Import and export in the EU
What the EORI number is used for in imports and exports.
Trade with non-EU countries
For imports from or exports to third countries (China, USA, UK, Switzerland …) every customs declaration requires the EORI number of the importer or exporter. Without it the shipment is held.
Within the EU
Deliveries between EU member states need no customs declaration; the VAT identification number is used instead. The EORI number only matters at the external border of the Union.
Why Lithuania
Companies without an EU establishment sometimes choose Lithuania for their EORI registration because their first customs formality — for example a transit or import declaration via Klaipėda — takes place there.
One number for 27 countries
A Lithuanian EORI number is valid in all EU member states. You do not need to register again when clearing customs through another EU port.