Reminder to all traders to apply for Economic Operators Registration and Identification number

Revenue is urging businesses who are importing or exporting goods into or out of the European Union to apply for their Economic Operators Registration and Identification number before Brexit. Having an Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number is the minimum requirement for businesses to be able to move goods to, from or through the UK from March 29th.

Revenue said 2,617 such registrations have been made so far this year, compared with a total of 2,976 for all of 2018.

Lynda Slattery, Head of Revenue’s Brexit Policy Unit, said if a business does not have an EORI, it is running a “real and unnecessary risk” of experiencing significant delays and problems moving their goods after Brexit. Ms Slattery urged businesses to act immediately. “Applying for your customs (EORI) registration is free and can be completed quickly and easily through Revenue’s secure online services,” she said. (Source – RTE.ie)

Revenue also reminded businesses that in order to move or continue to move goods to from or via the UK post Brexit, there are a few basic steps that every business should take now to be ready.

As well as applying for their customs (EORI) registration, businesses should ensure they have the facility to make a customs declaration while they should also know the Commodity Code of the goods or products they will import or export. “These three elements are at the heart of a business being able to move goods through, to and from the UK post Brexit,” Revenue stated.

How to apply for EORI

A short eLearning tool for EORI is available to download from the European Commission website https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/eu-training/general-overview/eori-elearning-course_en

Further information about how to register for EORI is available here: https://www.revenue.ie/en/online-services/services/common/register-for-an-eori-number.aspx

Do I already have an EORI number?

Some businesses may have had their EORI number aligned to their existing Value Added Tax (VAT) number. This was generally done for economic operators that held a customs and exise registration when EORI was introduced in 2009.

Business owners can check if they have been automatically registered for EORI by accessing the Economic Operator Identification and Registration system and by inserting their existing VAT number prefixed by “IE” under “Validate EORI numbers”.