What is an EORI number?
The Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number is the identifier customs authorities use to recognise your business. Every customs declaration in the UK and the EU must carry one — for the importer, the exporter, and the declarant. Without a valid EORI, carriers will not accept your freight for customs-controlled movements, declarations cannot be filed, and goods stop at the border. It is the single most common missing piece on a first international shipment.
Three variants matter for UK–EU trade, and Brexit made them non-interchangeable: a GB EORI issued by HMRC for imports into and exports from the United Kingdom; an EU EORI issued by any one member state and valid for customs purposes across all 27; and an XI EORI for businesses moving goods under the Northern Ireland arrangements of the Windsor Framework. A GB number is not valid in the EU, and an EU number is not valid in the United Kingdom — most businesses trading both markets need both.
Which EORI numbers do you need?
The rule inside each territory is one EORI per legal entity: an EU EORI issued in the Netherlands works for a declaration in Spain, and branches do not get their own numbers. Applying twice — a surprisingly common mistake — creates duplicate records that later block declarations.
Can a non-established business get an EORI?
Yes — and it usually must. Non-UK businesses can obtain a GB EORI from HMRC, and non-EU businesses can obtain an EU EORI from the member state where they first need to be identified. But an EORI alone does not make you an eligible importer: EU law still requires the declarant to be established in the Union, and the UK applies the same principle. In practice a non-established trader needs its own EORI and an indirect customs representative — both are named on the declaration. We arrange the two together so neither blocks the other.
What we handle
- Scoping — determining exactly which numbers (GB, EU, XI) your flows require, and in which member state the EU application should be made.
- Applications — prepared and filed with HMRC and the relevant EU customs authority, with establishment and identity documents presented the way each authority expects.
- Linking — connecting EORIs to VAT registrations, deferment accounts and representation arrangements so declarations actually work.
- Verification — confirming numbers are live on the EU EOS database and HMRC systems before your first shipment moves.
- Fixes — resolving duplicate registrations, lapsed numbers and mismatched company details that stall clearances.
EORI registration pricing
Our EORI service is a fixed fee per application, covering preparation, filing, correspondence with the authority and verification that the number is live before your shipment moves — and EORI work is included at no extra cost inside our IOR and representation onboarding. Processing times vary by authority and case: allow one to two weeks as a working assumption, and sometimes longer where establishment documents need review, so it pays to apply well before your first shipment. Quotations are issued the same day.