| 🇪🇺 This guide applies to merchants shipping B2C orders into the European Union. From 1 November 2026, EU distance-sales shipments must carry product identifier data under Council Regulation (EU) 2026/382.
From 1 November 2026, EU B2C distance sales need three product identifiers or they're at risk of being held at customs.
If you use Swap's shipping integration, we will pass this data through to your shipments, provided you supply accurate and complete product identifiers to us. You just need to prepare the data and upload it into Swap.
The three identifiers you'll need to provide
Identifier | What it is | Where it comes from |
Merchant Product ID | Your own SKU or internal product code. | You should already have these. Ensure all active products have SKUs. |
Manufacturer Product ID | The code your manufacturer assigned to the product, not your own SKU. | If you design and have your own product manufactured, you count as the manufacturer and can assign this code yourself — though where your factory already uses its own code, prefer that. If you sell third-party manufactured stock, this is a different code and needs to come from the manufacturer: check the product's swing tag or label, its packaging, or your supplier invoice or spec sheet. |
Standardised Product ID | Your product's barcode (GTIN, EAN, UPC or ISBN), only where one exists. | If your product has a barcode on its packaging, that's the value. If it doesn't — for example handmade, made-to-order or very new products — add 'no barcode' in the metafield. |
Finding your Manufacturer Product ID
This is the identifier most merchants don't already hold, and the one most likely to hold up your catalogue. It's the code the people who manufactured the product use internally — not your SKU, and not the barcode.
It usually already exists under a different name. Depending on your category, you may know it as:
Your category | Usually called | Example |
Apparel and accessories | Style code, article number | TXP-4471-NVY |
Footwear | Model or last code | FW26-RUN-0118 |
Beauty, supplements, wellness | Item code, formula code | CM-SER-15ML-0342 |
Homeware and furniture | Article number | ART.9920-OAK |
Electronics | MPN (manufacturer part number) | WH-1000XM5/B |
Books and print | Internal title code | HARV-2026-114 |
Where to look, in order:
Your purchase orders — it's usually the code you order against
Supplier invoices and line sheets
Tech packs or product spec sheets
The product itself — swing tag, care label, or the model number printed on the box
There's no set format. No fixed length, no check digit, no central registry. It just has to be the code your manufacturer genuinely uses, and it has to identify that exact product.
⚠️ If no code exists, ask your manufacturer to create one. Under the regulation, manufacturers are expected to assign an identifier where they don't already have one and pass it down the supply chain. Ask them rather than inventing a code yourself.
How to add your codes in Compliance Hub
Once you have your codes ready, you add them in Compliance Hub, not Shopify.
Open the EU Customs card in Compliance Hub and select Manage product codes. From there you have two options:
Use my SKU as the code — one click copies your own SKU into the manufacturer code field across your whole catalogue. Only use this if you design and manufacture your own products, where your SKU and manufacturer code are genuinely the same thing. It will tell you how many existing codes it would replace before it runs, so you can confirm first.
Download the spreadsheet — it comes pre-filled with the codes we already hold, so the blank rows are exactly the products still missing one. Fill in the blanks and upload it back.
The card shows how many of your products still need a manufacturer code, and that number drops as codes land.
✍️ Spreadsheet rules: a blank cell keeps the existing code rather than clearing it, so you can download, fill in part of it, and upload without losing anything already there. If there's an error anywhere in the file, the whole upload is rejected and you'll be told which rows need fixing — nothing is saved halfway.
Your Merchant Product ID (SKU) and Standardised Product ID (barcode) are read automatically from your Shopify catalogue, at the variant level. If either is missing or incorrect, fix it directly in Shopify rather than in Compliance Hub — these two aren't something you upload to us.
All three identifiers apply per variant, not per product. A t-shirt in three sizes and two colours is one product but six variants, and each variant can have its own codes.
⚠️ Don't use Shopify's new "NS-PID" barcode type for this yet. We can't read it for this release, so please provide your manufacturer code through Compliance Hub only. A code entered in that Shopify field won't reach your customs paperwork in time for 1 November, and could be picked up as your barcode by mistake.
What you need to do, and by when
Now: confirm your SKU coverage is complete across your product catalogue.
Before 1 November: identify any products where you don't already hold the manufacturer's code, and reach out to those manufacturers or suppliers to get it. This is the step most likely to take time — start now.
