EORI Number Checker: How to Check and Verify GB, XI & EU EORI Numbers (2026)

Quick Answer

To check an EORI number, you need one of two official free tools — and the right one depends on the number’s prefix. For GB-prefixed numbers (UK businesses in England, Scotland and Wales), use HMRC’s checker. For EU member state numbers and XI-prefixed numbers (Northern Ireland), use the European Commission’s validation tool. Both are free, require no login, and return live results instantly.

Whether you’ve just received a supplier’s invoice, you’re verifying a freight forwarder’s credentials, or you want to confirm your own number is active after applying — knowing how to check an EORI number quickly is an essential skill for anyone involved in cross-border trade.

This guide covers every scenario: verifying a GB (UK) EORI, a Northern Ireland (XI) EORI, or an EU member state EORI — and explains what to do when a number fails validation. This is the checking guide; if you need to understand what an EORI number is or how to apply for one, see our complete guide to EORI numbers in the UK.

Why You Might Need to Check an EORI Number

There are several practical reasons you might need to run an EORI number check:

• Supplier or buyer due diligence: before entering a trade relationship with a new counterpart, verify their EORI is valid and active.
• Customs declaration accuracy: a freight forwarder or customs broker needs to confirm your EORI is registered and correct before submitting an import or export declaration.
• Post-application confirmation: after applying for an EORI through HMRC or an EU customs authority, verification confirms the number is live in the system.
• Finding your own EORI: if you’ve misplaced your number or aren’t sure whether one was automatically assigned when you registered for VAT.
• Preventing import delays: goods held at the UK or EU border often involve an EORI number that doesn’t match records — catching mismatches before shipment avoids costly storage fees.

Two Different EORI Checkers — Which Do You Need?

The key thing to understand is that there is no single global EORI checker. The UK and the EU maintain separate EORI registers, and each has its own validation tool. Since Brexit, UK EORI numbers (GB prefix) are no longer part of the EU system — and Northern Ireland sits in a unique position under the Windsor Framework.

Use this rule:

How to Check a UK (GB) EORI Number — Step by Step

The official GB EORI number checker is maintained by HMRC. It validates any EORI number that starts with the GB prefix — these are issued to businesses in England, Scotland, and Wales.

Step 1: Go to the HMRC EORI checker

Navigate to https://www.gov.uk/check-eori-number. The page is publicly accessible — no login or account required.

Step 2: Enter the full EORI number

Type or paste the full EORI number including the GB prefix (for example: GB123456789000). Do not add spaces. The format is GB followed by up to 12 digits.

Step 3: Review the result

The checker returns one of three outcomes:

The checker can process up to 10 EORI numbers at a time — useful if you’re validating a batch of supplier numbers.

How to Check an EU EORI Number (European Commission Validation Tool)

For any EORI number issued by an EU member state — Germany (DE), France (FR), Netherlands (NL), Italy (IT), Spain (ES), and all other EU-27 countries — use the European Commission EORI Validation Service at:

Step 1: Open the EC validation tool

Go directly to the URL above. The page is labelled “Economic Operator Identification and Registration Information Panel”.

Step 2: Enter the EORI number with country prefix

Type the full EORI number including its two-letter country code prefix (e.g. DE123456789 for a German EORI, or FR12345678901234 for a French one). Each EU country has a specific format for the digits that follow the prefix.

Step 3: Click ‘Validate’

The system checks against the central EU EORI register maintained by the European Commission, which is updated by each member state’s customs authority.

Step 4: Read the result

A valid result returns the status and, if the holder has consented, their registered name and address. An invalid result means the number is either unrecognised, inactive, or incorrectly formatted.

How to Check a Northern Ireland (XI) EORI Number

Northern Ireland sits in a unique position post-Brexit under the Windsor Framework. Businesses in Northern Ireland that trade with the EU use a XI-prefixed EORI number, which is issued by HMRC but registered in the EU EORI system.

Important: XI EORI numbers are NOT validated by the HMRC GB checker. Even though they are UK-issued, they are stored in the EU’s EORI register. To check a Northern Ireland (XI) EORI, use the European Commission validation tool — the same one used for EU member state EORIs.

In practice:

• GB EORI → use gov.uk/check-eori-number
• XI EORI → use ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/eos/eori_validation.jsp
• EU member state EORI → use ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/eos/eori_validation.jsp

Can You Check an EORI Number by Company Name?

This is one of the most common questions about the EORI number checker — and the short answer is: not directly, through the official tools.

Both the HMRC GB checker and the European Commission tool work by entering an EORI number and returning the associated business details — not the other way around. They are number-in, name-out tools, not name-in, number-out tools.

