EUDR geolocation format & coordinate requirements
Every plot in an EUDR due-diligence statement needs geolocation in a specific format. Get the details right and your file sails through the EUDR Information System; get them wrong and TRACES rejects the upload. Here is exactly what is required.
1. Coordinate system: WGS-84
Coordinates must be geographic WGS-84 (EPSG:4326). In GeoJSON (RFC 7946) this is the default and only coordinate reference system — you should not add a custom crs member. If your data came out of GIS software in a projected system (UTM, national grids), it must be reprojected to WGS-84 first.
2. Coordinate order: [longitude, latitude]
GeoJSON stores each position as [longitude, latitude]— longitude first. This trips up a lot of people who are used to writing “lat, long”. Swapping the two is one of the most common reasons a file looks valid but places every plot in the wrong hemisphere. Our validator detects the swap when a latitude value falls outside the −90…90 range.
3. Precision: at least 6 decimal places
Latitude and longitude must carry at least 6decimal places (roughly 0.1 m resolution). Rounding to 4 or 5 decimals — common when data passes through a spreadsheet — will be rejected. Example of an acceptable coordinate: [-43.936214, -19.921233].
4. Point vs polygon: the 4-hectare rule
A plot of 4 hectares or less may be given as a single Point. A plot larger than 4 hectares must be described by a Polygon tracing its boundary. See the dedicated 4-hectare rule guide for details.
5. Valid polygon geometry
Polygon rings must be closed (the last coordinate equals the first), have at least four positions, and must not self-intersect. Self-intersecting or unclosed rings are a frequent cause of rejection. Holes (interior rings) are ignored by the EUDR Information System — it reads only the outer boundary, so represent any excluded area as separate polygons rather than as a hole.
6. Expected properties
Alongside the geometry, the EUDR GeoJSON format expects a few properties on each plot feature:
ProducerCountry— the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code of production (e.g.BR,CI,ID).Area— the plot area in hectares, expected on Point features (polygons carry their area implicitly in the geometry).ProductionPlace— an optional name or identifier for the production place.
The whole Due Diligence Statement file must not exceed 25 MB. There is no fixed limit on the number of polygon vertices. Rules follow the EUDR GeoJSON File Description (v1.5, May 2025).
Ready to check your own file against all of these rules? Open the EUDR GeoJSON validator →
Frequently asked questions
- Can I use a KML or shapefile directly?
- The EUDR Information System expects GeoJSON. KML, KMZ, shapefiles and CSVs must be converted to WGS-84 GeoJSON first.
- Do I include an area value for point plots?
- It is good practice to include an area (in hectares) for point plots so the 4-hectare rule can be checked. Our validator reads an "Area" property when present.
- Are these requirements final?
- The EUDR is being simplified through EU trilogue, and some details (including an SME simplification) may change. These rules were last reviewed on 2026-07-05; always confirm against the official sources linked in the footer.