Which EORI do I need?
Choose where you are established, what you do with customs and where goods move. The tool repeats what the Commission and HMRC guidance say for that case.
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.
The tool below asks where the business is established and what it will move (Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the EU). It follows GOV.UK's own route-by-route rules and lists GB, XI and EU numbers together when you need more than one.
Reading what comes back
Three answers go in: where the business is established, what it does with customs, and where the goods enter or leave. The result shows which kind of number the guidance points to, who issues it and why, with a link to the sentence's source. Where a source does not cover the case, the result says so and does not fill the gap.
The three kinds of number
| Prefix | Issued by | The guidance points to it when | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| An EU country code, for example FR or NL | The customs authority of one EU country | The business is established in the EU, or it is outside the EU and lodges declarations or acts as a carrier there | European Commission |
| XI | HMRC | The business is based in Northern Ireland, or it is outside Northern Ireland and the EU and needs a number for a limited customs activity there | HMRC, place of registration |
| GB | HMRC | The business is established in the UK, or it is outside the UK and needs one for an allowed limited customs activity in Great Britain | HMRC, place of registration |
What the tool does not do
- It makes no ruling. The customs authority of the country decides who is registered. The tool repeats published guidance.
- It does not cover every case. Groups of companies, VAT groups, branches and unusual activities are outside the three questions. The Commission guidance and HMRC have separate sections on them: see where to register in the EU and the cases from the guidance.
- It sends nothing. Your answers stay in your browser.
After the result
If the result points to a number, the next step is the registration route named at the bottom of the result. If you already hold a number, check its shape with the format checker and confirm it with the official services.
Spotted an outdated EORI rule? Report an outdated rule