EORI Number - EU stars

At the time of publishing, whether the UK exit Europe with a deal or not, the Brexit deadline is looming. In light of this, we thought it important to highlight the need for an Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number to all businesses.

Required for those importing and exporting goods, it’s important for organisations to assess their business to understand if an EORI number is required – as you may be surprised. (For instance we, at TVision, require one as a Microsoft Partner/reseller and our dealings with the US/Europe buying and selling licenses.)

What is an EORI number?

Started in July 2009 in the UK, an EORI number is assigned to importers and exporters by HMRC, and provides information about your business that is used by customs authorities to clear both import and export shipments travelling to or from the EU and countries outside the EU.

As the UK will be outside of the EU in terms of business in one form or another, an EORI number is therefore required.

Gov.uk says, “You need an EORI number to move goods into or out of the EU (including the UK).

If you do not get one, you may have increased costs and delays. For example, if HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) cannot clear your goods you may have to pay storage fees.”

You can check to see if you are already registered here.

What do you need to do?

If you already have an EORI number, the advice is that if that number starts with ‘GB’, you can continue to use it. If not, you’ll need to register.

Before you register, please check you have the following:

  • If you already have an EORI number, the advice is that if that number starts with ‘GB’, you can continue to use it. If not, you’ll need to register.
  • Before you register, please check you have the following:
  • VAT number and effective date of registration – these are on your VAT registration certificate
  • National Insurance number – if you’re an individual or a sole trader
  • Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) – find your UTR if you do not know it here
  • Business start date and Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code – these are in the Companies House register
  • Government Gateway user ID and password
    • If you need a Government Gateway user ID, use either:
      • the one for your business or organisation
      • your own if you’re applying as an individual
    • If you do not already have a user ID, you’ll be able to create one when you apply.

When you’re ready, you can apply for an EORI number here, although many organisations have already had their EORI number assigned and been notified of it.

If you need any help or advice, HMRC have a helpline for EORI queries and can be contacted by phone on:

0845 010 9000

Brexit and TVision

For TVision and the service we provide our customers, we haven’t needed to make any functionality changes, as all options can be accommodated within Microsoft Dynamics 365.

To find out more about this and Bevica specifically, you can read more in our blog, ‘The possible impact of a no-deal Brexit on Bevicahere.

Alternatively, if you have any questions you’d like to discuss, please get in touch with one of our experience team.