What the EORI is for
EORI stands for Economic Operators Registration and Identification. It is the number a company gives to customs to declare goods entering or leaving the European Union. Forwarders, carriers, importers and exporters ask their customers and partners for it, and their software checks it all the time.
A company with no customs operations does not need one: not having an EORI is not an anomaly in itself.
GET /v2/eori/FR55203253400646 returns the status of the number. The Discovery plan (free) includes this route, 100 requests per minute, and each check counts as one request. See Pricing.The format and the link with the SIRET
An EORI number is a two-letter country code followed by up to 15 characters. In France it is built from the SIRET: FR followed by the 14 digits of the SIRET, 16 characters in all. Most often it is the head office SIRET. For the difference between SIREN and SIRET, see SIREN and SIRET: what is the difference?.
This link is a construction rule, not a guarantee. A company may not have applied for an EORI, or may hold one tied to another establishment. An EORI derived from the SIRET therefore stays probable until it is checked, and even once checked it only says that the number is registered. In other countries the format depends on the state: in the United Kingdom, GB (or XI for Northern Ireland) followed by digits; in Germany, DE followed by digits.
How to check it
The format is not enough: a well-formed number may not be registered. The check asks the official customs services, which answer whether the number exists. When the company agreed to its publication, they also return its name and address, so you can confirm that it is the right partner.
Three possible answers: valid, invalid, or cannot be checked right now. The last one happens when an official service is unavailable or busy: it is not an invalid number, you need to try again later. For Switzerland and Norway the European EORI does not apply: these countries have their own customs identifiers.
With Jsonpage
Three ways to check an EORI:
- the free tool Find and check a company's EORI number: enter a name, a SIREN, a SIRET or an EORI number;
- the API:
GET /v2/eori/{number}for one number, or?include=eorion the record of a French company to test the probable EORI of its head office; - file enrichment in the customer area: you upload the list of your partners and get the columns
eori_numberandeori_valid.
curl "https://api.jsonpage.com/v2/companies/FR-552032534?include=eori" \
-H "X-API-Key: $JSONPAGE_API_KEY"The eori block holds the number, probable: true, the status and the date of the check. Answers are reused for 24 hours. See the documentation.
Frequently asked questions
Is the EORI compulsory?+
Only for a company with customs operations, such as importing or exporting goods outside the European Union. Others do not need one.
What is the EORI of a French company?+
Usually FR followed by the SIRET of its head office, 16 characters. It is a probable number: only the check says whether it is registered.
What does "cannot be checked right now" mean?+
The official service did not answer. The number is not declared invalid: try again later.
Can a Swiss or Norwegian EORI be checked?+
No, the European EORI check does not apply to these two countries, which have their own customs identifiers.
How much does an EORI check cost?+
One request, like the other API routes, on every plan including the Discovery plan (free).
Keep reading
- SIREN · SIRETSIREN vs SIRET vs NIC: what is the difference?The company and its establishments: 9 or 14 digits, the role of the NIC and the right number for each use.
- VATFrench VAT number: format and how to check itThe French, Belgian and Swiss formats, the mentions on the invoice and the check before invoicing.
- VERIFICATIONIs this company real? Checks before signingA six-point checklist: identifier, status, name and address, VAT, signals and sanctions lists.