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Updated . A plain-English summary of the published rules, not legal advice: your carrier or customs agent has the last word.

Is there a grace period for EU product identifiers?

No postponement: the identifiers are required from 1st November 2026. Some customs offices will be flexible in the first months: Ireland accepts "PID not available" until 31st January 2027, and Dutch Customs expects compliance in early 2027. But carriers and Shopify can stop a label now, so fill the codes in while there is time.

Ireland: "PID not available" until 31st January 2027

Irish Revenue (eCustoms notification 23/2026, 29th October 2026) says that until 31st January 2027 it will accept declarations that indicate the identifier is not available, and recommends that businesses make their best efforts to get them. Declarations lodged before 1st November for goods arriving from that day must include the codes, or they are rejected when the goods arrive.

The Netherlands: compliance expected in early 2027

Dutch Customs (page updated 29th October 2026) says it will monitor how declarants fill in the identifiers in the first months and talk to them about improvements. It expects declarants to comply in early 2027, and from then it enforces the rules.

FedEx: a transition, not a postponement

FedEx says the European Commission asked the member states to take a pragmatic approach during a transitional period, currently expected to end in early 2027, and that it will apply interim measures when an identifier is missing. It adds that customers should not see this as a postponement, and should send the identifiers for every parcel the rule covers.

Why waiting is risky

Common questions

Is the 1st November 2026 date postponed?

No. The identifiers are required from 1st November 2026. FedEx says its interim measures for missing identifiers should not be seen as a postponement, and Dutch Customs says the obligation applies from that day.

Until when does Ireland accept "PID not available"?

Until 31st January 2027, Irish Revenue accepts customs declarations that say the identifier is not available, and recommends businesses make their best efforts to get them. Declarations lodged before 1st November for goods arriving from that day must include the codes, or they are rejected when the goods arrive.

Does this flexibility mean my label will go through?

Not necessarily. Royal Mail Click & Drop has refused postage to EU parcels without a SKU and manufacturer ID since 26th October 2026, and Shopify won't sell an EU label for an item with no barcode and no declaration from 1st November. Those checks come before customs. Can't buy a Shopify label to the EU?

What should I do now?

Fill in the codes now, while the first months are flexible: your own product code, the maker's code, the barcode (or the declaration that there is none), the HS code and the country of origin, on every variant you ship to the EU. The checklist for Shopify stores

Check your catalogue

PIDReady is a Shopify app that checks every variant for the three identifiers, the HS code and the country of origin, helps you fill the gaps one by one or in bulk, and downloads a file for your carrier. The free plan does every fix, for any size of store.

Questions about the rule, app or no app? Email support@pidready.com: we reply within one working day.

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