---
title: "EU product codes (PID): how Spaceship handles them for you"
description: EU customs needs product identifiers from 1 November 2026. Spaceship generates and sends them for you. Add SKUs and barcodes to stay compliant.
---
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# EU product codes (PID): how Spaceship handles them for you
## Spaceship adds EU product identifiers (PID) to your parcels automatically from your SKUs and barcodes. Here’s what changes on 26 October and what to check in your account.
In our earlier article, [EU Customs Reform 2026](https://support.spaceshipapp.com/en/eu-customs-reform-2026), we explained that from 1 November 2026 EU customs needs product identifiers (PID) on low-value consumer parcels. This article explains how Spaceship fills in and sends those codes for you, and the few things you should check in your account so every parcel clears smoothly.
✅**In short**
- **You don't need to type anything new.** We create the EU product codes automatically from your item's **SKU** and your product's **barcode**, and send them to the carrier with the label.
- We start sending them on **Monday 26 October 2026**, so parcels shipped in late October that arrive in the EU on or after 1 November are covered.
- **What you should do:** put a **SKU on every item**, and add **real barcodes** (EAN, UPC, GTIN) to your products in your Spaceship product list where you have them.
### Why 26 October, not 1 November?
The 1 November date applies to when a parcel **arrives in the EU**, not when it is shipped. A parcel you ship in the last week of October may land after 1 November and will need the codes. That's why we begin sending them from 26 October.
Parcels shipped before 26 October that arrive on or after 1 November will go without codes.
The three codes, and where we get each one
EU customs asks for up to three identifiers for each item. Here's how we fill them in by default:
| EU code | What it means | What Spaceship sends | If it's missing |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Merchant product identifier** (M-PID) | Your own code for the product | Your item's **SKU** | No codes can be sent for that item (see "Items without a SKU" below) |
| **Manufacturer product identifier** (NS-PID) | The maker's or supplier's code | Your product's **barcode**, if it is a valid standard barcode | We use your **SKU** instead |
| **Standardised product identifier** (S-PID) | An official product code (EAN, UPC, GTIN, ISBN-13) | The same valid **barcode** | Left out. The EU allows this when a product has no standard code |
### When does a barcode count as valid?
We use a barcode only if it is a real standard code: **8, 12, 13 or 14 digits** with a correct check digit. That covers EAN-8, UPC-A, EAN-13 (including ISBN-13) and GTIN-14.
Internal warehouse codes, codes with letters, and 10-digit ISBNs don't count. In that case we simply use your SKU instead. **A missing or non-standard barcode never stops your shipment.**
### How we find the barcode
We look up the product in your **Spaceship product list** whose SKU **exactly matches** the SKU on the shipment item. If no product matches, we treat the item as having no barcode and use the SKU for both the merchant and manufacturer codes.
**Examples**
| Your item | Merchant (M-PID) | Manufacturer (NS-PID) | Standardised (S-PID) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SKU `TSHIRT-RED-S`, barcode `4006381333931` (valid EAN-13) | `TSHIRT-RED-S` | `4006381333931` | `4006381333931` |
| SKU `G001`, no barcode | `G001` | `G001` | Left out |
| SKU `MUG-01`, barcode `WH-000123` (internal code) | `MUG-01` | `MUG-01` | Left out |
| No SKU | — | — | No codes sent. The parcel may be held (see below) |
### Which shipments get the codes
We send the codes automatically when **all** of these apply:
- It's a **parcel** (not documents) going **from outside the EU to any of the 27 EU countries**.
- It's a **consumer sale (B2C)**. Shipments are treated as B2C by default (see "Selling to businesses" below).
- It's sent on **FedEx, UPS or Spaceship Air**. Each carrier goes live on 26 October, or as soon as its final check is complete.
- It's created in **Spaceship Pro, from your Shopify store, or through the Enterprise API**. All three are covered.
The EU rule applies to consumer sales of **EUR 150 or less**, but we send the codes on every EU consumer parcel whatever its value. Carriers have confirmed this is fine, and it means you don't need to worry about which side of the threshold an order falls on.
### Other services
- **HK Post** has made no announcement about product codes, so it is probably not affected. We are confirming this with HK Post.
- For our **other services**, including lanes shipped from Chinese Mainland through partners, we are confirming requirements with each carrier. We'll update you if anything changes for the services you use.
