A Tax ID, also known as a Tax Identification Number (TIN), is a unique combination of numbers used to identify individuals or businesses for customs screening purposes. The terminology may vary depending on the destination country. For instance, in some Asian countries, it's referred to as a TIN, while in Brazil, it's called a CPF number.
Why is a Tax ID important?
Providing a Tax ID ensures smooth customs clearance, reducing transit time and the risk of returns due to missing or incorrect information.
Tax ID formats
The required Tax ID format varies by country. Here's a breakdown of the formats for each country:
Country
Format
Brazil
Length: at least 8 characters, containing A-Z and/or 0-9:
Examples: 1234abcd, a123456789, 12348b654s
Chile
8 digits + 1 letter at the end
example: 12345678k
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8 digits + 1 digit at the end
Example: 543210983
China
15 or 18 digits
example: 123456789012345 —————————————————
8 digits + 10 any character within A-Z or 0-9 at the end
example: 12345678asdfg123hj
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1 letter (only C/H/J/M/W/T) at the beginning + 17 digits
example: C12345678901234567
————————————————— 17 digits + 1 letter at the end
example: 12345678901234567C
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1 letter (only C/H/J/M/W/T) at the beginning + 16 digits + 1 letter at the end
example: C1234567890123456C
Indonesia
Length: at least 8 characters, containing A-Z or 0-9
example: a123456789 or 12348b354s
South Korea
10 or 13 digits
Example: 1234567890 OR 1234567890123
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“P" + 12 digits
Example: P123456789012
Taiwan
"9" + 6 digits
Example: 9123456
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Length of at least 8 digits, containing any character within A-Z or 0-9
Example: a123456789 OR 12348b654s
Turkey
Length: at least 10 digits
example: 1234567890
Saudi Arabia
15 digits only
Example: 123456789012345
Germany
The tax ID (also commonly referred to as a Steueridentifikationsnummer, steuerliche Identifikationsnummer, Steuer-IdNr., IdNr. or Steuer-ID) consists of 10 or 11 numbers in the format 00 000 000 000.
Example: 12 345 678 90. It’s sometimes written as 3012034567890
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An 11-character long alphanumeric string, where:
Character 1–9 is a digit from [0–9] or an alphanumeric character from [A-Z].
Character 10 is a digit from [0–9] (optional).
Character 11 is optional, starting with the letter 'D.'
Example: 30 000 000 000
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Matches a 29-character long alphanumeric string, where:
Character 1–9 is a digit from [0–9] or an alphanumeric character from [A-Z]
Character 10 is a digit from [0–9].
Character 11 is optional, starting with the letter 'D.'
Character 12 is delimited with a space or a hyphen (optional).
Character 13–19 is a digit from [0–9].
Character 20 is delimited with a space, a hyphen, or the letter 'M' or 'F' (optional).
Character 21–27 is a digit from [0–9].
Character 28 is delimited with a space or a hyphen (optional)
Character 29 is a digit from [0–9].
Example: DE12345678901234567890X
When is a Tax ID required in the US?
A Tax ID is required when importing goods into the United States (US) that require a formal entry, typically for commercial products valued at over $2,500. In the European Union, businesses must provide an EORI number when moving goods outside the EU. Some EU countries also require an EORI number or personal ID number for individuals importing goods for private use.
Remember to check with your country's customs authorities for specific requirements, which may vary.
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