From 1 November 2026: mandatory. Manufacturer and merchant product IDs required on all EU B2C shipments of €150 or less. The standardised ID (barcode) is required wherever your product has one.
💡 Keep your paperwork. Keep the documentation you used to source each manufacturer product ID (e.g. supplier invoices, spec sheets, or packaging references) on file, in case a customs authority queries a declaration after the fact.
How this reaches the carrier
If you use Swap's shipping integration, we will pass this data through to your shipments, provided you supply accurate and complete product identifiers to us. You just need to prepare the data for us to use and upload it into Swap.
⚠️ If you do not use Swap's shipping integration, you need to confirm what support your WMS / label software will be rolling out in advance of the 1 November deadline. Get in touch with your account manager or [email protected].
If you don't provide this data
The Commission has confirmed that effective enforcement starts on 1 November 2026. The no-penalty concession applies only to the voluntary period running from 1 July to 31 October — there is no published grace period beyond that date. Carriers are planning for strict enforcement from day one. Treat missing or incomplete data as a real risk of delay, not a formality, and prioritise the steps above accordingly.
Swap will use the product identifier data you provide in your shipments, but we cannot guarantee customs clearance or shipment outcomes. Delays, holds, or rejections resulting from missing, incomplete, or inaccurate product identifier data are the responsibility of the merchant providing that data.
While it's rare for merchants not to hold SKU data (this is usually flagged during onboarding), any gaps are your responsibility to resolve, and Swap is not liable for customs delays or rejections resulting from missing or inaccurate identifier data.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't you work out my manufacturer's code for me?
It's information only you or your supplier hold — it isn't in your Shopify catalogue and there's no reliable way for us to derive it. Guessing isn't an option either: a wrong code on a customs declaration is worse than a blank one, so we only ever use the code you give us.
Can I just use my SKU as the manufacturer code?
Only if you design and manufacture your own products, where the two are genuinely the same thing. If you resell third-party manufactured stock, your SKU is your own internal number, not the maker's, so using it would mean submitting an inaccurate code. That's what the "Use my SKU as the code" button in Compliance Hub is for — a one-click option for merchants who make their own products, not a shortcut for everyone.
What if a product genuinely has no manufacturer code?
Leave it blank. A blank space is better than a false or incorrect code. If you think your manufacturer should have a code but doesn't have one yet, ask them to assign one; see Finding your Manufacturer Product ID above.
Why is the count on the EU Customs card so high?
The count is per variant, not per product, so a catalogue of a few thousand products can easily be tens of thousands of variants. Before you've added anything, every variant counts as missing a code, so the first number you see can be your whole catalogue.
Why is the count lower than my full catalogue?
This usually means we haven't finished reading your full catalogue yet — the number will rise as we do. It can also happen if you've deleted or archived products that still have variant records on our side; those may sit in the count and there's nothing you can do about them directly. If the number looks wrong, contact support and we'll take a look.
I uploaded my spreadsheet and some rows don't look right.
A file either uploads in full or is rejected in full, with the problem rows flagged — so a partial upload shouldn't happen. If that's what you're seeing, contact support with the file you uploaded and we'll investigate.
Can I edit or remove a single product's code without the spreadsheet?
Not currently — the spreadsheet is the way to add, change, or correct codes. There's also no way to clear a code back to blank once it's been entered; you can only replace it with a different value. If you need a code removed, contact support.
Will my manufacturer codes show up in Shopify?
No. Manufacturer codes live in Compliance Hub only and won't appear in your Shopify admin.
I don't ship to the EU — why am I seeing the EU Customs card?
We show it to every merchant rather than trying to work out who ships where. If you don't ship to the EU, you can safely ignore it.
Is this the same as the "Manufacturer ID" I've already given Swap?
No — that's a different, separate field. The manufacturer product code covered in this guide is new, specific to EU customs, and set per product variant rather than per product.
When can I start adding my codes in Compliance Hub?
The EU Customs card is rolling out to Compliance Hub merchants from early October 2026. If you don't see it yet, check back shortly — and you can start adding codes as soon as it appears, well ahead of the 1 November deadline.
This guide is provided for general informational purposes to help you prepare for the EU's new product identifier requirements under Council Regulation (EU) 2026/382. It does not constitute customs, tax, or legal advice. You remain responsible for the accuracy of the product data you provide, and we recommend confirming how these requirements apply to your specific products with your own customs broker, tax advisor, or legal counsel.