Am I correct in saying I need to apply for an EORI number to ship overseas? I dont earn enough to pay tax but I still need to apply for one?
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Hmm I see the government website about it and it’s clearly aimed at big business and isn’t clear if it would apply to the small scale stuff we’re doing - would be surprised if it does, but then again it’s been a year for surprises. Would question if it’s required for items that are being bought for private rather than commercial use.
Would have thought we just need to fill in a customs declaration form (believe these are already in place in readiness) like we do for the US and other worldwide, but you never know.
To be honest if it turns out there’s a load of rigmarole required I’d probably rather just stop selling to Europe (don’t sell much there anyway) but will wait and see what comes out about this.
Hope your having a good festive 
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You don’t have to apply for one but you might find it useful to have one. You can find information on the HMRC website: https://www.gov.uk/eori?step-by-step-nav=1faad9b3-e5ef-47f6-a3ba-4715e7e4f263
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They are simple to apply for so I’d suggest getting one just in case you ever need it (I got mine 14 months ago and needed it for the first time at the beginning of this month). My understanding is that if you ship items using Royal Mail then their EORI number will cover the shipment rather than you having to get your own however if you ship anything by courier then you will need your own EORI number.
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thank you ladies , I think I will fill in the form just to be sure .
Everyone on the forum is so helpful
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Yes you will need one to export any items you sell, it was pretty easy and quick to get one online, it came through in the matter of minutes after I had filled in the form.
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I just applied for my eori number yes it was very easy to do … just didnt know what to put for my sic code as making greetings card wasn’t there but found “artistic creations” which was the nearest I could find!
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How much does it cost? I hardly sell anything abroad, so wondering if I just keep to the UK?
Getting an Eori nr is free.
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Hi,
I had heard somewhere that there’s a different number/paperwork needed for each European country, have I got this wrong? And would the buyer in EU have to pay import taxes like we do when we get parcels form the US, as I feel I should mention this in my listings if so?
Have Folksy given us any advice in this area, I can’t see anything, and I’ve paused the shop whilst I get to grips with everything.
Thanks, Catherine
No Folksy hasn’t given us any advice on this.
The EORI number is global and is a way of tracking your imports/ exports globally so you don’t need one for each country - the exception being Northern Ireland which sits in a complicated place of being part of the UK but part of the EU still to allow free trade with Eire so you need a different EORI number for Northern Ireland.
The different paperwork/ number thing for each country relates to that country’s VAT/ GST - each country has its own threshold at which you have to collect and remit VAT/ GST to them so if you hit that threshold you would need to get a VAT registration number for that country. Online market places are treated as a conglomerate so if all the sales combined to that country (ie not per seller) hit that country’s threshold then the market place has to register/ collect/ remit the VAT. (For example if you sell on Etsy they have to collect/ remit the VAT for sales to Norway as the site sales have reached the threshold and you have to write Etsy’s registration number on the parcel). I believe that this system of market places having to collect/ remit VAT for EU countries comes into effect in the middle of the year (sorry can’t remember if its end of June or end of July) - not sure what is happening between now and then.
For the UK I believe this comes into effect at midnight tonight so if you order something from the US via eg Etsy they will charge you VAT at check out but you then won’t have to pay it to Royal Mail prior to delivery (assuming the seller has filled out the paper work correctly and remembered to put Etsy’s registration number on the package. I’ll probably do a dummy shop on Etsy tomorrow for a selection of countries to see which ones now add VAT).
Any clearer?
thanks for that , I have an eori number for europe so I need another one for northern ireland?
Yes there are special eori numbers beginning with XI and if you ship to northern ireland you need one of those (as well as the one beginning GB for the rest of the world) - here’s the link to apply for an XI eori number https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/shortforms/form/EORIContact (same form as before but you have to tick the box at the top and fill in your GB eori number further down)
thank you I have now done that , another query where do you put this number on the cn22? At moment I put another number where it says commercial items so they know what type of goods, I looked to see if there was an updated cn22 form but cant see one. what a palaver!
I don’t think you need to put it on the CN22 - given that the gov has been saying get an eori number for well over a year now (the eori system has been in place for over a decade) I would have expected them to have included a space for it when they redesigned the CN22 in late 2018 if it was essential to be on there. But maybe I’m giving RM too much credit for potential forward planning by saying that. If you buy your postage via click and drop there is a space where you can fill in your eori number under settings/ trade names.
(When I’ve shipped items by courier in the past I had to tell the courier company my eori number but it didn’t appear on the airway bill or address label that they prepared for me)
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thank you You have been very helpful
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Thank you 
I managed to do it yesterday, it wasn’t as hard as I thought, I got the GB number straight away, but the N. Ireland one hasn’t been sent yet, how long did it take? I didn’t know what to put in the last box about additional information.
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im still waiting on northern ireland too, I only applied a couple of days ago so
maybe once the office is open we will get one. In the last box I just put I had my eori number for europe and was wanting one for northern ireland
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Thank you, I will be patient, I know they are probably very busy now! I just thought I may have done something wrong!
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