EORI Number Validator & Lookup

What is an EORI number?

An EORI number is the unique identifier assigned by EU customs authorities to any economic operator who interacts with EU customs. The system was established by Article 9 of the Union Customs Code (Regulation (EU) 952/2013) and replaced the legacy national TIN system for cross-border trade. Without a valid EORI, you cannot lodge an import declaration, an export declaration, or a transit document anywhere in the European Union.

EORI numbers follow a country-prefixed format: "GB" + 9–12 digits for the United Kingdom (still valid for some cross-border movements post-Brexit), "DE" + 15 digits for Germany, "FR" + 14 digits for France, "NL" + 9 digits + suffix for the Netherlands, and so on. The first two characters always identify the issuing member state — the rest follows national format conventions.

A single EORI number is recognised across the entire EU customs union. You register once in your member state of establishment and your number is valid for declarations filed in every other EU country. Non-EU traders register in the first EU country where they lodge a customs declaration.

Why EORI validation matters

Filing a customs declaration with an invalid or mistyped EORI triggers an immediate rejection from the EU's customs IT systems. The shipment cannot proceed until the EORI is corrected, which often means demurrage fees at the port of entry, missed delivery windows, and storage charges. For freight forwarders managing dozens of declarations per day, even a 1% EORI error rate translates to significant cost and customer frustration.

Validation is not just a typo check. Some EORI numbers are deactivated by member-state customs authorities when an operator goes out of business, fails compliance checks, or is sanctioned. A number that worked last month may be invalid today. The European Commission publishes a public EORI validation endpoint precisely so that filers can confirm an EORI is currently active before submitting a declaration.

Who needs this tool

EORI validation is everyday infrastructure for several distinct user groups:

• EU-established importers verifying their consignor's EORI on a commercial invoice before lodging an import declaration.
• Freight forwarders and customs brokers running pre-lodgement checks on dozens or hundreds of declarations per day.
• Non-EU exporters who hold an EORI from a first port of entry and need to confirm it is still active.
• Compliance teams auditing supplier and counterparty master data against current customs registrations.
• Logistics platforms integrating EORI checks into their order intake or KYC workflows.

What this tool will do

Dutifi's EORI Validator will provide three core capabilities:

• Real-time EORI validation against the official European Commission registry — checks both format and active-status.
• Country and format decoder — paste any EORI and see which member state issued it, when it was registered, and whether the format matches the national convention.
• Country-by-country registration directory — step-by-step procedures for obtaining an EORI in each of the 27 EU member states, including which national tax or customs authority handles registration and what documents are required.
• Batch validation via CSV upload for freight forwarders and platforms processing many EORIs at once.
• Optional API access for programmatic integration into your TMS, ERP, or customs software.

Related Dutifi tools you can use today

While the EORI Validator is in development, Dutifi's live tools already cover related compliance workflows. Use the AI Customs Broker for any cross-border customs question — it can explain EORI registration procedures for any EU member state and walk you through national portal steps. The Document Checklist generates the full document list required for any import or export route, which always includes the EORI declaration line.