Kontrollera EORI-nummer, VAT numbers and Norwegian organisation numbers
Type in the number and we look it up in the right register: the European Commission’s EORI database, VIES for EU VAT numbers and the Brønnøysund Register Centre for Norwegian companies. You get validity, name and address in seconds. Free, no account.
EORI number, VAT number or organisation number? How they differ
The three numbers are confused daily in invoices and freight bookings. All three are built on the company’s registration number, but they are issued by different authorities, look different and are used in different documents.
CUSTOMS · THE EU DATABASE
EORI-nummer
The company’s identity with customs across the EU. Swedish EORI is SE plus 10 digits, usually the organisation number: SE5560160605. Required in every import and export declaration, in transit and when applying for customs authorisations. Assigned by Swedish Customs, free, usually within an hour.
VAT · VIES
VAT number
The VAT registration number from the Swedish Tax Agency: SE plus 10 digits plus 01, for example SE556016060501. Used on invoices when selling to companies in other EU countries and checked in VIES. Linked automatically to the EORI number, but must never be written in the EORI field.
NORWAY · ENHETSREGISTERET
Norwegian organisation numbers
Nine digits from the Brønnøysund Register Centre, for example 923 609 016. VAT-registered Norwegian companies write the number followed by MVA. Norway does not use EORI, so this is the number your Norwegian customer or supplier is identified by with Norwegian Customs.
EORI number, VAT number, VIES, MVA number …
The same number goes by different names in different systems and countries. What decides which register applies is the format, not the name. Common terms:
EORI number Economic Operators Registration and Identification VAT number VAT registration number VIES MVA number organisasjonsnummer EnhetsregisteretFive situations where a check saves days and money
A check takes seconds. Discovering the error when the declaration is rejected, or when the Swedish Tax Agency audits a VAT-free invoice, takes weeks.
A new customer or supplier outside Sweden
Before the first shipment: check the counterparty’s EORI number if it will appear in the declaration, and the VAT number if you will invoice without VAT. A mistyped number stops the goods at the border.
Before you invoice VAT-free within the EU
VAT-free sales to a company in another EU country require a valid VAT number on the invoice, checked in VIES. If the number is invalid, the Swedish Tax Agency can demand Swedish VAT from you retroactively.
When the declaration has been rejected
An error code about the declarant or consignee usually means a wrong number: the VAT number’s 01 came along, the country code is missing or the company has no EORI number at all. The check shows which.
Before you ship to Norway
Look up the Norwegian organisation number. If the customer is not VAT (MVA) registered, the VAT is handled differently at import, and a company in bankruptcy or being wound up is something you want to know about before the goods leave Sweden.
When you are unsure about your own number
Type in your organisation number. If the EORI number exists, you are done. If it does not, apply with Swedish Customs, or let us do it along with your first declaration.
Six reasons a number shows as invalid
Most invalid results are not because the company lacks a number, but because of how the number was written. Check these before you contact the counterparty.
The VAT number in the EORI field
SE556016060501 is a VAT number. The EORI number is the same digits without the 01 at the end: SE5560160605. The tool warns when a VAT number is entered in EORI mode.
The country code is missing or wrong
EORI and VAT numbers always begin with the EU country code. Greece is written EL in VIES. British GB numbers are not in the EU database since Brexit, but Northern Irish XI numbers are.
The company has no EORI number yet
Many companies think the VAT registration is enough. It is not. The EORI number must be applied for separately with Swedish Customs, and it usually takes under an hour.
The branch instead of the parent company
Swedish branches, with organisation numbers beginning 5164, get no EORI number of their own. The parent company’s number applies, linked to the branch by Swedish Customs.
A newly registered number
An EORI number assigned today appears in the EU database shortly, but a VAT number can take a few days before it is transferred to VIES. Wait and check again.
The register is down
The EU services have short outages fairly often. The tool then shows Register not responding, not Invalid. Try again in a few minutes before drawing conclusions about the number.
A wrong number is first noticed when the goods stand still
Swedish Customs charges no fee when the EORI number is missing, but the declaration cannot be lodged until the number exists. The cost is storage per day at the terminal and a customer kept waiting. VAT errors are discovered later, at the Swedish Tax Agency’s audit.
1 hour
is how long most EORI applications take at Swedish Customs
5 days
is what manual processing can take, while the truck waits
SEK 0
is what the check above and the EORI number at Swedish Customs cost
Everything about the number, the application and the exceptions is in the EORI number guide. If you are making your first import, read about the import declaration.
An invalid number and goods on the way? We solve it today.
We apply for the EORI number with a power of attorney, sort out which number goes where and lodge the declaration as soon as the number exists. A reply within 10 minutes, or the declaration is on us.
The EU, the UK and Norway have three different systems
Within the EU, one EORI number from the home country is enough in all member states, and the VAT number is checked in VIES regardless of country. The UK has had its own GB numbers with HMRC since Brexit. Norway does not use EORI at all, but organisation numbers with Norwegian Customs.