### What you should prepare
📋**Checklist before 26 October**
1. **Add a SKU to every item** you ship to the EU. This is the one code we cannot fill in for you.
2. **Add real barcodes** (EAN, UPC, GTIN) to your products in your Spaceship product list, where your products have them. You can add them one by one or by spreadsheet import. This gives customs the best possible codes.
3. **Make sure SKUs match exactly** between your shipment items (including Shopify orders) and your Spaceship product list, so we can find the right barcode.
4. **Selling to a business?** Use the new B2B Shipment Purpose once it's available (see below).
### Items without a SKU
We **won't block** a shipment because an item has no SKU. Your label is created as normal. However, **no EU product codes can be sent for that item**, so the carrier or EU customs **may hold the parcel**.
A SKU that is empty or contains only spaces counts as no SKU. To avoid delays, please add a SKU to every item in an EU sale.
### Using your own codes (optional)
Our codes are **defaults**. If you'd rather send your own, you'll be able to:
- **Enterprise API** (planned on **26 October 2026**): send an optional barcode and your own three identifiers on each shipment item.
- **Spaceship Pro** (planned on **1 November 2026**): set a barcode and the EU customs codes on the shipment item form for EU destinations, and on your products (product edit page and Bulk Edit Products). You'll also get a filter to find products with no SKU.
Whenever you provide a code, it **replaces our default** for that item. Anything you leave empty keeps our default. Until these options are live, you can change what we send by updating the item's SKU or the barcode on the product in your Spaceship product list.
### What you'll see
- **Nothing changes on screen.** The codes are worked out when you buy the label and sent to the carrier electronically.
- They are **not printed** on the Spaceship commercial invoice.
- On **UPS**, the codes also appear on the paperless commercial invoice UPS generates, so nothing extra is needed.
- **FedEx** has asked for an additional list of the codes alongside the invoice. We're working out how to provide this for you and will let you know if you need to do anything
#### **For Enterprise API customers: field details**
- **Nothing new is required.** Keep sending a SKU on every item in the existing `sku` field.
- New optional fields on each shipment item: `barcode`, and a `productIdentifiers` group with `merchantProductId`, `standardManufacturerProductId` and `nonStandardManufacturerProductId`.
- A value you send always wins over our default. A field left out or blank gets our default; an empty value is never sent to the carrier.
- A `barcode` you send on the item is used ahead of the barcode in your product list, and follows the same rule: it's used only if it's a valid standard code, otherwise we use the SKU.
- We don't check the format of identifiers you send; the carrier does. Each identifier can be up to **100 characters**; longer values are rejected when the shipment is created, so you're never charged for a label. The barcode can be up to 255 characters.
- Set them with **Create a Shipment** or **Instant Buy**. You can change them with **Update Shipment** while the shipment is a draft. Once the label is bought they can't be changed.
- Shipment responses return the barcode and identifiers stored on each item.
- If you send identifiers, later edits to the product in your product list don't change them. If you send none, we use the product's latest SKU and barcode at the moment the label is bought.
- **Create a Fulfillment Order** doesn't change: fulfillment orders take their codes from your product list.
- A SKU is still recommended on every item, even if you send your own merchant identifier.
### FAQ
**Do I need to do anything if my products already have SKUs and barcodes?**
No. As long as your shipment items carry a SKU that matches your Spaceship product list, we'll send the right codes automatically.
**My products don't have barcodes. Is that a problem?**
No. The EU allows the standardised code to be left out when a product doesn't have one. We'll send your SKU as both the merchant and manufacturer codes.
**Will a shipment be rejected because of these codes?**
Spaceship won't block a shipment over product codes. A carrier may apply its own checks, and a parcel with an item that has no SKU may be held by the carrier or EU customs.
**My parcel is over EUR 150. Will codes still be sent?**
Yes. We send them on every EU consumer parcel on the services above, whatever the value. It does no harm, and carriers welcome it.
**Where can I read about the EUR 3 duty, IOSS and national handling fees?**
See our earlier article, [EU Customs Reform 2026](https://support.spaceshipapp.com/en/eu-customs-reform-2026).
Questions? Contact your Account Manager or [our support team](mailto:logistics@spaceshipapp.com) and we'll be happy to help.
*Last Updated on 20 Oct 2026*
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