Product Identifiers
New EU Product Identifier Requirements
As part of the customs changes introduced by the European Union (EU) on November 1, 2026, businesses shipping to consumers in countries following EU customs rules must provide Product Identifier (PID) codes.
What Business Shippers Need to Know
Which Shipments Require Product Identifiers
Product Identifiers are a set of alphanumeric codes that tell customs authorities who sold and manufactured an item, and whether it has a standardized global identifier or barcode. It identifies specific products, as opposed to product categories.
PIDs are required when your shipment meets all the following conditions:
- Business-to-consumer (B2C) shipment
- Contents include merchandise or commercial samples
- Bound for countries following EU customs rules
You do not need to provide PIDs for:
- Business-to-business (B2B) shipments
- Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) gifts
What Information You Need for Your Customs Declaration
For applicable shipments, business customers should know:
- General customs form information (product description, HS code, value, etc.)
- The type of commerce (i.e., B2C, B2B, etc.)
- All required PIDs for each item in their shipment, including:
- Merchant Product Identifier (M-PID)
- Non-standardized Manufacturer Product Identifier (NS-PID)
- Standardized Manufacturer Product Identifier (S-PID) [only required if it exists]
The Three Types of Product Identifiers
Type of PID |
Merchant (M-PID) |
Non-standardized Manufacturer (NS-PID) |
Standardized Manufacturer (S-PID) |
|---|---|---|---|
What It Is |
The unique listing identifier (ID) for an item, assigned by the seller, marketplace, or platform |
The non-standard number assigned by the manufacturer, producer, or supplier |
Standardized, global identifier |
EXAMPLES |
Sample: 123456 |
Sample: STYLE-M417-WHT |
Sample: 012345678905 |
|
WHERE TO FIND IT |
|
|
|
|
REQUIRED? |
Yes, always |
Yes, always |
Only if a global identifier exists for the product |
When required, you must always provide the M-PID and NS-PID for each item, as well as the S-PID if one exists for the product. |
|||
Why PIDs Are Important
The EU introduced this new requirement to help trace goods and detect compliance issues. With a PID, customs authorities who identify a non-compliant item can flag the appropriate identifier across all other shipments.
Missing or incorrect PIDs could result in:
- Customs clearance delays
- Packages held at the border or confiscated
- Packages returned to sender
- Penalties
- Surcharges
How It Works
USPS Online & Retail
Business customers who use USPS online applications (e.g., Click-N-Ship) or visit a local Post Office to ship to consumers in the EU should provide PIDs for each item when prompted and indicate the B2C commerce type during the customs process.
Shipments that do not include the required details may be returned to sender, confiscated, and/or subject to penalties.
USPS APIs
Business customers who utilize USPS APIs to ship to consumers in the EU should provide product identifiers for each item in the new attribute fields and specify the B2C commerce type under Incoterm.
Note: API requests without required information for the required locations will return an error. Additionally, shipments that do not include the required details may be returned to sender, confiscated, and/or subject to penalties.
Learn More and See Full Details
Manifest Mailers
Business customers who generate their own manifests to ship to consumers in the EU should append product identifiers at the end of the content-piece description field, using the format [MP=50Char;NS=70Char;SP=50Char].
Ensure this data is included in the appropriate positions within Shipping Service Files and provided with the B2C commerce type under the Incoterm field.
Note: Shipments that do not include the required details may be returned to sender, confiscated, and/or subject to penalties.
Learn more about other EU customs changes, including new duties and fees introduced in 2026.