EUDR Geolocation: Plots, Points vs Polygons, the Four-Hectare Rule and Cattle Establishments

EUDR geolocation is the latitude and longitude of every plot where a relevant commodity was produced, with at least six decimal digits, a perimeter polygon for plots of more than four hectares and one point per establishment for cattle (Articles 2(28) and 9(1)(d) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, the EU Deforestation Regulation). Which plots need a polygon, and which can stay a point?

Geolocation is a duty under the EU Deforestation Regulation for every operator placing cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya or wood products on the EU market or exporting them. Article 2(28) is unchanged since 2023; the duty applies from 30 December 2026.

The rules below cover the definitions, the four-hectare rule, cattle, production dates, roles, exceptions, submission and the 2030 review. The four key figures are listed below.

• Precision: at least 6 decimal digits.
• Polygon: plots of more than 4 hectares (40,000 square metres), except cattle.
• Cattle: 1 point per establishment.
• Application: 30 December 2026 (Article 38(2)).

What Is Geolocation Under the EUDR?

Geolocation under the EUDR is "the geographical location of a plot of land described by means of latitude and longitude coordinates corresponding to at least one latitude and one longitude point and using at least six decimal digits" (Article 2(28)). Plots of more than four hectares, for commodities other than cattle, add polygons describing the perimeter.

The three EUDR definitions behind the duty are compared below.

They are points 27 to 29 of the 42 points in Article 2; all 42 sit under EUDR definitions.

What Counts as a Plot of Land?

A plot of land is land within a single real-estate property recognised by the law of the country of production, homogeneous enough to assess its aggregate deforestation risk (Article 2(27)). The unit is the legally recognised property, not the farm as a business.

Is a Plot the Whole Property? The Soya Example

Not necessarily: the Commission considers that a plot can be the whole property or a part of it (FAQ Version 5 (April 2026), 1.15). Soya grown on area B of property A is declared as area B, or as all of A where A is homogeneous. Illegal deforestation elsewhere on A still makes the soya non-compliant, because legality concerns the whole property; soya chains are covered under EUDR and soya.

Is There a Minimum or Maximum Plot Size?

No: the Commission considers that no minimum or maximum plot size exists (FAQ 1.7). Size decides only between point and polygon.

What Is a Cattle Establishment?

A cattle establishment is any premises, structure or, in open-air farming, any environment or place where livestock are kept, temporarily or permanently (Article 2(29)). For cattle, the establishment replaces the plot as the geolocated unit.

Points vs Polygons: How Does the Four-Hectare Rule Work?

The four-hectare rule sets the format by plot size and commodity: more than four hectares needs a perimeter polygon, four hectares or less a point, and cattle always points (Article 2(28)).

Plots of 4 Hectares or Less: A Point or a Polygon

A plot of four hectares or less needs at least one latitude and longitude point, and a polygon is equally valid (Article 2(28)). The threshold reads "more than four hectares", so a plot of exactly 4.0 hectares (about 9.88 acres) may be a point. Thresholds of 0.5 or 1 hectare, or "4 hectares or more", are not in the Regulation.

Plots of More Than 4 Hectares: A Polygon of the Perimeter

Plots of more than four hectares used for cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya or wood need polygons with enough points to describe each perimeter (Article 2(28)). Every vertex keeps six decimal digits.

Can a Centre Point With a Radius Replace a Polygon?

No: the Commission considers that a centre point with a radius does not replace a polygon (FAQ 1.16).

Can One Polygon Cover Several Plots?

No: the Commission considers that each plot gets its own polygon, whose parts may be contiguous or not (FAQ 1.14).

Six Decimal Digits: How Precise Geolocation Must Be

Geolocation needs at least six decimal digits per latitude and longitude value (Article 2(28)), as in the illustrative point -12.345678, -45.678901. The rule fixes digits, not an accuracy in metres.

How Does EUDR Geolocation Work for Cattle Establishments?

EUDR geolocation for cattle covers every establishment where the cattle were kept, each as a point, with no polygon at any size (Article 9(1)(d); FAQ 1.8).

