New Changes To EORI Numbers When Exporting To France

If you ship goods to France, an important customs change came into effect on 1st January 2026 that could directly affect your exports.

What’s changing and when?

On 1st January 2026, French customs changed their rules for imports which means that they now only accept EORI numbers linked to a company's SIREN (a 9-digit legal entity identifier) for import declarations.

EORI numbers based on SIRET (the 14-digit establishment or site identifier) will no longer be valid for importing goods into France.

Worker attaching label and documentation to a parcel

Understanding the key terms

If you’re not familiar with the French identifiers, here’s a quick breakdown:

  • EORI (Economic Operators Registration and Identification): A unique number required for all customs activities within the EU.
  • SIREN: A 9-digit number that identifies a company as a legal entity in France.
  • SIRET: A 14-digit number that identifies individual sites or establishments belonging to a company.

Historically, some French EORI numbers have been issued using SIRET rather than SIREN and those will need to be updated.

What do you need to do?

To stay compliant and avoid disruption, you'll need to:

  1. Check with your French importers and confirm whether their current EORI number is based on SIRET.
  2. Request updated EORI details if needed. Remember, if their EORI is SIRET-based, they’ll need to update it to a SIREN-based EORI.
  3. Update your shipping documentation to ensure that all invoices, customs paperwork, and shipping systems are using the correct, updated EORI number.
Warehouse workers checking documentation on parcels

Why this matters

If your EORI number is non-compliant then you risk import declarations being rejected, shipments being held until a valid EORI number can be provided, and even possible storage or demurrage charges.

If you need advice on international shipping or customs requirements, our customer service team will be more than happy to help.