EU to Require Product Identifiers for Low-Value Imports From November
The European Commission said Product Identifiers will become mandatory declaration data for low-value imports from November 1, 2026, covering direct-mail shipments, marketplace orders, and B2C parcels declared by logistics providers.
What are the key facts?
- 1Product Identifiers become mandatory declaration data on November 1, 2026
- 2Applies to goods entering the EU through distance sales from outside the EU
- 3Covers low-value direct-mail shipments, marketplace orders, and B2C parcels declared by logistics providers
- 4Sellers or customs representatives must provide product identification information
- 5Missing identification fields may cause declaration and customs clearance problems
What happened?
The European Commission’s guidance on low-value imports states that Product Identifiers will become mandatory declaration data from November 1, 2026, for goods entering the EU through distance sales from outside the EU. Sellers or their customs representatives must provide product-related identification information to help customs conduct tracking, risk analysis, and safety and compliance checks. The requirement covers low-value direct-mail shipments, marketplace orders, and B2C parcels declared by logistics providers, and is not limited to sellers in China. Sellers with large SKU catalogs, numerous product variants, or reliance on automated listing and dropshipping may face declaration failures, customs clearance delays, returns, or additional processing fees if manufacturer numbers, seller SKUs, or other identification fields are missing. The source also requires sellers to ensure that platforms, ERPs, logistics providers, and customs declaration interfaces can transmit accurate product identification data.
What does this mean for cross-border sellers?
From November 1, 2026, low-value B2C parcels entering the EU must declare Product Identifiers, including direct-mail shipments, marketplace orders, and parcels declared by logistics providers. Review product data, platforms, ERPs, logistics providers, and customs declaration interfaces to avoid declaration failures, customs clearance delays, returns, or additional processing fees.
What should sellers do now?
- 1This week, inventory low-value B2C products and variants entering the EU; complete Product Identifiers such as manufacturer numbers and seller SKUs for each listing, produce a missing-field list, and review each item.Listing character checker
- 2This week, test the declaration flow for three types of B2C parcels—direct-mail shipments, marketplace orders, and parcels declared by logistics providers. Confirm that platforms, ERPs, logistics providers, and customs declaration interfaces can transmit identification fields, and retain the test results.
- 3This week, create an identification-information register for EU products with large SKU catalogs or numerous variants. Record the source of each field, the corresponding listing, and the transmission stage, and complete a checklist that can be provided to the customs representative.