The UK government’s Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) has confirmed that the use of EORI (Economic Operator Registration Identification) numbers will now be mandatory for licence registrations on SPIRE – the ECJU’s exporting licensing system for the control of military, paramilitary and dual-use goods.

In a notice to exporters on 16 August, the ECJU stated that from 5 September, an EORI is now required for licence registrations on the government’s SPIRE portal.

An EORI is a unique reference number issued by HMRC identifying a business or trader, used to track and register customs data.

Legal requirement

Daniela Turiccki, a team lead at the Institute of Export & International Trade’s International Trade Technical Helpline, explained:

“An EORI is a legal requirement for all companies within the UK and EU that wish to import and export goods from their established country.

“Providing your company EORI number on your export licence application will enable the Export Control Joint Unit to match your details with the request. Please note that this does not apply to all extant licences.”

A licence is ‘extant’ if it has already been authorised and is still in place with the company, making an EORI unnecessary if a previously granted export license licence is valid.

Essential to include

The government had previously announced that traders must include their EORI number when applying for an export licence.

ECJU says it is now essential that the correct EORI number is provided on SPIRE to prevent any goods delays at the border.

Traders can apply for an EORI here.