EU product identifiers for Shopify stores: a plain-English checklist

From 1 November 2026, customs declarations for parcels sent from outside the EU to EU shoppers need product identifiers for each item. The Commission's 5 October guidance says this covers consignments worth up to €150. Your carrier or customs broker usually files the declaration, but they can only send what's in your product data. Here's what to check.

The three identifiers

1. Your own product code (M-PID). For most stores, this is the SKU. Every variant needs one, and each should be unique.
2. The maker's or supplier's code (NS-PID). The manufacturer's model or part number. If you make the product yourself, it's your own code.
3. A standard barcode (S-PID), such as an EAN, UPC, GTIN or ISBN, only where one exists. If there isn't one, the declaration uses the code Y081 instead. You don't need to buy barcodes.

What to do in Shopify

• Export your products (Products, then Export) and open the CSV.
• SKUs: look for blank or repeated values in the "Variant SKU" column.
• Barcodes: check the "Variant Barcode" column. Look for values that aren't real barcodes (such as "Custom" or "None"), the same barcode used on two products, and wrong check digits. In our tests, Shopify's import refuses a product with a bad check digit and only tells you in an email afterwards, so fix these before you re-import.
• No barcode? Shopify staff describe a per-variant "Has no standardized identifier" setting for this. It can't be set by CSV today.
• Maker's codes: Shopify's export has no standard column for these, so keep them in a spreadsheet your carrier or broker can use, and ask them what format they want.
• Ask your carrier what they need from you and by when. Some ask for identifiers on parcels posted before 1 November.

Want us to check it for you?

Your Evenings Ltd (that's us) does a $49 one-off check of your Shopify product export. We check your barcodes, flag blank or repeated SKUs, and send back a checked file plus a handover file for your carrier, within 2 UK working days. We never make up barcodes, HS codes or country of origin. See the EU Product Identifier Check

Sources

• Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/1022 (dates and definitions)
• Commission guidance, 5 October 2026, section 8 (scope, the three identifiers, Y081)
• Shopify Help Center: product CSV
• Shopify Developer Community: bulk-editing "Has no standardized identifier"

This guide summarises the official texts above. It isn't legal or customs advice, and we're not customs brokers or lawyers. Please check your own flows with your carrier or broker.