The prefix of EORI numbers issued by HMRC to UK-established operators.
CDS – The Customs Declaration Service of HMRC. A GB EORI is needed to use it, and the holder can find the number in its financial dashboard.
AEO – Authorised Economic Operator. The guidance says an EORI number is required to obtain AEO facilitations.
Entry summary declaration (ENS) and exit summary declaration (EXS) – Declarations listed by the Commission as ones that make a non-EU operator need an EORI. The sources consulted give no further definition.
Temporary storage declaration – A declaration listed in the same way. The sources consulted define it no further.
Carrier – An operator that moves goods. The Commission names carriers by sea, inland waterway or air as needing registration if not established in the EU.
Declarant – A role in customs declarations. The number is mandatory or conditional in the declarant data field.
TCUIN – Third-country unique identifier. The guidance says it may be used where a recognised trader partnership programme applies; it is not an EORI.
ATA and CPD carnets – International customs documents. EU-established holders must be registered, and the number goes in box A or box 1.
Indirect representative – A person who deals with customs on another's behalf. HMRC says a business that cannot register can appoint one, and that the representative needs their own EORI.
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