However, there are workarounds:

1. If you know the business is VAT-registered in the UK: a GB EORI is often the VAT number prefixed with GB and followed by 000. If you know the company’s VAT number, you can construct the likely EORI and validate it.
2. Check Companies House: for UK limited companies, the company registration number is on the public Companies House register. Combined with the GB + VAT + 000 formula, this can help reconstruct the EORI.
3. Ask the business directly: for supplier vetting, the simplest approach is to request the EORI number as part of your standard onboarding process.
4. For EU businesses: many EU member states have public business registers (e.g. Germany’s Handelsregister, France’s SIRENE) where registration numbers can be looked up — which then form the basis of the EORI suffix.

How to Find Your Own EORI Number

If you’re asking “what is my EORI number?” — here are the four ways to locate it:

1. Check your HMRC Government Gateway account: log in using the credentials you used when you registered for an EORI (not your general business tax account login, and not your personal tax account). Your EORI number is displayed on the EORI registration page.
2. Check your Customs Declaration Service (CDS) financial dashboard: if your EORI has been enrolled in the CDS — which it must be in order to file customs declarations — the number appears in your CDS account.
3. Derive it from your VAT number: if your business is VAT-registered, your GB EORI is typically your VAT registration number prefixed with GB and followed by 000. For example, if your VAT number is 123456789, your EORI is likely GB123456789000. You can then verify this using the HMRC checker.
4. Contact HMRC’s EORI team: if you cannot access your Government Gateway account, HMRC’s EORI team can confirm your number. Check gov.uk for current contact details.

Common Issues When Checking an EORI Number

1. EORI shows as invalid immediately after applying

There is typically a processing delay between submitting an EORI application and the number appearing as valid in the checker. For VAT-registered businesses, this is usually near-instant. For non-VAT-registered businesses, HMRC can take up to three to five working days to process the application — the number will not validate during this window.

2. Number is valid but shows no business details

This is not an error. The EORI holder has simply not consented to sharing their name and address publicly on the checker. The number is active and usable for customs declarations — only the public-facing details are hidden.

3. XI EORI failing on the GOV.UK checker

Northern Ireland (XI) EORIs are held in the EU EORI register, not the HMRC GB register. Using the GOV.UK checker will always return invalid for XI numbers. Switch to the European Commission validation tool.

4. EU EORI failing on the European Commission tool

Check the format carefully — EU EORI formats vary by country and errors are often formatting issues. If the number is correctly formatted and still fails, it may be inactive (the business has ceased trading or the EORI was revoked). Custom authorities can revoke an EORI if the holder ceases to exist, fails registration conditions, or provided incorrect information.

5. Can’t find your own EORI and didn’t apply

If your business was VAT-registered before 2021, there is a reasonable chance HMRC automatically assigned a GB EORI number to your business. Check using the derive-from-VAT-number method above (GB + VAT number + 000), then validate it on the checker.

6. Urgency — goods are held at the border

If goods are held at the border due to an EORI issue, the recommended course of action is to contact HMRC’s EORI helpline directly to expedite resolution — this is typically the fastest route to getting a number activated or a formatting issue corrected.

One important point to clarify: if you are working with a customs agent or broker to handle your clearance, they should always be filing declarations using your company’s own EORI number — not their own. Your EORI is permanently tied to your business and must appear on all customs declarations made on your behalf, regardless of who submits them. A customs agent clears goods for you — not instead of you.

AVASK’s customs team supports businesses with urgent cross-border situations, including EORI troubleshooting and direct representation in customs proceedings.

EORI Number Format Reference — UK & Key EU Countries

EORI Numbers, VAT Numbers, and Import VAT — the Connection

Your EORI number and your VAT registration number are distinct identifiers issued by different HMRC departments for different purposes — but they are closely linked in practice.

For UK businesses: your GB EORI number is typically derived from your VAT number (GB + VRN + 000). The two numbers connect on customs entries, meaning that when your goods are cleared through the Customs Declaration Service, the import VAT charged is linked to your VAT account.

This connection is what makes postponed VAT accounting (PVA) possible — instead of paying import VAT at the border, businesses that hold both a VAT number and an enrolled EORI can defer that VAT to their next VAT return. It is one of the most significant cash-flow tools available to importers.

For EU businesses, a similar linkage exists — the EORI suffix is often the local VAT or business registration number, and EU customs systems use the EORI to connect declarations to the importer’s local tax record.

EORI Checking for US Sellers Expanding to Europe

For US-based Amazon sellers and eCommerce brands shipping into the UK or EU for the first time, EORI verification matters in two specific ways:

• Verifying your customs agent or freight forwarder’s EORI: before a third party files declarations on your behalf, confirming their EORI is valid protects you from non-compliance exposure.
• Confirming your own registration is live before your first shipment: AVASK registers both GB and EU EORIs for US sellers as part of the UK and EU market entry process. Once issued, we recommend verifying the numbers are active on both official checkers before the first consignment ships.

For a deeper look at what EORI numbers mean for US sellers — including who acts as importer of record, what a customs agent does, and how Amazon FBA warehousing triggers customs obligations — see our full guide to EORI numbers in the UK.

For AVASK’s full UK/EU compliance support for US sellers, see our Selling in the UK/EU solutions page.