Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI)
· 8 min di lettura
Key takeaways
- An EORI number is the customs identifier required on every declaration for trade with countries outside the EU customs territory.
- The plant passport covers intra-EU plant-health movement, the RUOP code proves registered-operator status in Italy, and neither clears customs.
- Intra-EU shipments need a plant passport but no EORI; third-country exports need an EORI plus a phytosanitary certificate.
- A UK-issued EORI is valid only for UK declarations; exporting into the EU requires an EU EORI registered in one member state.
- Shipping without a valid EORI stops the consignment at the border, causing storage fees and delays that damage live plant stock.
An EORI number, issued under the economic operator registration and identification system, is the customs ID that lets your nursery export regulated plants to non-EU countries. It appears on every customs declaration you or your broker file. It does not replace the plant passport or your RUOP code; it works alongside them on the same consignment. This guide shows exactly where each number goes.
What is an EORI number and why do plant exporters need one?
EORI stands for economic operator registration and identification. It is a unique code that customs authorities in every EU member state use to identify you when goods move in or out of the EU customs territory. According to the European Commission, any business exporting or importing goods commercially needs one.
For a RUOP-registered nursery, the distinction matters: the plant passport proves phytosanitary compliance, the RUOP code proves you are a registered professional operator, but neither clears customs. When you ship a batch of plants to a Dutch wholesaler, your EORI number goes on the customs declaration alongside the traceability details. The plant passport travels with the goods; the EORI travels with the paperwork.
If you already hold a RUOP code (how it works), applying for an EORI is a short administrative step, not a second registration regime.
When does a nursery or trader need an EORI number vs. a plant passport?
The economic operator registration and identification (EORI) number is a customs identifier for trade with countries outside the EU customs union. The EU plant passport is a plant-health document for moving regulated plants inside the EU. RUOP registration is the national layer that makes you a registered professional operator in Italy, qualified to issue plant passports in the first place. One regime is about customs, the other about plant health.
Intra-EU trade: plant passport, usually no EORI
Shipping a batch of Viburnum to a Dutch wholesaler? You issue an EU plant passport with elements A to D and keep your traceability records current, including inspection data (inspections). No EORI appears, because no customs declaration exists between member states. A protected-zone destination changes the passport content, not the customs regime.
Third-country trade: EORI plus phytosanitary certificate
Export to Switzerland or the UK and customs enters the picture: you need an EORI number and a phytosanitary certificate, but no EU plant passport leaves the union.
| EORI | EU plant passport | RUOP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regime | Customs | Plant health | National registration |
| Scope | Third-country trade | Intra-EU movement | Italy |
| Issued by | Customs authority | You, as registered operator | Regional phytosanitary service |
How do EORI, RUOP and plant passport numbers work together on one consignment?
Each identifier answers a different authority: the EORI number identifies you to customs, the RUOP code identifies you to the plant-health service, and the plant passport travels with the batch itself. On a single consignment you will typically write the EORI number on the customs declaration (or your forwarder does), keep the RUOP code as your operator code in element A of every plant passport, and print elements B, C and D per batch.
Worked example: a consignment from a Pistoia nursery to a protected zone
Say Vivai Bellavista ships 300 potted Camellia to a Dutch buyer in a protected zone. The haulier's CMR and delivery note carry the buyer's details and the traceability codes. The customs export declaration carries the EORI number, since the Union Customs Code requires economic operators to be registered and identified by EORI for customs declarations. Each plant or batch label carries the EU plant passport with element A showing the operator code (the RUOP number), a sequential passport number, the protected-zone indication, the botanical name, quantity and country of issue. Element B states the protected zone, element C any official measures such as Qualità CE, and element D the official stamp where required.
If an inspection certificate accompanies the shipment, the records behind it sit alongside these codes. Tools like FloraPass keep inspection records and batch data linked so all three identifiers trace back to one consignment (registro dei passaporti delle piante).
How do you apply for an EORI number in your member state?
Applying in Italy
Italian operators apply through the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli, using the online Sistri/EORI request on the customs portal. You submit the form electronically and the customs authority issues your EORI number, usually within a few working days. Your RUOP code and EORI number are separate registrations: RUOP covers plant-health status, EORI covers customs. If you already hold a VAT number, the request is mostly a data-confirmation exercise, not a fresh registration.
Applying in the Netherlands and other member states
Each member state runs its own procedure. Dutch growers apply to Douane Nederland via its online portal. Germany routes applications through the Generalzolldirektion, France through the douane service. The format is harmonised across the EU, but processing times and forms are not, so check your national customs site before you ship.
