Selling internationally is a great opportunity to develop your e-commerce business, but it also means complying with certain customs formalities. The EORI number is one of them, and is essential to the smooth running of your shipments. Find out what it’s for, how to obtain it and how to easily integrate it into your international logistics.
Selling internationally opens up major growth prospects for e-tailers. But before you can ship a parcel outside your home market, you need to master certain rules, particularly customs formalities. One of these, often overlooked, is obtaining an EORI (Economic Operator Registration and Identification) number.
- What is the EORI number?
- How do I get an EORI number?
- What you risk without an EORI number
- International shipments: don’t go it alone
This unique code is a must for all companies wishing to trade internationally. Without it, your international shipments risk being blocked, delayed or even returned to sender. Let’s take a look at what this number is, how to obtain it and how to manage it efficiently as part of optimized e-commerce logistics.
What is the EORI number?
Before embarking on international shipments, every e-business needs to ensure that it complies with customs regulations. The EORI number is one of the key elements that enable you to cross borders without unpleasant surprises. Yet many companies are unaware of its existence until a customs blockage delays an order. Let’s take a look at what it means, when it’s required and why it’s a must-have for online sellers.
Simple definition
The EORI(Economic Operator Registration and Identification) number is a unique identifier, issued by the customs authorities, which serves to officially recognize an economic operator when goods cross the border. It can be compared to an “identity card” for your company in the eyes of customs.
Thanks to this code, your information is centralized in European customs systems, facilitating exchanges with carriers and speeding up formalities. Without it, no customs declaration can be validated, and your shipments risk being blocked.
When is it mandatory?
The EORI is required as soon as goods cross a border subject to customs control. This applies to all imports from countries outside the European Union, as well as to all international exports. Even a one-off shipment, such as an exceptional order to a customer in Canada or Australia, cannot leave without this identifier.
It may also be required in certain situations within the European Union itself, notably when goods transit through areas with specific customs rules, such as French overseas departments and territories or free zones.
Who’s involved in e-commerce?
In practice, this applies to any company that sells online to customers outside its domestic market. This includes brands that ship directly from their online store, sellers on marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay, and B2B distributors who ship stock abroad.
For an SME with ambitions to expand its export business, the EORI code is not a secondary formality: it’s an essential logistical passport to ensure the fluidity and conformity of international sales.
How do I get an EORI number?
Obtaining an EORI number is a simple but essential step for any e-business wishing to ship its products across borders. The good news is that in France, the procedure is fast and free of charge. Here’s how to go about it, and where to find your code once it’s been allocated.
Procedures in France
In France, the EORI number is requested directly from French customs.
The procedure is generally carried out online via the official customs portal(douane.gouv.fr), in the section dedicated to economic operators. To submit your application, you will need :
- Your SIRET or SIREN number.
- Full company contact details.
- Any supporting documents, depending on the nature of your business.
Good to know: newly-registered companies sometimes obtain their EORI code automatically when they first interact with customs.
Where to find it?
Once assigned, your EORI number is sent by email or can be consulted in your professional space on the customs website.
It also appears on all official customs documents relating to your imports or exports.
To check the validity of an EORI number, you can use the search engine provided by the European Commission. This check is useful when you are working with international partners or suppliers.
How long does it take?
Issuance of the EORI France number is generally very rapid: between 24 hours and a few working days, depending on the workload of the customs services.
This is why it is strongly recommended to apply before any international shipment, to avoid any delay in your first operations.
In short: anticipate this formality so that your international shipments run smoothly and your international logistics remain fluid from the outset.
What you risk without an EORI number
Forgetting or ignoring the EORI number can have far more serious consequences than a simple administrative hitch. In international e-commerce, every delay or error has a direct impact on customer satisfaction and your margins.
Customs blockage
Without a customs EORI, your goods cannot cross the border. Customs then holds your parcel pending regularization, which often entails storage costs, urgent administrative procedures and, in some cases, a return of the goods to the sender. Such a blockage compromises your customer relations and delays the profitability of your international sales.
Delivery delays
Even if your parcel does eventually clear customs, the absence of a valid EORI number almost always results in a further delay. A customer accustomed to fast deliveries via Amazon or other marketplaces will have little patience for a delay of several days or even weeks. This type of delay can also cause you to miss seasonal sales or strategic commercial events.
Loss of customer confidence
In e-commerce, trust is fragile. An order delayed or cancelled due to incomplete customs formalities may prompt a customer to turn to a better-organized competitor. Marketplaces also penalize sellers with too many logistical incidents, which can impact your visibility and sales. Integrating your EORI code directly into your logistics management tools is a simple and effective way of eliminating this risk as soon as the order is created.
International shipments: don’t go it alone
International sales involve much more than packing and shipping a parcel. It involves mastering a range of procedures, documents and regulations that can quickly become complex. Customs formalities, and in particular management of the EORI number, must be anticipated to guarantee uninterrupted delivery.
Anticipating customs formalities
For successful cross-border shipments, it’s essential to prepare your customs documents even before the order leaves your warehouse. Correctly entering your EORI code, determining the customs classification and calculating duties and taxes are all steps that need to be integrated into the preparation process. This anticipation avoids unpleasant surprises once the goods are in transit.
Manage the right documents with your carriers
A carrier cannot move forward without all the required documents. Commercial invoice, CN22 or CN23 declaration, EORI number… Each element must be transmitted correctly to avoid any blockage. Good communication with your logistics partners is essential to guarantee smooth processing at the border.
Automate EU and non-EU shipments
Today’s modern logistics management tools make it possible to automatically integrate all the information required for export documentation. By centralizing your orders and customs data in a single system, you reduce the risk of errors, save time and ensure optimum fluidity, whether your parcels are destined for Europe or the other side of the world.
Shippingbo, the right tool to manage your cross-border shipments
The EORI number is an essential step for any company wishing to sell internationally. But it’s only one element in a much larger picture: controlling logistics flows, managing customs documents and tracking shipments. This is where Shippingbo comes into its own.
By centralizing your orders from all your sales channels and automating the preparation of the necessary documents, Shippingbo simplifies every stage of your international shipments. Your international logistics become faster, more reliable and fully compliant with current regulations. You save time, reduce the risk of errors and offer your customers a flawless shopping experience, wherever they are.
The EORI number is just the first step. Discover how to structure your international development with a clear strategy, logistical advice and a concrete action plan:
