UK EORI Checker

GB, XI or EU: which EORI checker do you need?

EORI numbers are issued by the country where a business is established, and each register is checked in a different place. Using the wrong checker is the most common reason a genuine EORI number comes back as not found.

• GB numbers (businesses in England, Scotland and Wales) are issued by HMRC and checked here, against HMRC's EORI lookup.
• XI numbers (Northern Ireland businesses moving goods to or from the EU) are held in the EU EORI system, so they are checked with the European Commission's EORI validation service.
• EU numbers start with the member state code (DE, FR, NL and so on) and are also checked with the European Commission's service.

When to check an EORI number

Customs declarations identify the importer and exporter by their EORI number. If the number on a declaration is wrong or no longer registered, the declaration can be rejected and the goods held at the border while it is sorted out.

Freight forwarders and customs brokers check a client's EORI before filing on their behalf. Importers and exporters check the EORI of the suppliers and customers named on their paperwork, and finance teams check it when a new trading partner is set up, alongside the VAT number.

EORI numbers and VAT numbers

For a VAT-registered business the GB EORI number is usually GB, then the 9-digit VAT registration number, then 000. Businesses that are not VAT registered get a 12-digit number from HMRC that does not follow this pattern.

The EORI is still a separate registration. A number built from a valid VAT number is not proof that an EORI exists, so check the EORI itself rather than deriving it.

What the results show

• Valid: HMRC has the number on its EORI register. The business name and address are shown only if the trader has agreed to share them, so a valid result without details is normal.
• Not valid: HMRC did not find the number. Check for missing digits or the wrong prefix, and whether the business may have an XI or EU number instead.
• Format error: the number does not start with GB followed only by digits, so it is not sent to HMRC and does not count against your limit.
• Service error: HMRC did not answer for that number. It has not been judged invalid; use Retry Failed to check it again.

Checking a list of EORI numbers

• Export the EORI numbers from your customer, supplier or client records, one per line. Numbers pasted from Excel are cleaned up automatically.
• Paste them into the checker above or upload the file, and run the check.
• Review anything not valid, retry service errors, and export the results to CSV, Excel or PDF for your records.
• Save the list to re-check it before your next shipment run, since registrations can be cancelled.

Frequently asked questions

What is an EORI number?

An Economic Operators Registration and Identification number. It identifies a business in customs procedures when goods are imported or exported. UK EORI numbers start with GB.

What does a GB EORI number look like?

GB followed by 12 digits. For VAT-registered businesses the digits are often the 9-digit VAT number followed by 000.

Where do the results come from?

Each number is checked with the HMRC EORI lookup service. It confirms whether the EORI number is valid; the business name and address are only shown when the trader has agreed to share them.

Can I check EU or XI EORI numbers here?

No. This tool checks GB EORI numbers only. EU and Northern Ireland (XI) EORI numbers are checked in the European Commission EORI validation service.

Is this the HMRC EORI checker?

It uses HMRC's EORI lookup behind the scenes, but checks a whole list in one go instead of one number at a time. justaxit is an independent service and is not part of HMRC.

Why are the business name and address missing for a valid number?

HMRC only shares a trader's name and address when the trader has consented to it. The EORI number is still valid; the details are simply not published.