EU customs guides for Shopify stores
From 1st November 2026, products sold to shoppers in the EU and shipped from outside it in parcels worth up to EUR 150 are declared to customs with up to three product identifiers, and a EUR 2 handling fee per item has applied since that day, whatever the parcel's value. These guides answer one question each, with the official sources at the foot of every page.
Start here
The rule and the dates
- EU customs changes in 2026: what applies to Shopify storesThe EUR 3 duty, the product identifiers and the EUR 2 handling fee on one timeline, and what to do about each.
- Is there a grace period for EU product identifiers?What Ireland, the Netherlands and FedEx say about the first months, and why labels can still be stopped now.
- The EU €2 handling fee: per item or per parcel?The Union handling fee that applies since 1st November 2026: what counts as an item, and worked examples with the EUR 3 duty.
The three codes
In Shopify
- Checklist for Shopify storesFive things to fill in on every variant before 1st November 2026.
- How to add an NS-PID barcode in ShopifyWhere the maker's code goes in Shopify, and why it comes after your product barcode.
- Can't buy a Shopify shipping label to the EU? The missing identifierWhy Shopify stops an EU label from 1st November 2026, and the two ways to fix it, one product or hundreds.
- Customs description for EU parcels: what Shopify sends, and how to fix itWhy a parcel comes back for an 'insufficient description', what EU customs reject, and what to write instead.
- HS codes for Shopify stores shipping to the EUWhat an HS code is, why customs need it, where to find yours and where it goes in Shopify.
- Country of origin on Shopify: what to enter for EU customsWhere a product was made, not where you ship it from, and how to fill it for many variants.
- Bulk edit HS codes and country of originThree ways to fill both fields for many variants: Shopify's bulk editor, a CSV file or PIDReady.
Carriers and files
- EU parcel held or returned? Check your product identifiersWhat FedEx, UPS, DHL and Royal Mail say about missing identifiers, and a three-step fix in Shopify.
- What to send your carrier from 1st November 2026What FedEx, DHL Express, UPS, Royal Mail and Shipmondo have published, and the data every carrier needs.
- FedEx and the EU product identifiersWhat FedEx's EU guide asks shippers for, and how to prepare the data from Shopify.
- Royal Mail Click & Drop: SKU and manufacturer ID for EU parcelsWhy Click & Drop won't apply postage to EU parcels without them, and how to fill them for every product.
- Free EU product identifier CSV templateA spreadsheet with the columns customs data needs, with a demo row, to collect your codes.
Check your catalogue
PIDReady is a Shopify app that checks every variant for these values, fills 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.