Important EU customs update for ecommerce shipments from November 2026
Important EU customs update for ecommerce shipments from November 2026
Starting from 1st November 2026, the EU is introducing updated customs regulations affecting all Business-to-Consumer (B2C) e-commerce shipments under €150.
Here is what you need to know about the upcoming Product Identifier (PID) requirements and new fees.
Product Identifier (PID)
If you sell directly to consumers in the EU, every item in your shipment will require a Product Identifier (PID) to clear customs smoothly. EU Product Identifiers (PIDs) are barcode-style codes, like a GTIN, ISBN or EAN, that show exactly what’s inside your parcel.
Depending on your inventory setup, a PID can fall into one of three categories:
- M-PID: Merchant Product Identifier
- NS-PID: Non-standardised Manufacturer Product Identifier
- S-PID: Standard Manufacturer Product Identifier
| PID Category | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| M-PID | Merchant Product Identifier | Your internal store/merchant SKU or product code |
| NS-PID | Non-standardised Manufacturer Product Identifier | The factory part number, model or style number |
| S-PID | Standard Manufacturer Product Identifier | Internationally recognised standard codes (e.g. GTIN, ISBN, EAN) |
Why are Product Identifiers (PIDs) being introduced in the EU?
PIDs let customs track products across lots of shipments, instead of relying on random spot checks. If one item is found to break the rules, customs can quickly find every other parcel carrying the same PID and act on those too.
New €2 handling fee
From 1st November the EU will be introducing a €2 customs handling fee per unique item for low value goods (under €150).
| Fee type | Amount | Effective date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Customs Duty | €3 | 1st July 2026 | Previously introduced standard charge |
| Customs Handling Fee | €2 | 1st November 2026 | NEW: Per unique item in shipment |
How the fees work
Every shipment has a €3 customs duty charge, plus a €2 handling fee for each unique item in the parcel.
For example:
- 1 unique item = €5 total (€3 customs duty + €2 handling fee)
- 2 unique items = €7 total (€3 customs duty + €4 handling fee)
- 3 unique items = €9 total (€3 customs duty + €6 handling fee)
| Contents of shipment | Customs Duty | Handling fee | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 item (e.g. 1 book) | €3 (1 tariff line) | €2 (1 tariff line) | €5 |
| 2 identical items (e.g. 2 identical t-shirts under 1 HS code) | €3 (1 tariff line) | €2 (1 tariff line) | €5 |
| 2 different items (e.g. 1 book + 1 t-shirt = 2 different HS codes) | €6 (2 tariff lines) | €4 (2 tariff lines) | €10 |
| 3 different items (e.g. 1 book + 1 t-shirt + 1 toy = 3 different HS codes) | €9 (3 tariff lines) | €6 (3 tariff lines) | €15 |
How to prepare for these changes?
To prepare for these changes, we encourage customers to:
- Review all product data and catalogue information
- Obtain merchant product identifiers for all products
- Obtain manufacturer product identifiers from suppliers for all products, and ask them to create one where none exists
- Capture standardised product identifiers (such as GTINs or EANs) wherever available
- If you ship with other carriers as well as Evri, align the identifiers you use across all the carriers