Learn what the EU's new Product Identifier requirement means for distance-sale
customs declarations.
Update (October 6, 2026): The European Commission's October 5, 2026 guidance, The temporary EUR 3 customs duty and the Union handling fee, section 8.2, clarifies that PIDs apply to goods in consignments valued at EUR 150 or less. The underlying regulation (Annex B of the UCC Delegated Act) does not state this limit yet; the Commission is amending it. Shipments over EUR 150 do not need PIDs but are still subject to the EUR 2 handling fee.
As part of the EU's 2026 customs reform, distance sales of imported goods (DSIG) — B2C shipments sold directly to EU consumers, including through marketplaces — must include structured product identifiers on the customs declaration, in addition to the standard commodity classification. This applies to goods in consignments valued at €150 or less, the same low-value consignments that lost their duty-free treatment on July 1, 2026. B2B shipments are generally outside the requirement.
The manufacturer's, producer's, or supplier's own proprietary product code. If the manufacturer hasn't assigned one, they're expected to assign one so it can be reported.
A globally standardized code such as GTIN, EAN, UPC, or ISBN
What counts as a standardised (S-PID) code, in plain terms
The regulation doesn't name specific standards — it just says the code has to rely on an internationally recognized system. In practice, that almost always means one of these:
GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) — the umbrella standard from GS1 (the organization behind most retail barcodes). It's not a separate code from UPC/EAN — it's the family they both belong to.
UPC (Universal Product Code) — a 12-digit GTIN format; the barcode standard most common on North American retail packaging.
EAN (European/International Article Number) — a 13-digit GTIN format; the barcode standard most common internationally, including on goods sold into the EU. This is the one you'll most often see on EU-bound products.
ISBN (International Standard Book Number) — books specifically. Part of the same family of standards as UPC/EAN but reserved for publications.
These are the common ones, not an exhaustive list — the EU Commission hasn't published a closed list of qualifying standards, so a code isn't disqualified just because it isn't in this list, as long as it's genuinely part of a recognized international system. Also worth noting: GTIN, UPC, and EAN are often listed side by side in industry guidance as if they were three separate options, but UPC and EAN are technically specific GTIN formats (GTIN-12 and GTIN-13), not distinct standards.
How to declare
On the customs declaration, these are reported using TARIC document codes C127 (M-PID), C128 (NS-PID), and C129 (S-PID), plus exception code Y081 when no NS-PID exists. They're declared under data element "12 03 000 000 Supporting document" on H1, H6, and H7 declaration types, and are repeatable when an item includes multiple products.
Merchants can enter M-PID/NS-PID/S-PID data in Zonos Catalog, even if their ecommerce platform doesn't have a native field for it. Shopify merchants add the identifiers as barcodes on each variant, and some plugins, such as Magento and WooCommerce, can map them from existing product attributes.
Where PIDs go depends on how you create your labels. If you print labels from the Zonos Dashboard, see Add EU product identifiers (PIDs) for how Zonos handles them. If you create labels directly with your carrier, check its guidance for EU-bound shipments:
This guide is informational and does not constitute legal or customs advice. Consult a licensed customs broker or trade attorney for entry-specific determinations.
EU Product Identifiers (PID) Guide
EU Product Identifiers (PID)
Learn what the EU's new Product Identifier requirement means for distance-sale customs declarations.
As part of the EU's 2026 customs reform, distance sales of imported goods (DSIG) — B2C shipments sold directly to EU consumers, including through marketplaces — must include structured product identifiers on the customs declaration, in addition to the standard commodity classification. This applies to goods in consignments valued at €150 or less, the same low-value consignments that lost their duty-free treatment on July 1, 2026. B2B shipments are generally outside the requirement.
Key dates
What's required
Three identifier types apply per product line item on the declaration:
What counts as a standardised (S-PID) code, in plain terms
The regulation doesn't name specific standards — it just says the code has to rely on an internationally recognized system. In practice, that almost always means one of these:
These are the common ones, not an exhaustive list — the EU Commission hasn't published a closed list of qualifying standards, so a code isn't disqualified just because it isn't in this list, as long as it's genuinely part of a recognized international system. Also worth noting: GTIN, UPC, and EAN are often listed side by side in industry guidance as if they were three separate options, but UPC and EAN are technically specific GTIN formats (GTIN-12 and GTIN-13), not distinct standards.
How to declare
On the customs declaration, these are reported using TARIC document codes C127 (M-PID), C128 (NS-PID), and C129 (S-PID), plus exception code Y081 when no NS-PID exists. They're declared under data element "12 03 000 000 Supporting document" on H1, H6, and H7 declaration types, and are repeatable when an item includes multiple products.
Who's responsible
Exceptions and administrative tolerance
EU guidance calls out simplified treatment for a few categories, including:
How Zonos is handling it
Merchants can enter M-PID/NS-PID/S-PID data in Zonos Catalog, even if their ecommerce platform doesn't have a native field for it. Shopify merchants add the identifiers as barcodes on each variant, and some plugins, such as Magento and WooCommerce, can map them from existing product attributes.
For step-by-step setup for each integration, see Add EU product identifiers.
Entering PIDs with your carrier
Where PIDs go depends on how you create your labels. If you print labels from the Zonos Dashboard, see Add EU product identifiers (PIDs) for how Zonos handles them. If you create labels directly with your carrier, check its guidance for EU-bound shipments:
Carrier requirements and tools may change before the November 1, 2026 deadline, so check each carrier's page for the latest.
Sources
This guide is informational and does not constitute legal or customs advice. Consult a licensed customs broker or trade attorney for entry-specific determinations.
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