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What is a REX number? A plain guide for EU importers
A REX number is the EU registration an exporter needs to certify origin for 0% GSP/EBA duty. What it looks like, who registers, and what it means for you.
Founder, Trishakti Apparel 6 min read
A REX number is the registration number an exporter gets when they join the EU’s Registered Exporter system. Registered exporters in developing countries such as Nepal use it to make out their own “statement on origin” on the invoice, and the EU importer relies on that statement to claim preferential duty, which for Nepal-made garments under Everything But Arms is 0%. The importer never registers for anything. You just need the exporter’s statement, and a number you can check.
We registered in REX in September 2026, so we get a lot of questions about it from EU buyers. This is the explanation we give them.
What REX actually is
REX is the European Commission’s system for certifying the origin of goods under its Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP), which includes Everything But Arms (EBA) for least developed countries. Before REX, origin was proven with a paper certificate (Form A) stamped by a government office in the exporting country. REX replaced that with self-certification. The exporter registers once with its national authority, and after that it declares origin itself on its commercial documents.
The Commission hosts the database. Beneficiary countries enter their own exporters, so each country doesn’t need its own register. Since 30 June 2020 every GSP beneficiary country has had to use REX, and Form A is no longer accepted for EU GSP claims.
For Nepal the switch came earlier. The Trade and Export Promotion Centre (TEPC) announced that Nepal’s transition period ran until 30 June 2018. After that, EU preferences for Nepali goods have depended on statements on origin made out by registered exporters. (TEPC notice)
Who registers, and how
Only the exporter registers. In Nepal, exporters submit a REX pre-application through the Commission’s online portal and send it to TEPC together with the supporting documents TEPC lists. (TEPC’s REX page) Registration counts from the date the competent authority receives a complete application.
On the application form, the exporter also chooses whether to let the Commission publish its name and address. If it says no, only an anonymous subset (the number and its validity dates) is published. That subset is still enough for anyone to confirm the number is valid, as we explain in our guide to verifying a supplier’s REX number.
What a REX number looks like
According to the Commission’s REX guidance, the number is made of:
| Part | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Country code | ISO two-letter code of the country of registration | NP |
| “REX” | Fixed three letters | REX |
| National identifier | Up to 30 upper-case letters/digits set by the national authority | 0000000000 |
So a Nepali number takes the form NPREX followed by a national identifier, e.g. NPREX0000000000. That example is made up. We don’t print real numbers in articles, and you shouldn’t accept one from a blog post either. Check it on the Commission’s REX validation page.
The €6,000 threshold
REX has a small-consignment exception. If the total value of the originating products in a consignment is €6,000 or less, any exporter may make out a statement on origin, registered or not. Above €6,000 the exporter must be registered, and the REX number has to appear in the statement.
At our MOQ of 1,000 pieces per style and colour, almost every bulk order is well over €6,000. A supplier without REX registration can still ship you samples and small top-ups with a valid statement, but for bulk you need a registered one.
What you do as the importer
You don’t register. Your job, or your customs broker’s, is to:
- Make sure the statement on origin is on the invoice (or another commercial document that identifies the exporter and the goods). The wording is fixed by EU law. We go through it line by line in statement on origin wording, explained.
- Check the REX number is valid before you rely on it. The Commission’s guidance says importers should always verify statements on origin against the public REX data.
- Claim the preference in your import declaration. Your broker enters the statement and the exporter’s REX number in the declaration.
- Keep the records. Keep the invoice with the statement, plus your import declaration, for as long as your national customs rules require. Under the Union Customs Code that is at least three years, and some member states ask for longer. Your broker will know the local rule.
A statement on origin stays valid for 12 months from the date the exporter made it out.
What if the number turns out to be invalid?
If customs find the REX number doesn’t exist, was revoked before the statement was made out, or doesn’t match the exporter, the preference can be refused. You then owe the standard third-country duty, around 12% on most cotton knit tops (see our HS code guide), plus import VAT on the higher value. Customs can also look back at earlier imports during a post-clearance check. The Commission’s own guide warns that an incorrect origin declaration can lead to penalties for the importer. Penalties are set nationally.
In practice, this is the most common way buyers get caught out: a supplier says “duty-free from Nepal” but has no valid registration. It takes two minutes to check before you pay a deposit, so do it.
Who else uses REX
The same registration covers more than the EU. The Commission’s REX guidance states that Switzerland, Norway and Türkiye also use REX for their GSP schemes, so an exporter in a beneficiary country registers once for all of them. The UK is different. It left the EU system and uses its own origin declaration under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme. We compare the two in UK DCTS origin declaration vs EU REX.
REX does not apply to Canada or Japan, which have their own proof-of-origin rules.
REX and Nepal’s LDC graduation
Nepal is scheduled to graduate from least-developed-country status on 24 November 2026. The government has asked for a deferral, and the UN General Assembly’s decision is still pending. The EU keeps EBA treatment for a transition period of at least three years after graduation, and REX stays the proof-of-origin system throughout. The rules of origin that let imported fabric qualify (single transformation) are explained in single vs double transformation. For the latest position, see our duty status page.
This is a practical overview, not legal advice. Before your first preferential import, confirm the details with your customs broker.
Our REX number
Trishakti Apparel is registered in REX. Our number appears in the statement on origin on every EU invoice. You can also see it in advance on our REX Trust Centre after confirming your business email, and check it on the Commission’s database yourself. If you’re planning an EU order, tell us your market and quantities and we’ll send the full import pack with your proforma.
Frequently asked
What is a REX number?
Do I need to register in REX as an EU importer?
Is a REX number needed for small orders?
Does Nepal still issue Form A for EU shipments?
Can a supplier use its REX number for Switzerland or Norway?
About the author
Santosh Rijal runs Trishakti Apparel, the export knitwear factory his family built on three decades in Nepal’s fashion trade. He writes about sourcing, duty and production from the factory floor in Gaindakot.