Product identifiers for imports into the EU from 1 November 2026

What are product identifiers and why are they being introduced?

From 1 November 2026, the European Commission will require the inclusion of product identifiers (PIDs) for all B2C distance sales into the European Union. A product identifier is a code designed to enable the unique identification and end-to-end tracking of a product across online marketplaces, sellers, manufacturers, warehouses and customs processes.

If you use Customs Management or Import Filing: ATLAS, please familiarise yourself with these new requirements. Ensure that you enter the required codes correctly in your declarations. This will help you avoid your customs declaration being rejected by the authorities. The European Commission has published a TARIC document for clarification: Guidance: The temporary EUR 3 customs duty and the Union handling fee. 

Reporting document codes in imports

Product identifiers must be included in import declarations that meet all of the following criteria for distance sales:

• B2C distance sales imports
• Invoice value of the shipment ≤ EUR 150
• Use of national procedure codes F48, F49 or F53

The following product identifiers are available:

Enter codes C127, C128, and C129 in the documents, and code Y081 in the "Additional Notes" section.

If you have grouped several different items within a single line item, the product identifier must be specified separately for each item. The code must therefore be entered multiple times within the same line item. Entering a single code with multiple identifiers in the number field is not permitted.

What changes apply to Import Filing: ATLAS?

ATLAS Info 984/26 established the mandatory reporting of product identifiers regardless of the value of the goods. Since this applies only to shipments with a value of up to 150 euros, this was corrected in ATLAS Info 1018/26. Transitional provisions will be added shortly in the German Customs technical article “Wegfall der 150-Euro-Zollfreigrenze.”

In ATLAS IMPOST: The documents are specified exclusively at the header level, under "Documents.” Fill in the field for the document number with “Item number + XX + product identifier,” for example, “4XX123abc” for item 4 and identifier 123abc.

In ATLAS Import: The document is entered at the line item level; the respective product identifier is entered in the field for the document number.

How does this change affect Customs Management?

In import declarations, you can add document codes manually, transfer them via API, or have them automatically populated through dynamic value initialisation within your templates.

The document codes for import declarations in Belgium (IDMS) and the Netherlands (DMS) are reported at the line item level. 

For import declarations of small shipments in the Netherlands (DECO), the product identifier is declared only once at the header level if the number is the same for all line items or if only one line item is declared. 

The document “What’s New in Customs Management” provides detailed instructions on the procedure. You can find the document either in the AEB Documentation Center, in your Customs Management application by clicking the question mark icon, or in the “Help for Your Application” widget on your desktop.