An EORI number is the identification number that customs authorities in the EU use for businesses. You need one before your business imports goods into the EU, exports goods out of the EU, files a customs declaration or applies for a customs authorisation. In the Netherlands it is free and comes from Dutch Customs (Douane). For most Dutch companies the number is simply “NL” followed by the 9-digit RSIN.
This guide explains who needs an EORI number, how a Dutch company gets one, what foreign companies must do, and how the EORI number differs from a VAT number.
EORI Number at a Glance
- Stands for: Economic Operators Registration and Identification.
- Who needs one: every business established in the EU that deals with customs, and non-EU businesses that file customs declarations in the EU.
- Who issues it: the customs authority of the EU country where the business is established; in the Netherlands, Dutch Customs.
- Cost: free.
- Format: a two-letter country code followed by up to 15 characters. A Dutch company’s number is NL plus its RSIN, for example NL001234567.
- Timing: Dutch Customs decides within five working days; for companies outside the EU it can take longer.
- Validity: one number per company, valid in all EU countries, with no expiry date.
What Is an EORI Number?
EORI stands for Economic Operators Registration and Identification. Customs authorities in every EU country use the EORI number to identify the same business in the same way. A business can have only one valid EORI number at a time, and it uses that number in all its contacts with customs: import and export declarations, transit, entry and exit summary declarations, and applications for customs authorisations.
All EORI numbers are held in a central EU database. With your consent, your company name and address are shown there too, so that trading partners and customs authorities in other countries can check your number.
Who Needs an EORI Number?
- Businesses established in the EU that import goods from outside the EU, export goods to countries outside the EU, file customs declarations or apply for a customs authorisation.
- Businesses using a customs agent or freight forwarder. Even when someone else files the declarations, your business needs its own EORI number.
- Businesses established outside the EU only when they carry out customs activities in the EU themselves, such as lodging customs declarations, entry or exit summary declarations or temporary storage declarations, or acting as a carrier.
You do not need an EORI number to buy or sell goods within the EU, because goods moving between EU countries do not pass through customs. Private individuals generally do not need one either.
How to Get an EORI Number in the Netherlands
The route depends on where your business is established and who files the customs declarations.
| Your situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Company established in the Netherlands that files its own customs declarations in the Netherlands | You may compose the number yourself: “NL” followed by your RSIN, with leading zeros to make 9 digits. Customs registers it automatically with your first declaration or authorisation application. You can also apply for it. |
| Company established in the Netherlands that uses a customs agent, or files declarations in another EU country | Apply through the online form of the Dutch Customs National Helpdesk (NHD). |
| Sole proprietorship (eenmanszaak) | Always apply through the NHD form. Since 2022 the EORI number of a sole proprietorship is a customs number, not based on the owner’s BSN. |
| Company headquartered outside the EU whose first customs activity in the EU takes place in the Netherlands | Apply to Dutch Customs, through the NHD form or the paper form for companies headquartered outside the EU. Allow extra processing time. |
| Company established in another EU country | Apply in that country, not in the Netherlands. |
Example: if your RSIN is 1234567, your EORI number is NL001234567.
Dutch Customs answers an application within five working days. If you composed the number yourself in your first declaration, check after five working days that it has been registered. A new VAT number, for example after converting a sole proprietorship into a BV, needs a new EORI number. Branches do not get their own number: they use the EORI number of the head office.
What You Need to Apply
- the company’s name, address and e-mail address;
- the RSIN (or, for a sole proprietorship, the BSN);
- the VAT identification numbers issued in the Netherlands and in other EU countries;
- for a company outside the EU: an extract from the business register in English, not older than six months, a copy of the applicant’s passport and proof of the applicant’s home address;
- whether you consent to publishing your details in the EU EORI database (optional).
EORI Number vs VAT Number
The two numbers are separate registrations. The VAT identification number comes from the Netherlands Tax Administration and is used for VAT; the EORI number comes from Dutch Customs and is used for customs. For most Dutch legal entities the EORI number looks like the first part of the VAT number, NL plus the same nine digits, because both are based on the RSIN, but having a VAT number does not mean you have a registered EORI number.
The two often appear together. If you use an Article 23 licence to defer import VAT, the customs declaration shows your EORI number as the consignee and your VAT identification number for the VAT.
After You Have Your EORI Number
- use it in every customs declaration, or give it to your customs agent or freight forwarder;
- check that it is valid in the EU’s EORI validation tool, and check your trading partners’ numbers the same way;
- apply for a new number when your VAT number changes.
An EORI number is only the first step. Importing also involves the customs value, the tariff classification of the goods, import duties and import VAT. Our guide to importing products into the Netherlands explains the full process.
How NetherBridge Partners Helps
We help Dutch and foreign companies with EORI registration and customs filings, tariff classification and valuation, special customs regimes, import VAT and Article 23 licences. See our customs and trade advisory services or contact us.
The rules in this article were checked against Dutch Customs and the European Commission in November 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an EORI number free in the Netherlands?
Yes. Dutch Customs does not charge for an EORI number, whether you compose it yourself or apply for it.
How long does it take to get an EORI number?
Dutch Customs decides within five working days. Applications from companies outside the EU can take longer.
Do I need an EORI number to sell within the EU?
No. Goods moving between EU countries do not pass through customs, so an EORI number is only needed for trade with countries outside the EU and for other customs activities.
Do I need my own EORI number if my freight forwarder handles customs?
Yes. When a third party files the customs declarations for you, your business still needs its own EORI number, and in that case you must apply for it.
Does an EORI number expire?
No. An EORI number has no expiry date. It can be invalidated on request or when the business stops its activities.
Can a company outside the EU get a Dutch EORI number?
Yes, if its first customs activity in the EU takes place in the Netherlands. It applies to Dutch Customs, and the number is then valid in all EU countries.
