Courier rejected my GB EORI: what should I do?
Check your issued GB EORI in the official checker, match it to the importing business and ask the courier for the exact error and where it occurred. Send HMRC the evidence if the registration remains in doubt. Coordinate factory paperwork and dispatch through Cambridge China Bridge.
Check the issued number, not an assumed number
Copy the EORI from your registration confirmation and compare it character by character with what the courier entered. Check for missing characters, accidental spaces or a VAT number entered instead. If the courier's field label is unclear, use our guide to UK business identifiers.
Use the official GB EORI checker to check validity and save the result with the date. Business names and addresses are displayed only where disclosure was agreed. A missing public name is therefore not, by itself, evidence that the number is invalid.
Match the number to the importing business
Compare the registration confirmation with the importer details held by the courier, the commercial invoice and any broker authorisation. Check the legal name, address and business type. Ask the courier to distinguish the importer from the delivery contact, trading name and warehouse address.
If the business name or address has changed, follow our business details change guide. If a different business is now importing, resolve whose registration should be used before retrying. Do not substitute another business's number merely to make the field accept it.
Get the exact rejection from the customs team
Ask the courier's customs team: what exact number was submitted, which field rejected it, what was the complete error message or code, and where did the rejection occur? Request a screenshot or written response. Establish whether the problem arose in the booking form, the courier's account checks or a customs declaration.
If the official checker shows valid, send that result and ask the courier to explain the remaining mismatch. Ask whether its importer record needs correcting or it is requesting a separate registration. Keep the response with your customs clearance documents. A valid result alone does not explain every shipment hold.
Contact HMRC with a defined problem
HMRC provides an EORI enquiry form. Use it when the checker reports invalid after you have confirmed the entry, when the registration record appears wrong, or when the courier identifies an unresolved EORI registration issue. Include the issued number, importing business details, registration confirmation, checker result, parcel reference and exact rejection.
Ask a specific question, such as whether the issued number remains valid for the named business. If your application is still pending, use our EORI application timing guide for the status-check and follow-up process. An application awaiting issue and an issued number being rejected need different enquiries.
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Control the parcel while the issue is resolved
Ask where the parcel is, what is blocking release and whether storage or return arrangements need your decision. If it is still at the factory, keep dispatch subject to confirmation. Request written confirmation from the courier that the corrected importer details and number have been accepted before treating the issue as resolved.
Keep the original rejection, corrected paperwork and acceptance together. Cambridge China Bridge can use its own staff in China to coordinate approved factory document changes and dispatch arrangements while you resolve the registration or courier record.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my courier reject a valid GB EORI?
Ask its customs team for the exact error and where it occurred. Compare the number and importer details it submitted with your registration confirmation. A valid checker result does not identify the courier's remaining problem.
Is my EORI invalid if no business name appears?
No. Public business details appear only where disclosure was agreed. Read the validity result separately and compare your registration confirmation with the courier's importer record.
Should I apply for another EORI after rejection?
Do not start another application simply to bypass an unexplained rejection. Check the issued number and importing business, obtain the exact error, then ask HMRC if the registration remains in doubt.
What should I send HMRC about a rejected EORI?
Send the issued number, importing business details, registration confirmation, dated checker result, parcel reference and courier's exact error. Explain what you have already checked and what remains unresolved.