The EU has been tightening its customs requirements for cross-border ecommerce all year. The €3 customs duty that came into effect on 1 July 2026 ended the exemption that let low-value parcels enter duty-free, and the product identifier (PID) rule is the next change to plan for.
From 1 November, a description alone is no longer enough. Customs officials use the identifiers to check what is actually in the parcel. Businesses that store this data inconsistently, or don't hold it at all, tend to find the gap when a shipment is held at the border. By then the order is late, the customer is chasing a delivery date, and someone is searching a spreadsheet for a barcode that was never recorded.
Know which identifiers customs ask for
| Identifier | What it is | Required | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merchant product identifier (M-PID) | Your own SKU for the product | Yes | Your Zenstores products, ecommerce platform or marketplace |
| Non-standardised manufacturer product identifier (NS-PID) | The manufacturer's, producer's or supplier's own product code | Yes | The product label, packaging or supplier datasheet. Ask your supplier if none exists. |
| Standardised manufacturer product identifier (S-PID) | A globally recognised code such as a GTIN or EAN | Where one exists | The product barcode |
Check your carrier is covered
Zenstores applies your product identifiers to the customs declaration for EU orders on each carrier below.
| Carrier | Integration |
|---|---|
| Royal Mail and Parcelforce | Royal Mail and Parcelforce |
| Royal Mail Pro Shipping | Royal Mail |
| Evri | Evri |
| Pro Carrier | Pro Carrier |
| DHL Express | DHL Express |
| DHL E-commerce | DHL E-commerce |
| DPD and DPD Local | DPD and DPD Local |
| FedEx | FedEx |
| FedEx Cross border | P2P | FedEx International Connect |
If you sell on Shopify, our step-by-step guide to adding EU product identifiers to Shopify shows where each identifier goes.
Zenstores also handles the rest of your customs data at dispatch. See international shipping with Zenstores for how HS codes, IOSS numbers and VAT treatment are applied.
- Add the identifiers to your products
Add the identifiers against each product in your Zenstores catalogue: your SKU, the manufacturer's own product code, and a standardised identifier such as a GTIN or EAN where the product has one. Zenstores picks them up automatically from Shopify if they’re added there. On any channel you can add them to your SKUs in the Zenstores Product List, in bulk if you have a lot.
- Zenstores maps each identifier to the right customs field
Zenstores reads the identifiers against the product and places each one in the correct field for the carrier you're shipping with.
- The identifiers apply automatically at dispatch
When you dispatch an EU order, Zenstores pulls the identifiers through onto the customs declaration without any manual entry. This applies to any B2C order dispatched to the EU, whichever sales channel it came from.
- Use the same setup for every carrier
Zenstores applies your product identifiers on the carriers listed above, so each product only needs its identifiers added once, whichever carrier you ship with.
- Dispatch EU orders with the identifiers in place
From 1 November 2026, EU customs requires product identifiers for every item in a B2C declaration. With them already stored against your products, each declaration carries what the rule asks for, and there is nothing extra to do at dispatch.
Populate M-PID, NS-PID and S-PID customs fields for EU orders
From 1 November 2026, orders to the EU require product identifiers in customs. Zenstores imports SKUs as well as codes like MPN, GTIN, ISBN, EAN from your store and adds them to the right customs fields so orders aren't held at the border.
We've been using Zenstores for over a year now. The system is very easy to use and integrates very well with Royal Mail, shipping rules that can be set have saved us a lot of time manually entering shipping information. Zenstores has also enabled us to reopen EU and US shipping. The support is excellent always available to answer any questions or talk through what the app can do.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a product doesn't have a barcode, EAN or ISBN?
EU customs only asks for a standardised identifier where one exists, so a product without a GTIN, EAN or ISBN can still ship. Your SKU and the manufacturer's own product code are still required.
I make my own products. Which identifiers do I use?
You are both the merchant and the manufacturer, so the same value, such as your SKU, can go in both fields. A GTIN or EAN is only needed if the product has one.
Does this apply to orders sold through marketplaces like eBay and Amazon, or just Shopify?
On Shopify, Zenstores picks the data up automatically if it’s added there, and our step-by-step guide shows where each identifier goes. For eBay, Amazon and other channels, add it to your SKUs in the Product List.
Is this the same as the €3 customs duty that started on 1 July 2026?
No, they're separate changes. The €3 duty ended the previous exemption for low-value EU parcels. The product identifier requirement is a data rule that starts on 1 November 2026 and applies regardless of order value.
Which identifier does Zenstores use if a product has more than one?
Where a customs field accepts only one product identifier, Zenstores picks one per product in this order: GTIN, then EAN, then UPC, then ISBN. A custom identifier is only used as a last resort, when the product has none of those, because it's an internal reference rather than a recognised product identifier.
Which of the identifiers are mandatory?
The merchant identifier, your SKU, and the manufacturer’s own product code are required for every product. A standardised identifier such as a GTIN or EAN is only required where one exists. Zenstores can hold all three against the product.
Where do I find the manufacturer’s product code?
Check the product label or packaging, your supplier’s catalogue or datasheet, or ask your distributor. If your supplier has never issued a code, they need to create one, so it’s worth asking now. Once you have it, add it to the product in Zenstores.
Do these rules apply to B2B orders?
No. The requirement doesn’t apply to genuine business-to-business shipments. It covers sales to consumers.
Does each item in a parcel need identifiers?
Yes, each item, not just the parcel. If a parcel holds three different t-shirts and a pair of jeans, each of those needs its identifiers, even where some are grouped on one declaration line. Because Zenstores stores them against the product, they follow each item onto the declaration.
Is there a grace period after 1 November?
No. The requirement is mandatory from 1 November 2026 with no formal grace period, so it’s worth having your products set up beforehand.