Norwegian companies need an EU EORI only when they themselves communicate with the EU’s customs systems, for example as a carrier in ICS2 or as a declarant in Sweden. Swedish Customs then gives them a number beginning with 444 or 502, and Norwegian Customs often refers them to Sweden for the application.
NO
Guide: EORI numbers
Who needs one, format, application and exceptions
UK
Exporting to Norway
Digitoll, proof of exit and the Norwegian import in the same case
US
Exporting to the UK
The statement on origin and the GB-side requirements
SE
Import declarations in Sweden
How the first import works, step by step
From a checked number to a finished declaration
The tool gives you the answer. We make sure the right number lands in the right place in the declaration, and arrange the number if it is missing.
An EORI application in under an hour
We apply with Swedish Customs under a power of attorney along with your first shipment. Most numbers arrive within an hour, and we lodge the declaration as soon as it exists.
The right number in the right field
EORI in the declaration, VAT number on the invoice, MVA number for Norway. We check the counterparty before the shipment goes, so nothing is rejected at the border.
A finished declaration within 2 hours
An import or export declaration in Swedish Customs’ systems within two hours after complete documents, with the right commodity code and customs value.
A fixed price per declaration
Ett customs broker with no lock-in, contract or hidden fees. You know what it costs before we start.
More free tools: search for the commodity code, calculate duty and VAT or create a proforma invoice.
Questions and answers about EORI checks and VAT numbers
Can’t find the answer? We reply within 10 minutes.
Ask your questionHow do I check whether an EORI number is valid?
Type the number into the field above, for example SE followed by the organisation number. The tool looks it up in the European Commission’s central EORI database and shows whether the number is valid. If the holder has chosen to publish their details, name and address are shown as well, otherwise only the validity.
Why is the company’s name not shown even though the EORI number is valid?
The holder chooses at application whether name and address should be published. If the company chose not to publish, the EU database shows only that the number is valid. There is nothing wrong with the number. To change the publication setting for your own number, email eori@tullverket.se.
What is the difference between an EORI number and a VAT number?
Both are built on the organisation number but look different and are used for different things. A Swedish EORI number is SE plus 10 digits, for example SE5560160605, and is used in customs declarations. The VAT number is SE plus 10 digits plus 01, for example SE556016060501, and is used on invoices in EU trade. If you write the VAT number in the EORI field, the declaration is rejected.
What does it mean that the VAT number is invalid in VIES?
That the number does not currently exist as an active VAT registration number in that country’s register. Common reasons are mistyped digits, the wrong country code, the company having been deregistered, or a new registration not yet transferred to VIES. Check with the counterparty before invoicing without VAT, since it is you as the seller who bears the risk.
Do Norwegian companies have EORI numbers?
No, EORI is not used in Norway. Norwegian companies are identified by their organisation number with Norwegian Customs, and VAT-registered companies write the number followed by MVA. A Norwegian company needs an EU EORI only when it itself communicates with the EU’s customs systems, for example as a carrier in ICS2 or as a declarant in Sweden. The application is then made with Swedish Customs.
What does the check of a Norwegian organisation number show?
The company’s name, address and legal form from Enhetsregisteret, whether it is registered in the VAT (MVA) register, and whether it is bankrupt, being wound up or deregistered. If the number is a subunit, that is a business unit under a main company, that is shown too.
Why is the register not responding?
The EU’s EORI service and VIES are down for short periods fairly often, and individual countries’ VAT registers can be unavailable for maintenance. The tool then shows Register not responding instead of an incorrect Invalid. Try again in a few minutes. If it is urgent, we check the number for you.
Does EasyTull store the numbers I check?
No. The number is sent to the register and the answer is shown directly in your browser. We do not store which numbers are checked. Replies for the same number are cached briefly in our service so the registers are not burdened unnecessarily.
Can I check a British EORI number here?
No. Since Brexit, the UK has its own EORI system with GB numbers held in HMRC’s register, not in the EU database. Northern Irish XI numbers, however, are in the EU database and can be checked here.
What do I do if my company has no EORI number?
Apply with Swedish Customs; it is free and most get the number within an hour. Or let us do it: as a customs broker we apply with a power of attorney along with your first declaration. Call +46 31 755 77 76 or email info@easytull.com.
The right number from the start. We handle the rest.
Check the number above, or send the invoice straight to us. We arrange the EORI number, check the counterparty and do the declaration so the goods move without stopping.
Reply within 10 min
Declaration within 2 hours
No lock-in
Call +46 31 755 77 76 or email info@easytull.com
Sources: Swedish Customs (Eori, help for the Eori application), the European Commission (EORI validation, VIES), the Swedish Tax Agency (VAT registration numbers), Norwegian Customs (EORI numbers and Norwegian operators), the Brønnøysund Register Centre (Enhetsregisteret). Page updated September 2026.
