Poland is a country favorable for living and doing business. You can be convinced of this by familiarizing yourself with the advantages provided by the taxation system, company administration, and the low level of costs when starting a new business.
Poland provides optimal conditions for business development and entering the European market. But to successfully conduct your business, which includes the import or export of goods in Poland, you need to obtain an EORI number. Let’s figure out what the EORI number is.
What is the EORI number?
The EORI (Economic Operators Registration and Identification) number is a unique identification number used in the customs territory of the European Union and assigned by customs authorities to an entrepreneur or other person for registration for customs purposes.
The EORI number is mandatory for participants in foreign economic activity involved in import, transit, export, or other customs procedures.
Why do you need to get an EORI number?
An EORI number is required for any European company that transports goods between different countries. EORI is not just a number, it is a whole system that includes all companies conducting economic activities in the European Union.
The number can only be obtained by a European company. A foreign company registered outside the EU cannot become a member of the EORI system, and at the same time cannot carry out the transportation of goods with the same ease that is available to the participants of the system.
EU customs services refer to the system every time they import, export, and transit. Therefore, if you plan to export goods from Europe, import them into Europe, or move them between European countries, you cannot do without an identifier.
The number is needed not only for customs. Your counterparties and partners who buy goods from you may request an identifier to make sure that your company has the right to transport goods across the territory of the European Union. You can provide partners with either a number (identifier) or a full certificate.
How to get an EORI number?
To obtain an EORI certification you need two things:
- Register a company in Europe;
- Become a member of the EORI system.
In a situation where there is a task to transport goods within the EU or export goods outside the Union, but you do not have a European legal entity, then the first thing to do is register a European company.
If you have a European legal entity, then you need to become a member of the EORI system. In Poland, entities will be able to register in the EORI system as follows:
- by submitting or sending by mail a registration form (in writing);
- by the applicant personally or by the applicant’s representative (having his power of attorney);
- at customs or customs posts on the territory of Poland;
- before the first customs operation or during its implementation.
EORI numbers assigned in Poland for organizations from countries outside the EU consist of the letters PL and the consecutive unique row of 14 digits with a “Z” at the end.
The person is notified of the assigned EORI number:
- orally by a customs officer who accepts the registration application (in this case, if the entity applied for the assignment of the EORI number during the first customs operation);
- via the website of the Ministry of Finance of Poland, where a list of assigned numbers will be announced EORI (according to the application numbers, without linking them with the name/surname of the subjects);
- additionally by email, if the address is indicated in the registration application of the organization’s email.
Since the registration process can take several days, business entities that do not have EORI numbers must apply for registration in advance. For example, before providing short or customs declarations. Late application for registration in the EORI system (i.e. in the customs authority when entry) may delay the processing of brief or customs declarations, as information on the newly assigned EORI number will not be available for information systems of customs authorities.
