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1 November 2026: the EU product identifier deadline
1 July 2026 — identifiers may be declared voluntarily; no penalties for missing data. 1 November 2026 — required on customs declarations for consumer parcels imported into the EU. After that date, declarations without the required identifiers can be rejected and parcels held.
Six-week plan for a Shopify store
| Week | Do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Export products. Run the free checker. List rows with blank SKUs and bad or duplicate barcodes; fix them in Shopify. |
| 2 | Group items by supplier. Send the code request to each. |
| 3–4 | Record answers with their source. Add a place for the maker's code (metafield or side sheet). |
| 5 | Ask your carrier where the three codes go; send one test parcel to the EU with them filled in. |
| 6 | Re-check the catalog; anything still missing gets a decision: get the code, stop shipping that item to EU consumers, or confirm with the carrier how to declare it. |
Check your CSV free — first 25 rows
Questions
Will parcels shipped before 1 November but arriving after be affected?
The requirement attaches to the customs declaration. Ask your carrier how they treat parcels in transit around the date; do not rely on ship date alone.
Is the €3 duty the same thing?
No. The €3 per item duty on low-value consumer imports started 1 July 2026 and is about money; product identifiers are about data on the declaration. They arrived in the same reform package.