How to Get an EORI Number: Application, Timing, and UK Rules

A US company gets an EORI number by applying directly to the customs authority of the EU member state where it will first import, export, or move goods in transit. There is no US-issued equivalent and no central EU application window. Registration is free, usually takes one to three weeks, and the number that comes back is valid across all 27 EU member states.¹ If you also trade with the United Kingdom, you need a second, separate registration with HMRC.²

Do You Actually Need One

An EORI number is required whenever your business is the party lodging customs paperwork in EU territory: import and export declarations, entry and exit summary declarations, and temporary storage declarations filed by a carrier.¹ The practical question is whose name goes on the customs declaration. If it’s yours, register.

Not every US seller shipping to Europe needs its own number. When an EU-based buyer clears the goods on their end, they use their EORI. When a marketplace or fulfillment provider acts as the importer of record, its EORI covers the entry. Individuals sending personal goods to EU recipients generally fall outside the requirement, which targets economic operators engaged in commercial customs activity; edge cases for private individuals turn on the national rules of the specific member state.¹

One EORI covers your entire EU footprint. Even if you import through several countries or hold VAT registrations in more than one member state, you use the same number everywhere.¹

The Indirect Representative You Will Also Need

This catches most US businesses off guard. Under the Union Customs Code, a company not established in EU territory generally cannot file import customs declarations in its own name. It has to appoint an indirect customs representative based in the EU. That representative lodges the declaration in their own name on your behalf and becomes jointly liable with you for customs duties and import VAT.

You still need your own EORI as the underlying importer, but in practice a US company works through an EU customs broker or freight forwarder acting as indirect representative. When you engage one, confirm they are authorized specifically for indirect representation, since direct representation, where the broker acts in your name rather than their own, is typically closed to non-EU businesses.

Choosing Which Country to Apply In

Article 9 of the Union Customs Code requires non-EU operators to register with the customs authority of the member state where they first lodge a declaration or apply for a customs decision.³ If your goods first enter through Rotterdam, apply to Dutch customs. If they land in Le Havre, apply to French customs. The choice matters only for the initial filing; once the number issues, it works EU-wide.¹ Your broker or forwarder can usually tell you which authority fits your routes.

What the Application Asks For

Each member state runs its own form and submission channel (online portal, email, or postal mail), but the information they collect is broadly consistent. The Belgian non-EU application is representative and asks for:⁴

A third-country identification number, which for a US business is your EIN.
Your full registered legal name.
Your registered address: street, city, postal code, country.
A contact person authorized to act for the business, with function, email, and phone.
An EU VAT number, if you already have one. This field is optional.

Some authorities also want a letter of authorization if a broker or fiscal representative submits on your behalf, proof of business registration, or a short description of the customs activity you plan to carry out. Confirm the specifics with the authority you are applying to before you send anything.

How Long It Takes

Processing time depends on the member state. According to the European Commission’s national implementation data for third-country applicants:⁵

Belgium and the Netherlands target five working days or fewer when documentation is complete.
Several member states aim for five to ten working days with full supporting documents.
Some countries report two to three weeks, especially where documents move by post.

Incomplete applications are the biggest source of delay. A broker who files these routinely will usually know each authority’s quirks and catch errors before submission.

UK and Northern Ireland: Separate Numbers

Since Brexit the UK operates its own EORI system entirely independent of the EU’s. A US business trading with both needs two numbers: one prefixed “GB” for UK customs and one from an EU member state for EU customs.² A GB number will not clear goods at an EU border, and an EU number will not clear goods at a UK border.

Northern Ireland is a further wrinkle. Under the Windsor Framework, goods moving into Northern Ireland from outside the EU may require an EORI beginning with “XI.” Only businesses established in Northern Ireland or the EU can be named as the declarant on Northern Ireland import and export declarations. A US business established in neither would need to register with the customs authority where it first files a declaration.⁶

Verifying an EORI Number

Once you have a number, or when you want to confirm someone else’s, the European Commission runs a free validation tool. Enter the number and the system confirms whether it is active in the EU’s central database.⁷ You cannot search by company name; you need the number itself. The same tool covers XI-prefixed numbers issued for Northern Ireland.⁸

What Happens if You Ship Without One

EU customs systems are electronic and use the EORI as the key identifier. Without a valid number, the system cannot process your declaration at all. Goods sit at the border, storage fees run, and delivery dates slip. Member states can also impose administrative fines for failure to register, with amounts set by national law. Treat the application as part of your market entry timeline, not something to sort out once a container is already in transit.

1
Taxation and Customs Union. Economic Operators Registration and Identification Number (EORI)
2
GOV.UK. Get an EORI Number
3
Legislation.gov.uk. Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 – Union Customs Code
4
Finances Belgium. Application Form – Non-EU EORI
5
European Commission Directorate-General Taxation and Customs Union. EORI National Implementation
6
GOV.UK. Get an EORI Number – If You Move Goods to or From Northern Ireland
7
European Commission. EORI Number Validation
8
GOV.UK. Finding and Checking an EORI