The four-hectare rule never applies, because the Article 2(29) establishment replaces the plot. The rule applies to every cattle product in Annex I, from live cattle to meat; HS codes are under EUDR and cattle.

Every Establishment From Birth to Slaughter

Cattle geolocation runs from birth to slaughter (Guidance C/2026/3896, section 9; FAQ 1.25). The four elements are listed below.

• Birthplace: the establishment where the animal was born.
• Farms and open-air places: every place where it was kept.
• Live cattle: all geolocations until first placing on the EU market.
• Production date: the date of birth (Guidance, section 3), with the lifetime as time range (FAQ 1.25).

The Commission recommends points for cattle chains to stay under 25 MB (FAQ 7.16).

Feed and Slaughterhouses: What Needs No Geolocation

Feed and slaughterhouses need no geolocation. Feed that is a relevant product when fed, such as soya under 1208 10 or 2304, must be deforestation-free, without geolocation (recital 39; FAQ 1.26.1). The current Guidance and FAQ do not mention slaughterhouses.

Which EUDR Information Requirements Does Article 9(1)(d) Set for Geolocation?

Article 9(1)(d) requires the geolocation of all plots plus the date or time range of production, one of 8 EUDR information requirements kept for 5 years. The other seven are under EUDR information requirements.

The Date or Time Range of Production

The date or time range of production is when the commodity was produced on the plot, read by the Commission as listed below (FAQ 1.25).

• Harvest date or harvesting period.
• Crop year or harvesting season, if nothing more precise exists.
• Animal lifetime, for cattle (see the cattle section).

The range ties each batch to the plot's condition, measured against the 31 December 2020 cut-off.

One Deforested Plot Disqualifies Every Product From It

Any deforestation or forest degradation on a plot "shall automatically disqualify all relevant commodities and relevant products from those plots of land" (Article 9(1)(d)). A mixed lot fails as a whole unless separated (FAQ 1.5).

Who Collects Geolocation and Who Is Responsible?

Operators and micro or small primary operators collect geolocation; downstream operators and traders do not (FAQ 1.1; Article 5).

Operators and Micro or Small Primary Operators

Operators collect the geolocation of every plot before placing or export. For EUDR micro or small primary operators, geolocation "may be replaced by the postal address of all plots of land or the postal address of the establishment" (Article 4a(5), inserted by Regulation (EU) 2025/2650); who qualifies is under EUDR micro or small primary operators.

Downstream Operators and Traders

Downstream operators and traders collect no geolocation and, since 26 December 2025, file no due diligence statement (Article 5). Who is a downstream operator or trader follows from Article 2, points (15b) and (17).

How Geolocation Is Collected and Checked

Geolocation is collected in the field or from records, and the operator answers for it. The three elements are listed below.

• Means: mobile phones, handheld GNSS devices and free GIS applications (FAQ 1.1).
• Responsibility: the operator stays liable whatever intermediaries it uses, such as cooperatives or certification bodies (FAQ 1.10), and must verify the data (FAQ 1.12).
• Conversion: the system converts data from relevant systems into geolocation where possible (Article 33(2)(d)).

Is There a Geolocation Exception for Low-Risk Countries or Simplified Due Diligence?

No: the Commission considers that no geolocation exception exists for low-risk countries (FAQ 1.28). The low-risk class changes check rates and can allow simplified due diligence, but never removes the data. That low-risk country list of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1093 (in force since 26 May 2025) names 140 low-risk and 4 high-risk countries.

Simplified due diligence keeps geolocation too: Article 13(1) drops only Articles 10 and 11, while Article 9 information, the Article 12 system and the due diligence statement remain. The Article 4a simplified declaration is a separate regime, limited to micro or small primary operators.

How Is Geolocation Submitted in the EUDR Information System?

Geolocation is submitted in the EUDR Information System with the due diligence statement, before placing or export (Article 4(2)), and kept for 5 years (Article 4(3)).

