Common reasons EUDR plot files get rejected

Updated 11 October 2026 · 4 min read

The EU Information System publishes its own list of common GeoJSON file errors. Almost every refused plot file hits one of them. Here they are, grouped by cause, with how each one usually happens in the field and how to fix it.

The error list below comes from the EU Information System's "GeoJSON File Description" page (updated 17 August 2026) and its "Validation Rules" page. The causes and fixes are our practical advice.

1. The file isn't readable GeoJSON at all

• Wrong file format, such as a PDF or a plain text file. Also not accepted: password-protected files.
• Syntax errors, such as a missing ] or }. These often appear after someone edits a file by hand or copies part of it out of an email.

Fix: export again from the mapping app or GIS software as GeoJSON, rather than editing the text. If your data is in KML, CSV or a shapefile, convert it to GeoJSON first.

2. Coordinates in the wrong place

• Out of range. Latitude must be between -90 and 90, longitude between -180 and 180. Values like 650000 usually mean the coordinates are projected metres (for example UTM), not degrees.
• Wrong coordinate system. The system supports WGS 84 (EPSG:4326) in decimal degrees only.
• Latitude and longitude swapped. GeoJSON wants [longitude, latitude]. A swapped file may still be "in range" but put your farms in the wrong country, or in the sea.

Fix: reproject to EPSG:4326 in your GIS software, and always look at the plots on a map before upload. A plot in Côte d'Ivoire should have a positive latitude (north of the equator) and a negative longitude (west of Greenwich). If a file shows the opposite signs, the pair is probably swapped.

3. Shapes the system won't process

These are the most common reasons a file from a field survey is refused.

4. Duplicate points after truncation

The system truncates coordinates to 6 decimal places before storing them. Two points that differ only in the 7th decimal place or beyond become the same point, and that can turn a valid polygon into an invalid one. The EU's own example: -5.8227391234, 144.2567071234 and -5.8227394567, 144.2567074567 both become -5.822739, 144.256707.

Fix: write your coordinates with exactly 6 decimals, remove repeated points, and recheck the shape. Sending more than 6 decimals gains nothing.

The other side of this: the EU FAQ defines geolocation as coordinates with at least 6 decimal digits. Files exported with 4 or 5 decimals are too coarse.

5. Properties the system can't read

• Wrong property names or wrong case. The system reads ProducerName, ProducerCountry, ProductionPlace and Area, exactly spelled. productionplace or pays are ignored. The EU also lists using reserved words such as geometry as a property name as an error.
• Invalid country codes. ProducerCountry must be a valid ISO 2-letter code: CI, not "Côte d'Ivoire" or "CIV".
• Numbers stored as text. "Area": "3" (with quotes) is read as an area of 0. Write "Area": 3. Spreadsheets that use a decimal comma (3,5) cause the same kind of problem.

6. Point plots with the wrong area

From the EU validation rules:

• A point with no Area is given 4 ha by default.
• A point with an Area above 4 ha is an error, unless the commodity is cattle. Plots larger than 4 ha need a polygon.
• An Area, when given, must be at least 0.0001 ha. An Area of 0 fails.

7. Files that are too big

All the geolocation files in one due diligence statement together may not exceed 25 MB. A DDS may also list at most 1,000 producers per commodity and 10,000 in total.

Fix (from the EU's own advice): use only two points to define a straight boundary instead of a point every few metres, and use single points for plots under 4 hectares rather than polygons.

A five-minute pre-upload routine

1. Look at every plot on a map. Wrong country or in the sea means swapped or projected coordinates.
2. Check every polygon is closed, has no crossing lines and no holes.
3. Check every coordinate has 6 decimals.
4. Check property names, country codes and that Area is a number.
5. Check points over 4 ha and the total file size.

For what a correct file looks like from the start, read EUDR geolocation: what the GeoJSON file must contain.