What Is a GLN (Global Location Number)?
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Talk to our experts- GLN (Global Location Number)
- A GLN (Global Location Number) is a 13-digit GS1 identification key for parties and locations in the supply chain: a legal entity, a function such as an accounting department, a physical place such as a distribution center or dock door, or a digital location such as an EDI gateway. Trading partners share GLNs to know who is involved and where.
Also called: Global Location Number
How it works
A GLN answers two questions. Identifying a party, it answers "who" is involved. Identifying a location, it answers "where" something has been, is, or will be. GS1 US sums it up: a GLN does for parties and locations what UPCs (or GTINs) do for products.
The 13 digits have three parts:
- GS1 Company Prefix: a globally unique number licensed to a company by a GS1 Member Organization. Prefixes come in different lengths.
- Location reference: a number with no logic in it, assigned by the user to the party or location. Its length depends on the prefix length.
- Check digit: the final digit, calculated from the digits before it, which confirms the number was composed correctly.
The party that defined the party or location allocates its GLN. A legal entity allocates its own, and a physical location's GLN comes from its owner or a primary user. In a mall, the owner can allocate one, and so can each retailer leasing space. Since July 1, 2022, an allocated GLN cannot be reallocated to another party or location, with a few exceptions, such as a GLN that was never published to a registry or a trading partner.
Where GLNs are used
- Business transactions: purchase orders, advance ship notices and invoices use GLNs to identify the originating and destination locations and who is involved. GS1 US calls the GLN an integral data element of most EDI transactions.
- Product data: the GLN is a required component for parties using the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) to exchange product master data.
Why not internal location codes? GS1 US points out that two trading partners can use the exact same internal code for different places, so there is no guarantee of uniqueness.
How to get a GLN
How a GLN is created
License a GS1 Company Prefix, or a single GLN if you only need to identify a few parties or locations.
Describe the party or location with core data such as name, address and roles.
Save the GLN and its data in a database and share it with supply chain partners.
If you already have a GS1 Company Prefix or a GS1 US GTIN, you already have an entity GLN. To check one, search the GS1 Company Database.
Example
Illustrative numbers only. A supplier licenses a 7-digit GS1 Company Prefix. The GLN has 13 digits, one of them the check digit, so 13 - 7 - 1 = 5 digits remain for the location reference: room for 100,000 GLNs (00000 to 99999). GS1 US recommends assigning the location references in sequence, so the supplier numbers its corporate headquarters 00001, its distribution center 00002 and dock door 4 at that distribution center 00003.
On Shopify
In Shopify B2B, a company is the parent organization for one or more company locations, and a company location is the business you sell to. Each location can have its own addresses, pricing, payment terms and contacts, plus a location ID: an existing external ID if you sync B2B data with other systems, or your own unique ID. In the GraphQL Admin API, a company location also carries an externalId field: a unique, externally supplied ID. You can also add metafields to companies and company locations to store custom information.
As a general practice, not a dedicated Shopify GLN feature, a seller whose trading partners send GLNs can store each one on the matching company location, in the location ID or a metafield, so an incoming order maps to the right ship-to.
How Uncap helps
Uncap's guide to Shopify EDI integration is clear on the stakes: quantities, units, pricing and ship-to addresses must translate without error. A misconfigured mapping produces chargebacks, because the trading partner's system cannot reconcile what it sent with what was received and shipped.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What does a GLN number represent?
A party or a location. Parties are legal entities and functions, such as a company or its accounting department. Locations are physical places, such as a distribution center or dock door, or digital ones, such as an EDI gateway.
Who needs a GLN number?
Any business that needs to identify itself or its locations to trading partners in transactions and systems. In healthcare, a GLN can help fulfill Drug Supply Chain Security Act requirements.
How do we find our GLN number?
Search the GS1 Company Database (formerly GEPIR) by company name, GTIN or other GS1 identifiers. If you license a GS1 Company Prefix, you already have an entity GLN.
How much does it cost to get a GLN?
As of October 18, 2026, the GS1 US GLN page said "License a GLN for $30" and listed GS1 Company Prefix pricing for 1-10 locations at a $250 initial fee and a $50 annual renewal fee. GS1 US reserves the right to change pricing, so check its site.
