Severity: Error. The Information System rejects the file, or silently stores something other than what you meant.
Fixed automatically?: No, this needs a decision only you can make.
In short: Go to the highlighted position. A missing closing brace, a missing comma or a stray comma at the end of a list is almost always the cause.

What the Information System does

It cannot read the file at all, so nothing in it is processed. "File syntax errors (e.g. missing ")" or "}")" are on the Commission's list of common file errors (GeoJSON File Description, Common errors 8).

Why it happens

JSON is strict. Every { needs its }, every [ its ], items in a list are separated by commas, and there must be no comma after the last one. One mistake anywhere and the whole file is unreadable, not just the plot where the mistake is.

The usual causes:

Hand editing. Deleting a plot from the middle of a file and taking one brace too many, or too few, with it.
Copying from the specification. The single-feature example in version 1.5 of the specification (the PDF) is missing its closing brace (GeoJSON File Description v1.5, §3). Copied as it stands, it does not parse. The current online version has the brace back.
Joining files by pasting. Two FeatureCollections pasted one after the other are not one valid file; the features have to be moved into a single features list.
A truncated download or email attachment. The file simply stops part-way through.

A trailing comma ([1, 2, 3,]) is accepted by some programming languages but not by JSON, and it is the single most common cause in files that were edited by hand.

A broken example

{"type":"FeatureCollection","features":[{"type":"Feature","properties":{"ProducerCountry":"CI"},"geometry":{"type":"Point","coordinates":[-5.123456,6.123456]}}

What the checker reports for this file:

Line 2, column 1: A closing bracket ] is missing. This usually happens partway through a list of coordinates., line 2, column 1
Line 2, column 1: A closing brace } is missing. Check that every { you opened has been closed., line 2, column 1

Fix it in EUDRplot

Open the file in the checker. Drop it on the checker. A syntax error is reported with its line and column, and the editor jumps to it.
Look just before the marked position. The parser reports where it gave up, which is usually just after the real mistake. Look for a missing } or ], a missing comma between two features, or a comma after the last item in a list.
Edit it in place. Type the correction in the editor. The file is re-checked as you type, and every other problem appears as soon as the file can be read.
Download the corrected file. Open Download and choose GeoJSON file.

Fix it in QGIS

QGIS cannot open a file that is not valid JSON, so it cannot help find the mistake. Use a text editor that shows line numbers, or the checker, which reports the line and column. If the file was produced by a program, the most reliable fix is usually to export it again rather than repair it by hand.

Try it: check the example, or your own file

Drop a GeoJSON, KML, shapefile or CSV here, or .

Open the full checker

Checked in your browser. The file is not uploaded, stored or sent anywhere.

Sources

EUDR GeoJSON File Description (EUDR Information System help, updated 17 August 2026), Common errors 8, European Commission
EUDR GeoJSON File Description, v1.5 (5 May 2025), §6.8, European Commission (copy hosted at nli.gov.cz)

Rule FILE-002, rule set 2026.09.2. The same rule runs in the checker, the free tools and the command-line tool.

Last verified against these sources on 23 September 2026.