EORI number check
The EORI number is a business's customs identity in the EU; without a valid one, a customs declaration does not get accepted. Type any EORI number below and see whether its structure can be right: which country issued it, whether the characters and length follow the EU rule, and, for GB and XI numbers, what that means after Brexit. The check runs in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.
This is a structure check, not a registry lookup: it cannot tell you whether the number is actually registered, or to whom. For the live answer with the registered name and address, use the official EU checker this page links to -- one click, free, no login. Checked against the Commission's published EORI rules on 2 October 2026.
Check a number
What the check does, and what it leaves to the official service
An EU EORI number is a two-letter country code of the issuing member state, followed by up to fifteen letters or digits -- seventeen characters at most. That is the whole of the common EU rule; what the fifteen characters look like is a national choice, which is why a Dutch, a Polish and a German number can differ wildly in shape. The tool above applies the common rule, names the issuing country, and recognises the two UK prefixes (GB and XI, twelve or fifteen digits each) with their own meaning.
What only the official service can tell you: whether the number is registered, the name and address of the holder, and its status. Both checks belong together -- format here, registration there:
Questions importers actually ask
What is an EORI number and who needs one?
The Economic Operators Registration and Identification number is the customs identity of a business in the EU: two letters for the issuing country plus up to fifteen letters and digits. Any economic operator that lodges a customs declaration, is named in one, or applies for a customs decision (a binding tariff information, an AEO status, an authorisation) needs one; private individuals importing personal goods generally do not. The obligation rests in Article 8b of the Union Customs Code.
Is an EORI number the same as a VAT number?
No. A VAT number exists for tax; an EORI number for customs. Several member states build the EORI on an existing number (a company register or VAT number), so the digits after the country code can look like one you already know -- but that is a national choice, not a rule, and having a VAT number does not register you for customs. EORI registration is a separate, free step with your customs authority.
Does my EU EORI work for trade with the United Kingdom?
No. Since Brexit, EU EORI numbers and UK EORI numbers are separate registers: trade with Great Britain needs a GB-prefixed EORI from HMRC, and a Northern Ireland trader may hold an XI-prefixed one for protocol-related movements. Both are the two-letter code followed by twelve or fifteen digits. This checker recognises GB and XI and points you at the UK checker for the live answer.
Why does this tool not name the company behind the number?
Because the European Commission's EORI validation service is an interactive official form rather than an open interface, and a structure check that pretends to be a registry lookup would be worse than none. The tool verifies the format, names the issuing country and hands you to the official EU checker (or the UK one) for the registered name, address and status -- the answer that means anything.
The structure checks out. Is the trader safe to deal with?
No. A correct format only means the number could exist. Registration says nothing about solvency, ownership or sanctions exposure. Screen the company name against the sanctions lists and check the VAT registration in the counterparty check, and read the company in its home register before you pay.