What documents you need
Expect to provide your VAT number, company registration extract, and legal-representative details. Sole traders use a personal ID instead of a company extract. Keep the EORI number alongside your operator code and batch records once issued; tools like FloraPass store compliance data with your passports and availability lists from €79/month (prijzen).
How does the EORI number appear on customs declarations for live plants?
On an export declaration from Italy, your EORI number goes in box 44 or, on the Italian AEDA/daVinci screens, in the dedicated "Riferimento operatore economico" field, identified as the declarant or exporter. The Agenzia delle Dogane explains who must hold an EORI and how it is recorded on its customs portal. Use the exact registered format: country prefix IT plus your fiscal code or VAT number.
The EORI does not replace the plant-health paperwork. Each consignment still carries a CN code from chapter 06 (live trees and other plants), a phytosanitary certificate issued by the phytosanitary service, and the plant passport printed on the labels. Customs checks the EORI and CN code; the phytosanitary service checks the certificate and passport. If your availability list already tracks batch and passport data per customer, the export declaration reuses the same consignment reference, as with FloraPass.
What happens if you ship plants without a valid EORI number?
Customs stops the consignment. Without a valid EORI number on the declaration, the shipment cannot clear, so your truck waits at the border or the goods sit in a customs warehouse while you request a number or correct the filing. Every day of delay means wilted stock, a rejected delivery, and a customer who fills next season's order elsewhere.
The cost is practical, not just administrative: storage fees, rebooking transport, and in the worst case refusal of entry, which leaves you paying to return or destroy the load.
This differs from a plant-passport failure. A missing or wrong passport is a plant-health violation handled by phytosanitary authorities, with penalties and possible RUOP consequences. A missing EORI is a customs formality: fixable on the spot, but expensive once live plants are the cargo.
Does a UK EORI number still work for EU plant shipments after Brexit?
No. A UK-issued EORI number is valid for UK customs declarations only. For lodging declarations in the EU, including importing plants into the Netherlands or another member state, your business needs an EU EORI number, which you register in one member state and use across all of them. Dutch customs explains that an EORI number is requested from one EU member state and then valid EU-wide (Belastingdienst, EORI application guidance).
For a nursery in Pistoia buying UK stock, the practical flow is: your supplier quotes its UK EORI on the export side, you give your EU EORI for the import declaration, and the consignment still carries a plant passport or phytosanitary certificate, since GB is now a third country for plant-health purposes. Keep the two numbers in separate fields on your batch records so customs and traceability data never blur together.
Which tools keep EORI, plant passport and batch records in one place?
What to compare
Judge any compliance tool on four points: does it issue EU plant passports with all elements A to D, does it track batches and traceability codes end to end, does it handle Qualità CE paperwork, and does it cover customs data like your EORI number on export declarations? Most tools strong on plant health are weak on customs, and the reverse.
Direct options serving vivai include Fitoware, Feedentity Nursery, Atlas Core Cloud and Plant Pass. Phytia (Exygen) sits adjacent to this space. Ask each vendor the same four questions before committing.
Where FloraPass fits, and where it stops
FloraPass covers the plant-health side: unlimited EU plant passports, availability lists, shipment dispatch and full compliance records for a flat €79/month, with no demo or sales call. Italian demo data and EN/IT/NL language support match how vivai actually work.
Where it stops: FloraPass does not lodge customs declarations or validate EORI numbers. You still need a customs agent or broker for that step. If your volume justifies it, an ERP with a customs module may replace both tools; for most 5-50 staff nurseries, FloraPass plus a broker is the cheaper path.
FAQ
Do I need an EORI number to sell plants to Germany or France?
No. Germany and France are inside the EU customs union, so no customs declaration exists and your EORI number never appears. You issue an EU plant passport instead, keeping traceability and inspection records current. An EORI only becomes necessary when the consignment crosses into a third country such as Switzerland or the UK, where a phytosanitary certificate is also required.
Does a sole-trading nursery owner need a separate EORI number from the company?
It depends on who customs authorities see as the economic operator. Sole traders register under a personal ID rather than a company extract, so the EORI is issued to the individual and used for their trade. If a limited company files the declarations, the company needs its own EORI, typically built from the VAT number, and the two registrations are not interchangeable.
What happens if you ship plants without a valid EORI number?
Customs stops the consignment. Without a valid EORI number on the declaration, the shipment cannot clear, so the truck waits at the border or the goods sit in a customs warehouse while you request a number or correct the filing. For live plants, every day of delay means wilted stock, storage fees, rebooked transport and a customer who may order elsewhere next season.