From 1 November 2026, customs declarations for distance sales imported into the EU up to €150 must carry product identifiers on every line: the seller's product reference (M-PID) and the manufacturer's or supplier's reference (NS-PID) in every case, and a standard identifier such as a GTIN, EAN or ISBN (S-PID) where one exists, with an exception code when none does. Sellers have been able to send them voluntarily since 1 July 2026. German customs treats the identifier as a mandatory additional entry for distance-selling consignments up to €150.
Key dates
- Done1 Jul 2026
Voluntary submission of product identifiers possible The International Desk
Also on the siteBriefingThe small-parcel door closes: who pays, who declares, and where volume goesBriefingEurope now charges every parcel. Who absorbs the bill?Deep diveChina parcels: the price war ends under regulatory pressure, the volume slows, the growth moves abroadDeep diveUK parcels: volume grows, revenue per parcel falls, and the race moves to lockers - 25 Oct 2026
UPS: shipments missing seller or manufacturer identifiers may fail validation from this date UPS
- 26 Oct 2026
Royal Mail: identifiers mandatory for EU-bound items posted from this date Royal Mail
Also on the siteBriefingEurope now charges every parcel. Who absorbs the bill?BriefingEurope's 1 November parcel rules: who checks the data and who collects the fee, from posts to carriers and brokersBriefingThe small-parcel door closes: who pays, who declares, and where volume goesBriefingThe UK's £135 gap: British parcels caught between Washington, Brussels and BeijingStorylineBritain between three rulebooks - 1 Nov 2026
Product identifiers mandatory in EU customs declarations for distance sales up to €150 German customs (Zoll online)
Also on the siteBriefingEurope now charges every parcel. Who absorbs the bill?BriefingEurope's 1 November parcel rules: who checks the data and who collects the fee, from posts to carriers and brokersBriefingThe small-parcel door closes: who pays, who declares, and where volume goesBriefingOceania keeps its A$1,000 door open while fuel and Washington raise the parcel billBriefingIndia opens the door to parcel exports while Washington rewrites the toll+10
BriefingWestern doors close to China's parcels, so the platforms move the warehouseBriefingTangier, Suez and the parcel: North Africa's gateway opens as its borders tightenBriefingThe UK's £135 gap: British parcels caught between Washington, Brussels and BeijingStorylineThe end of duty-free parcelsStorylineEurope rewrites customsSignalEU parcel fees pull Chinese platform stock inside the EUCalendarCalendarDeep diveEU parcels: the €3 duty reroutes Asian flows, lockers become the battleground, and growth stops payingDeep diveUK parcels: volume grows, revenue per parcel falls, and the race moves to lockersDeep diveChina parcels: the price war ends under regulatory pressure, the volume slows, the growth moves abroad
Every date of this rule, with what it means for a parcel and what to prepare. If a date moves, your calendar moves with it.
Free, no sign-up, nothing tracked. One link can be shared with your compliance, operations and commercial teams so everyone works from the same dates. Information, not legal advice.
Check which other rules apply to your route →
Who it hits
What to prepare
- Hold the seller and manufacturer reference, and the GTIN or EAN where one exists, for every product sold into the EU, and pass them to each carrier's or post's label interface.
- Ask every carrier, post and broker how it treats a missing standard code and what it does with a parcel without identifiers: some reject at label creation, others let it travel.
- Check administrative tolerances before relying on them: they cover listed categories such as some agricultural, handmade and antique goods, not general cases.
Our reading
Sources
- EU Product Identifier Rules from November 2026 · The International Desk · 2026-10-05
- Post and courier consignments from non-EU countries · German customs (Zoll online)
- Adapting to EU De Minimis Changes · UPS · 2026-10-21
- European Trade Insights · Royal Mail · 2026-10-14
- EU e-commerce customs reform: the new clearance operating model · Customs Support Group · 2026-10-06
Related rules
- 1 Nov 2026EU €2 handling fee per item on distance sales from 1 November 2026
Fee applies, per the Commission's customs reform page (ten days after Official Journal publication)
European Union · Adopted - 2 Dec 2026Platform Work Directive: transposition deadline for app-based couriers
Deadline for member states to transpose the directive
European Union · Adopted - 9 Dec 2026New Product Liability Directive reaches fulfilment providers
New rules apply to products placed on the EU market from this date
European Union · Adopted - 1 Jan 2027EU customs reform: platforms become the importer
EU Customs Authority starts some activities in Lille (year only)
European Union · In force - 1 Jan 2027VAT in the Digital Age: one registration, but no deemed supplier for goods
Minor clarifications for OSS and IOSS users apply
European Union · Adopted - 1 Jan 2027EU Delivery Act: postal and parcel rules under review
Commission proposal scheduled for the first quarter of 2027 (quarter only, per Séjourné as quoted by Eunews; earlier planning pointed to the last quarter of 2026)
European Union · Consultation
Information, not legal advice. Dates come from official texts or quality legal and trade press, and slip often: always check the current text before acting. Back to the full radar.