If you sell direct to consumers in the EU and send parcels valued under EUR 150, Shopify says every item in them now needs three product identifiers on its customs data. The requirement started on 1 November 2026. Shopify adds the identifiers to labels you buy through it, but only if your product data contains them.
What changed
On 24 October 2026 Shopify announced in its changelog that labels bought through Shopify Shipping and Managed Markets now carry new EU product identifiers. According to that post, from 1 November 2026 the EU requires three identifiers for each item in direct-to-consumer parcels under EUR 150. Without them, a parcel may be rejected at customs and incur return-to-origin fees.
Shopify fills in the identifiers from your product data and prints them on the label and customs documents for parcels going into the EU. The catch: if you buy labels through Shopify, you can't buy one for an EU-bound order while an item in it is missing a required identifier. Declaring that a product has no standard barcode covers the S-PID, but the NS-PID still needs a model number, part number, style code or SKU. Incomplete product data can therefore hold up an order.
The three identifiers are:
- Merchant Product Identifier (M-PID). Nothing to do here. Shopify treats the product variant you already have as this identifier.
- Standardized Product Identifier (S-PID). A barcode of type GTIN, EAN, UPC or ISBN. If a product has no standard barcode, you can declare that on the product details page.
- Non-Standardized Manufacturer Product Identifier (NS-PID). The manufacturer's model number, part number or style code, saved as a barcode with the type NS-PID. Shopify says your own product code or SKU is also acceptable. If you add a standardized barcode but no NS-PID, Shopify reuses the standardized one in that slot.
Shopify also listed a few helpers that come with the change:
- Products without a standard barcode can be flagged as such from the product details page.
- Products that are exempt, based on their HS code, are detected and handled by Shopify for you.
- The bulk editor lets you fill in barcodes and "no standard barcode" declarations across many products in one go.
A related update came a few days later. On 29 October Shopify said the admin now checks barcodes against the GS1 registry. New barcodes that look like GTINs are marked as GTIN if they are registered. Saved barcodes of type Custom that look like GTINs get a suggestion you can accept or dismiss, one at a time or all together in the products and inventory bulk editors. Nothing changes unless you accept. If much of your catalogue has Custom-type barcodes, this speeds up the clean-up.
Who it affects
Shopify frames the requirement around direct-to-consumer parcels into the EU under EUR 150. The stores most likely to feel it are:
- Stores that send direct-to-consumer parcels under EUR 150 into the EU and buy labels through Shopify Shipping or use Managed Markets.
- Stores with large or older catalogues where barcodes were never filled in, or were filled in inconsistently, for example after a bulk import.
- Stores that recently moved to Shopify. Barcode fields can end up empty or set to the wrong type when product data is imported from another platform. If you came from WooCommerce, Magento, Shopware or PrestaShop, check this before your next EU orders.
If you buy labels outside Shopify, through your own carrier account, a broker or a fulfilment partner, Shopify's change doesn't put the identifiers on your labels. Shopify's advice is to ask that carrier, broker or partner what they need from you.
Shopify's post doesn't say exactly which shipments fall under the EU rule, for example whether parcels sent from one EU country to another are affected. Ask your carrier or customs adviser rather than assuming either way.
What to do now
- Find out how you buy EU labels. If it's Shopify Shipping or Managed Markets, the steps below apply directly, and Shopify's Help Center page on EU product identifiers has the details. If it's a third party, contact them and ask which identifiers they need and in what format.
- List the products you sell into the EU. Start with best sellers and anything in open EU orders, because a missing identifier can block the label.
- Check each variant for a barcode. Where the product has a GTIN, EAN, UPC or ISBN, save it as a barcode with the right type. Review the GS1 suggestions the admin now shows for Custom-type barcodes.
- Declare products with no standard barcode. Handmade items, private-label goods and bundles may have no GTIN. Mark them on the product details page so Shopify knows the field is empty on purpose.
- Add an NS-PID where you can. Use the manufacturer's model number, part number or style code, or your own SKU, as a barcode with type NS-PID. Shopify reuses a standardized barcode if you have one, so this step matters most for products without one.
- Use the bulk editor for volume. Work through barcodes and declarations for groups of products instead of opening each product.
- Watch your next EU shipment. When you next buy a label for a real EU-bound order that's ready to ship, check whether Shopify lets you buy it. If it doesn't, an item is still missing an identifier. Don't buy labels just to test: a label that goes through is a real charge.
- Make it part of product setup. Add barcode type and NS-PID to your checklist for new products and to your import templates, so new items don't reopen the gap.
Before editing barcode data in bulk, export your products as a CSV so you have a backup if an edit goes wrong.
Customs rules depend on your business and where you ship from. Treat this post as a summary of Shopify's announcement, not legal advice, and confirm your obligations with your customs broker or tax adviser.
Deadlines and dates
- 24 October 2026: Shopify announced identifier support on Shopify Shipping and Managed Markets labels.
- 29 October 2026: Shopify announced GTIN suggestions and autocomplete in the admin.
- 1 November 2026: the EU requirement for three identifiers per item in direct-to-consumer parcels under EUR 150 took effect, according to Shopify.
The rule is already in force. If you buy labels through Shopify, an EU-bound item missing a required identifier can block the label today.
If you're moving to Shopify
Product identifiers are easy to lose in a migration, because on some older platforms barcodes sit in custom fields or plugins rather than a standard field. When you plan a move, map GTINs, manufacturer part numbers and SKUs to Shopify's barcode fields from the start. Our guides on [moving from WooCommerce](/woocommerce-to-shopify), [moving from Magento](/magento-to-shopify) and [selling in Europe](/shopify-europe) cover what to bring across.
Planning a move to Shopify or selling in more countries? [Talk to Veriqo](/contact).