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EORI numbers in the EU

What an EU EORI number is, its format, who has to get one, when a parcel seller outside the EU needs one and how to apply in Germany or France.

Updated · 5 official sources

An EORI number is the identification number EU customs uses for every economic operator in customs dealings, and a business established in the EU needs one before its first customs operation. A seller outside the EU needs one only when it deals with EU customs itself, for example by lodging declarations or entry summary declarations or by acting as a carrier.

Rules as of 30 October 2026.

What does an EORI number look like?#

An EORI (Economic Operators Registration and Identification) number is the two-letter code of the EU country that issued it, followed by up to 15 letters or digits that are unique within that country. Each person can hold only one valid EORI number at a time, and it is used across all 27 member states, not only in the country that issued it.

The structure of the part after the country code is up to each member state. French businesses, for example, have had an EORI number built from FR and their establishment number. You can check whether a number, or the name and address registered to it, is valid with the European Commission's online EORI validation service.

Who needs an EORI number?#

Every economic operator established in the EU customs territory needs an EORI number to carry out customs formalities. An operator established outside the EU needs one when it lodges a customs declaration, an entry summary declaration or a temporary storage declaration in the EU, or acts as a carrier, even though it has no EU establishment.

A business outside the EU registers in the member state where it first lodges a declaration or applies for a customs decision, and that one number then works everywhere in the EU. German customs states it plainly: operators outside the EU have no general obligation to register, and need a number only if, for example, they act as declarant or carrier. Private individuals generally don't need one, although a member state can require private individuals to register.

Does a parcel seller outside the EU need an EORI?#

A seller outside the EU that ships parcels to EU consumers through a carrier usually doesn't need an EORI number of its own. Under the rules that apply to distance sales until 30 June 2028, a seller established outside the EU can't lodge the import declaration in its own name, so its carrier or customs agent declares as indirect representative, using its own EORI number.

The buyer's EORI field on a low-value H7 declaration is filled in only when a number is available, and private buyers in most member states don't have one. You'll need your own EORI number when your business starts dealing with customs directly. Examples are filing ICS2 entry summary declarations yourself, lodging customs declarations for stock you ship to an EU warehouse, or applying for a customs decision such as an authorization. An IOSS number is a VAT number, not an EORI number, and the two are never interchangeable.

For business-to-business shipments the EU buyer, as importer, normally provides its own EORI number. Put it on the commercial invoice and in your shipping data so the carrier can declare the goods without stopping to ask; the commercial invoice generator has a field for it.

How do you apply for an EORI number?#

You apply for an EORI number to the customs authority of one member state: the one where you are established, or for a business outside the EU, the one where you'll first lodge a declaration or apply for a decision. You can't register in a second member state once you hold a number from the first.

In Germany, applications go through the Zoll-Portal, which needs an ELSTER certificate, and German customs charges nothing for them. The 0870 paper forms were accepted only until 30 September 2026 and are now kept for when the portal fails. German customs processes applications centrally in Dresden, and an operator outside the EU must explain why it needs a German number or the application is rejected. In France, applications go through the SOPRANO EORI online service of French customs.

Apply before you need the number, since processing takes time and a declaration can't be lodged without it. Use the same legal name and address on your EORI registration as on your invoices and shipping data.

Common questions#

Is an EORI number the same as a VAT number?#

No. An EORI number identifies you to customs, and a VAT number or IOSS number identifies you to the tax authority. A business can have both, and some member states build the EORI number from a national business number, but they are separate registrations.

Can a business have EORI numbers in several EU countries?#

No. A person can hold only one valid EORI number at a time, and it is valid in every member state. A business outside the EU registers in the member state where it first deals with customs.

Do I need an EORI number to ship parcels to EU customers?#

Usually not, if a carrier or customs agent declares your parcels as your indirect representative, which is how most parcel shipping works. You need one when you deal with EU customs yourself.

Sources#