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Product identifiers for EU customs and platforms

The product identifiers EU customs requires on parcels up to €150 from 1 November 2026, the TARIC codes they go under, the exceptions and what GPSR also asks.

Updated · 4 official sources

From 1 November 2026, every item in a distance sale declared to EU customs in a consignment worth up to €150 must carry at least two product identifiers, the online seller's own ID and the manufacturer's ID, plus a standard barcode number such as an EAN where one exists. They sit alongside the six-digit HS code and plain description the declaration already needs.

Rules as of 30 October 2026.

Which shipments need product identifiers?#

Product identifiers are required for goods sold in distance sales of imported goods with an intrinsic value up to €150, which in practice means online orders shipped from outside the EU to consumers. Operators could send them voluntarily from 1 July 2026, without penalties for missing or wrong data, and customs enforces the requirement from 1 November 2026.

The requirement comes from the amended annex of data requirements to the Union Customs Code, introduced with the temporary €3 duty. The Commission is amending the text to state the €150 limit explicitly, and its guidance says business-to-business shipments are in principle not concerned. The identifiers go on any declaration that uses the procedure codes for IOSS (F48), the special arrangements (F49) or the standard VAT procedure for low-value goods (F53), whether that is an H7, H6 or H1.

The point is traceability: when customs finds one non-compliant product, it can find every other shipment of it.

What are the three product identifiers?#

EU customs asks for three product identifiers per product: a merchant product identifier (M-PID) set by the online seller, marketplace or platform, a non-standardized manufacturer product identifier (NS-PID) set by the manufacturer or supplier, and a standardized manufacturer product identifier (S-PID) that follows an international standard. The first two are always required; the third only where one exists.

Identifier Who assigns it Typical example Required
M-PID The online seller, marketplace or platform The product ID or SKU customers see and search for on your store Always
NS-PID The manufacturer, producer or product supplier The manufacturer's model or article number Always
S-PID The manufacturer, under a recognized standard An EAN, UPC or ISBN barcode number Where one exists

Each identifier should point to one product variant (brand, size, color, packaging) and stay the same across its life. On a marketplace with many sellers, the M-PID is meant to be one ID for the product across the whole platform, not one per seller. If a manufacturer has never assigned its own ID, it is expected to create one; it may also reuse its EAN as the NS-PID, in which case the same number is declared under both codes.

The Commission's guidance warns against deliberately reporting identifiers at batch or unit level where a model-level one exists. That defeats the purpose and counts as failing to give customs complete and accurate data.

How are product identifiers declared?#

Product identifiers go in the declaration's supporting document field, data element 12 03 000 000, under three TARIC document codes: C127 for the M-PID, C128 for the NS-PID and C129 for the S-PID. When no standard identifier exists, the declarant enters code Y081 in the additional reference field, 12 04, instead of a C129.

The field repeats, so when one declaration line covers several products, each product's identifiers are reported. Two products sharing a tariff line, each with an EAN, make six entries. For a bundle such as a laptop sold with a sleeve and a mouse, the codes repeat for every product in the line, and Y081 is used only if none of them has an S-PID. From the same date, distance-sale lines also carry TARIC code Y126, which triggers the €2 Union handling fee.

Are there exceptions?#

Some goods get an administrative tolerance: they are treated as compliant with an M-PID and an NS-PID alone. The tolerance covers unprocessed agricultural and perishable goods in HS chapters 1 to 15, listed handmade and artisanal goods, and antiques, collectibles, art, stamps and coins in headings 9701 to 9706.

Commodity codes covered by the tolerance

The Commission's list, which it calls non-exhaustive: chapters 1 to 15 for unprocessed agricultural and perishable goods; 4420 11, 4420 19, 4602, 4802 10 00, 5702 10 00, 5804 30 00, 5805 00 00, 7013 28 10, 7013 33 11, 7013 33 19, 7013 37 51, 7013 37 59, 7013 41 10, 7013 49 91 and 7013 91 10 for handmade and artisanal goods; and headings 9701 to 9706 for antiques, collectibles, art, stamps and coins.

For medical devices, the device identifier (UDI-DI) under the EU medical device regulations counts as the S-PID, and legacy devices not yet subject to it until 27 November 2026 can report the CELEX number of the applicable regulation instead. Medicines can use their product code. Second-hand goods report the original product's identifiers, and personalized or print-on-demand goods report the identifiers of the blank product underneath.

What else identifies a product in EU rules?#

Other EU rules ask for product identification in different places. Under the GPSR the product itself must carry a type, batch or serial number or other identifying element, and an online listing must show the product's type, a picture and any other product identifier. The low-value H7 declaration needs the six-digit HS code and a plain description precise enough for customs to identify the goods.

Customs doesn't accept generic descriptions: the Commission's published list treats terms like "accessories", "apparel" or "parts" as unacceptable and asks for what the goods actually are. The product descriptions guide covers how to write them, and the HS code classifier finds the code. The GPSR guide covers the labeling side.

Who is responsible for each identifier?#

The seller or platform assigns the M-PID, the manufacturer assigns the NS-PID and any S-PID and passes them down the supply chain, and the declarant reports all three to customs. Under EU customs law, lodging a declaration makes the declarant responsible for the accuracy and completeness of everything in it.

Your carrier or customs agent can only declare what you send it, so store the three identifiers on every product and include them in each parcel's data, as you do the HS code. The electronic commercial invoice guide covers passing line-level data to carriers.

Common questions#

Is a GTIN or EAN required for EU imports?#

No. A standard identifier such as an EAN or other GTIN must be declared only if the product has one; if it doesn't, the declarant enters code Y081 instead. The merchant ID and the manufacturer's own ID are always required.

When do EU product identifiers become mandatory?#

On 1 November 2026, for distance sales in consignments up to €150. From 1 July 2026 they could be sent voluntarily without penalties.

Do business-to-business shipments need product identifiers?#

According to the Commission's guidance, business-to-business flows are in principle not concerned, because the requirement applies to distance sales to customers in the EU.

Sources#