EORI
Economic Operators Registration and Identification — the free EU or UK identifier required to clear imports and exports, using an ISO country code plus up to 15 alphanumeric characters.
EU & UK customsTL;DR: This term is one of 37 definitions in the freight glossary, so the signal is the number it changes — not the acronym. It sits in the EU & UK customs category and links to 4 related terms for adjacent freight math. Use the example below to turn the definition into a before/after calculation before you quote or clear cargo.
What it means
EORI (Economic Operators Registration and Identification) is issued free by the EU member state or HMRC where an operator is established, and it stays with that legal entity. The format is an ISO country code plus up to 15 alphanumeric characters; the UK uses “GB” followed by 12 digits. No EORI means customs cannot accept the declaration, so the cargo waits at the terminal while the importer applies. The number that changes is the hold cost. If a container is stuck for 7 days and terminal demurrage is estimated at €90 per day (estimate, MEDIUM confidence, because rates vary by terminal and free time), the exposure is 7 days × €90/day = €630. That is the cost of not holding a free number. The form itself is once-only per legal entity; the recurring loss appears only when the number is missing or the EORI and VAT registration are not linked. Most operators only discover the gap after arrival, when the cost is already running.
Why it matters
A missing EORI can park a container at port for days; at an estimated €90/day terminal demurrage, a 7-day hold adds €630 to landed cost before duty or VAT. Treat the EORI as a pre-shipment checklist item, not a customs form you can sort after arrival.
Example
A UK importer’s first container arrives without an EORI on file and sits for 7 days; at an estimated €90/day terminal demurrage the delay adds 7 × €90 = €630 to landed cost, whereas the free EORI number would have let clearance start on day one.
Related terms
VAT Deferral
A customs mechanism, including UK Postponed VAT Accounting since 1 January 2021, that lets VAT-registered importers account for import VAT on their next VAT return instead of paying at the border.
Learn more →IOSS
EU Import One-Stop Shop, in force since 1 July 2021, allowing sellers and marketplaces to charge and remit EU VAT at the point of sale for B2C distance sales of goods with an intrinsic value up to €150.
Learn more →Union Customs Code (UCC)
Regulation (EU) No 952/2013, in force since 1 May 2016, setting EU customs rules for valuation, origin and procedures, with duty levied on the transaction value adjusted to a CIF basis at the EU border.
Learn more →Customs Broker
A licensed intermediary that prepares documentation and clears goods through customs on behalf of importers and exporters.
Learn more →