You need an EORI number to move goods into or out of the EU (including the UK).

If you do not get one, you may have increased costs and delays. For example, if HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) cannot clear your goods you may have to pay storage fees.

If there’s a no-deal Brexit

You’ll need an EORI number that starts with GB to move goods in or out of the UK if there’s no Brexit deal.

If you already have an EORI number that starts with GB, you can continue to use it. It will be 12 digits long. If you’re registered for VAT it will include your VAT registration number.

If you want to trade with an EU country you’ll also need an EU EORI number. It will start with the country code of the EU country you got it from. You should get one from the customs authorities in the EU country you’ll trade with first.

You do not need an EORI number if you’ll only move goods between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

Before you apply

To apply you may need your:

  • VAT number and effective date of registration - these are on your VAT registration certificate
  • National Insurance number - if you’re an individual or a sole trader
  • Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) - find your UTR if you do not know it
  • business start date and Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code - these are in the Companies House register
  • Government Gateway user ID and password

If you need a Government Gateway user ID, use either:

  • the one for your business or organisation
  • your own if you’re applying as an individual

If you do not already have a user ID, you’ll be able to create one when you apply.

Apply for an EORI number

It takes 5 to 10 minutes to apply for an EORI number. You’ll get it either:

  • straight away
  • within 5 working days (if HMRC needs to make more checks)

Start now

What you need to know

You can check the status of an application you have already made.

You may have to wait 48 hours to use your EORI number for customs declarations in the Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system. You can check when your EORI number has been validated and is ready to use.