Question 1

What is an EORI number?

Accepted Answer

EORI (Economic Operators Registration and Identification) is the unique identifier used by EU customs authorities to track economic operators. Any business importing into or exporting from the EU must have an EORI. The number begins with a 2-letter ISO country code (e.g. DE, FR, NL) followed by a national identifier of up to 15 alphanumeric characters. Greece uses 'EL' rather than 'GR'. Northern Ireland uses 'XI' under the Windsor Framework. The UK issues GB-prefixed EORIs for imports into Great Britain.

Question 2

How do I validate an EORI number online for free?

Accepted Answer

The European Commission runs a free public EORI validation service called EOS. Enter the EORI on the EC Taxation and Customs portal and it will confirm whether the number is registered. This Dutiable tool does the same lookup automatically, plus a format check that catches the most common errors (wrong country code, wrong length, illegal characters) before you even hit the EC service. GB EORIs are not in EOS — verify those against gov.uk.

Question 3

What is the format of an EORI number?

Accepted Answer

An EORI is a 2-letter ISO country code plus 1–15 alphanumeric characters, total length 3–17. Country-specific patterns vary: DE is typically DE + 11 digits, NL is NL + 9 digits + 'B' + 2 digits (e.g. NL000000001B01), FR is FR + 14 chars based on SIRET, IT is IT + 11 digits (VAT), PL is PL + 10 digits (NIP), GB is GB + 12 digits. Most EORI errors are simple format mistakes — a validator like this one catches them before customs rejection.

Question 4

Do I need an EORI to import into the EU?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Any economic operator filing a customs declaration for goods entering or leaving the EU customs territory must have an EORI. You apply once with the customs authority of the EU member state where you are established. After Brexit, UK companies importing into the EU now need an EU-issued EORI from a member state (commonly via Ireland or the Netherlands), and a separate GB EORI from HMRC for UK customs.

Question 5

Why does my EORI fail validation?

Accepted Answer

Common reasons: the EORI is not yet activated in the customs authority's system (registration can take a few business days to propagate to EOS); the country code is wrong (e.g. GR instead of EL for Greece, or omitting the country prefix); the number was deactivated; or the format is wrong (typo, missing leading zero, or wrong length). Format issues are the most common — fix those first, then re-check on EOS.

Code	Country	Format hint
AT	Austria	—
BE	Belgium	BE + 10 digits (KBO/BCE)
BG	Bulgaria	—
HR	Croatia	—
CY	Cyprus	—
CZ	Czech Republic	—
DK	Denmark	DK + 8 digits (CVR)
EE	Estonia	—
FI	Finland	FI + 8 digits (Y-tunnus)
FR	France	FR + 14 chars (SIRET-based)
DE	Germany	DE + up to 15 chars (commonly 11 digits)
EL	Greece (uses EL, not GR)	—
HU	Hungary	—
IE	Ireland	—
IT	Italy	IT + 11 digits (VAT-based) or 16 chars (Codice Fiscale)
LV	Latvia	—
LT	Lithuania	—
LU	Luxembourg	—
MT	Malta	—
NL	Netherlands	NL + 9 digits + 'B' + 2 (e.g. NL000000001B01)
PL	Poland	PL + 10 digits (NIP)
PT	Portugal	PT + 9 digits (NIPC)
RO	Romania	—
SK	Slovakia	—
SI	Slovenia	—
ES	Spain	ES + 9 chars (NIF/CIF)
SE	Sweden	SE + 12 digits (Org.nr)
XI	Northern Ireland (Windsor Framework)	—
GB	United Kingdom	GB + 12 digits (HMRC, not in EC EOS)

EORI Number Validator

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EU EORI Country Codes