How the pages are drafted
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.
Starting from official text
Each page starts from primary material: customs legislation, HMRC guidance, European Commission pages and national customs notices. We do not take wording from commercial sites, and we link the official page next to each figure or rule.
Comparing the draft
Each draft is set beside its source ahead of publication: formats, dates, thresholds and quotations. The page then shows the date of that reading, and pages are read again on a rolling schedule.
Where a model is involved
A model drafts the first version of the text from the official pages it is given. No person reads every page prior to publication. The shape checker is not part of that: it follows fixed, tested rules. We say this plainly because the AI regulation of the EU (number 2024/1689, article 50) lays transparency duties on AI-generated text, and readers should be told whichever law covers them.
When sources disagree
Where HMRC and the Commission differ, or where one page is older than another, the page says which one it followed and why. We prefer to leave a point open than to pick silently.
Staying independent
No customs software, broker or freight company has paid for a mention. A future advert or affiliate link would carry a clear label.
Page last revised: 2026-10-26
Spotted an outdated EORI rule? Report an outdated rule
Edited