Plot files use GeoJSON: coordinates are truncated to 6 decimals, a point without Area counts as 4 hectares, and a point Area above 4 hectares is an error except for cattle (GeoJSON File Description; Validation Rules). The geolocation limit is 25 MB per statement (FAQ 7.16). Larger chains can group statements under Article 8a of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/3084, inserted by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1565, up to 1,000 per group in the system. File rules are tested in the EUDR GeoJSON Checker.

Annex II Point 3: Geolocation in the Due Diligence Statement

Annex II, point 3 requires the country of production and the geolocation of all plots, for cattle all establishments. Geolocation is point 3 of the Annex II due diligence statement.

Who Sees the Geolocation in the System?

Competent authorities see all geolocation; other holders of the reference and verification numbers see it only if the submitter allows (FAQ 7.15). Access follows the roles of the EUDR Information System.

Geolocation Timeline: What Changed in 2025 and the 2030 Review

Article 2(28) is unchanged since entry into force on 29 June 2023; the duty applies from 30 December 2026 and the polygon threshold is reviewed by 30 June 2030 (Article 34(2)(d)). Every date in force is on the EUDR timeline.

Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 removed geolocation from downstream operators and traders and added the postal-address option. No further delay is proposed as of 24 October 2026.

Every rule on this page is checked against the consolidated text of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115; see our methodology and fact-checking.

This guide explains the rules; it is not legal advice for an individual case.

How Does Geolocation Fit Into EUDR Compliance and Due Diligence?

Within EUDR compliance, geolocation feeds the risk assessment and the due diligence statement. Geolocation is one step of EUDR compliance.

The Commission positions quoted here come from the Guidance (Official Journal C, 20 July 2026) and the FAQ (April 2026), both non-binding.

Geolocation is Article 9 information, the first of the three steps of EUDR due diligence (Article 8(2)). The steps are set out under EUDR due diligence.

Geolocation as Deforestation-Free Evidence

Geolocation can serve as deforestation-free evidence: under simplified due diligence, the Commission considers that it can meet the Article 9(1)(g) evidence item (FAQ 5.1). EU Observatory maps carry no legal value (Guidance, section 11.5). The test is defined under deforestation-free under the EUDR.

Geolocation and Traceability to the Plot

Traceability requires every plot in every country of a multi-country lot (FAQ 1.24), and mass balance is not allowed (FAQ 1.4). Segregation rules are under EUDR traceability.

EUDR Geolocation FAQ

Seven further geolocation questions concern file format, software, certification, FLEGT, sharing, mobile networks and satellite tools. More are in the EUDR FAQ.

Is a GeoJSON File Mandatory?

No: GeoJSON is the only upload format, but points and polygons can also be entered manually on the system map (FAQ 7.26, 7.8). The coordinate system is WGS 84 (EPSG:4326).

Do I Need Software to Collect Geolocation?

No: the only mandatory IT is the free EUDR Information System (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/3084, Article 18(1)). Platforms are covered under EUDR software; none is mandatory.

Does Certification Replace Geolocation?

No: a certificate is complementary information under Article 10(2)(n), and no EUDR certificate exists (FAQ 5.7). What schemes prove is under certification and the EUDR.

Does a FLEGT Licence Remove the Geolocation Duty?

No: a FLEGT licence proves legality only (Article 10(3)), so every plot is still geolocated and a statement filed. What FLEGT licences prove is set out there.

Do I Have to Share Geolocation With My Customers?

No: the Commission considers that the EUDR sets no legal obligation to share geolocation down the chain (FAQ 7.15). The operator keeps it for 5 years (Article 9(1)).

Can Geolocation Be Collected Without a Mobile Network?

Yes: the Commission considers that a GNSS signal such as Galileo is enough, without a mobile network (FAQ 1.1). Coordinates recorded offline must still carry at least six decimal digits (Article 2(28)).

Does a Satellite Tool Have to Be Used to Check Plots?

No: the Regulation imposes no specific satellite imagery tool and no resolution threshold (FAQ 5.18). The system map uses OpenStreetMap without satellite images (FAQ 7.5).