An OID, or Organisation ID, is a reference number that identifies your school within the European Commission’s system for Erasmus+. Every UK school, college or organisation applying from 2027 needs one before they can submit anything. Here’s what it is, why it matters, and how to actually get one.
This article is part of IBD’s series on Erasmus+ funding in the UK. For the full process from eligibility through to submission, see our step-by-step guide to applying for Erasmus+.
Key Takeaways
- An OID is a unique number that identifies your organisation in the European Commission’s system, and you need one before applying for Erasmus+
- Getting one means two steps: registering online, then sending in supporting documents to get validated, both need doing before any deadline
- If your school applied for Erasmus+ before 2021, check the system first, your old OID might still work
- The signed form needs an original ink signature or a Qualified Electronic Signature
- The registration form does not save as you go, so set aside time to do it in one go
- The British Council, as UK National Agency, will support UK schools through this process from 2027
What is an OID?
OID stands for Organisation ID. It is a number generated by the European Commission’s Organisation Registration System, used to identify your organisation whenever you apply for Erasmus+ or European Solidarity Corps funding. Think of it as your school’s reference number with the EU, separate from anything you use domestically.
Every organisation applying for Erasmus+ funding needs one, whether you’re a school, college, university, youth organisation or adult education provider. You only register once. The OID stays attached to your organisation for every future application, as long as your details stay accurate.
Why UK institutions need one for 2027
The UK rejoins Erasmus+ from January 2027, with applications expected to open in November 2026. According to the Department for Education, getting an OID through this registration system is needed for the kind of indirectly managed projects that most schools, colleges and youth organisations will be applying for, which make up around 80% of Erasmus+ funding overall.
The British Council has been confirmed as the UK National Agency for Erasmus+, the same role it held from 2014 to 2020, when it ran over 8,000 projects, worked with more than 580,000 participants and handed out around €1.1 billion to UK organisations. As National Agency, it will support UK schools through this registration process from 2027 onwards.
If your school took part in Erasmus+ before the UK left in 2021, there’s a good chance you already have an OID from back then. Check first before assuming you need to start over. If your school has only run the Turing Scheme since 2021, you’ll need to register fresh, since Turing runs entirely separately from this system.
Check if your school already has one
Before registering, search the system to see if your school is already on there. Look it up by name, or by your old PIC number if you have one from a previous EU programme.
If something comes up, note the OID down and use it. No need to register again. Just double check the legal name, address and contact details are still right, schools change address, convert to academy status, or merge into trusts, and an out-of-date record can slow things down later.
Can’t find login details for an old registration? Support is usually available to get access back rather than starting a new one. Registering twice for the same organisation just creates confusion in the system and can hold up your application.
How to register, step by step
If you’ve never registered before, the whole thing is free and comes in two parts: registering online, then sending in documents to get validated. Both need finishing before any deadline.
Step 1: Set up an EU Login
Before you can register your school, whoever’s handling this needs a personal EU Login account, the European Commission’s sign-in system. This belongs to the person doing the registering, not the school itself.
Step 2: Check nobody’s registered already
Search by your organisation’s name first to make sure a record doesn’t already exist. Saves you creating a duplicate.
Step 3: Fill in the form in one go
Once logged in, click “Register My Organisation.” The form doesn’t save as you go, so don’t start it if you’re going to get interrupted. There are four sections to get through:
- Organisation Data
- Legal Address
- Organisation Contact Person
- Authorised Users
Each section shows as incomplete until every field is filled in. Once they’re all done, you can submit.
Step 4: Pick the right identification form
To get validated you need to send in a financial identification and legal entity form. Which one depends on what kind of organisation you are:
- Natural Person Identification Form
- Private Law Body Identification Form
- Public Law Body Identification Form
Most maintained schools and local authority bodies will need the Public Law Body form. Academy trusts, independent schools and charities will usually need the Private Law Body form. If you’re not sure which one applies, check with your finance or governance team before sending it off, the wrong form just slows everything down.
Step 5: Get the form signed
The form needs signing by whoever holds legal authority in your organisation, your headteacher, trust CEO, or equivalent. The European Commission wants either an original ink signature or a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES). For most schools, the easiest route is signing it in pen, scanning it and sending that. Chasing down QES software for a one-off form is rarely worth the hassle.
Step 6: Send everything in
Once signed, upload the form along with anything else needed through your organisation’s profile in the system. You’ll also need a recent bank statement showing your organisation’s name and account details, so the European Commission knows where to send grant payments.
Step 7: Wait it out
Once it’s all submitted, the European Commission reviews your registration and documents. There’s no fixed turnaround time, but give it several weeks before any deadline, especially with a wave of UK schools expected to register around the same time ahead of 2027.
When to register
Do this well before the application window opens, not while it’s open. With the KA1 window expected to open in November 2026, aim to have both stages, registering and getting validated, finished by September or October 2026. If your school is going for KA1 Accreditation, which has its own earlier deadline of 29 September 2026, start even sooner.
Common mistakes schools make
The biggest one is registering twice, a school creates a new OID without checking whether one already exists from before. Always search first.
The second is sending in the wrong identification form for your organisation’s legal status, which means starting the validation process over once someone notices. Check whether you’re a public law body or private law body before you get to that step.
The third is the signature. Schools sometimes send a scanned signature or a basic digital one that doesn’t meet the ink or QES standard, and it gets bounced back.
The fourth is losing your progress on the form because there’s no auto-save. Block out time to do all four sections properly in one sitting rather than dipping in and out.
If you’re not sure whether your school needs to register fresh or can reuse an old OID, or want help working out which entity within a multi-academy trust should hold the registration, IBD Partnership Group can point you in the right direction. We’ve been working with UK schools and organisations on international mobility funding since 2005. Get in touch here.
FAQ
Q: Does it cost anything to get an OID?
A: No. Registering is free. There’s no application fee or registration charge.
Q: Can a multi-academy trust register one OID for all its schools?
A: In most cases, yes. The trust usually registers as the legal applicant, with one OID covering applications for any school within it. Check with your trust’s governance or finance team about which entity should actually hold the registration.
Q: Our school had an OID before Brexit. Will it still work?
A: Most likely, yes, they don’t expire on their own. Search the system to confirm yours is still listed and that the name, address and contact details are up to date. If your legal status has changed since then, say through academy conversion, you might need to update the record rather than start a new one.
Q: What is a Qualified Electronic Signature and do we need special software?
A: It’s a specific, legally recognised type of electronic signature that meets EU technical standards, different from a regular scanned or digital signature. If your school doesn’t already have access to QES software, the easier route is just getting an original ink signature and submitting a scan of that instead.
Q: What happens if our form or registration gets rejected?
A: You’ll usually be asked for more documentation or clarification, often around legal form, the signature, or address details. Respond quickly and resend the correct form if needed, so it doesn’t drag the process out longer than it needs to.
Q: Do youth organisations and adult education providers need an OID too, or is this just for schools?
A: Any organisation applying for Erasmus+ needs one, including youth organisations and sports clubs, adult education providers, FE and VET institutions, and universities. The process and which form you need depends on your organisation’s legal status, not what sector you’re in.
