From 1 November 2026, EU customs require Product Identifiers (PIDs) for every item on a shipment into the EU. These codes help customs identify the products being imported, along with who makes and sells them. If a shipment is missing them, the courier may decline the booking, or the parcel may be held at the border and returned to you at your own cost.

When you book a shipment that needs a customs declaration through the Courier Integration, Cloud POS now sends these identifiers for each item automatically. There's nothing extra to do when booking. The identifiers come from your item records, so it's worth checking that the items you ship to the EU have the right information.

The product identifiers

Each item on a customs declaration has three product identifiers:

• Merchant product identifier is your own code for the item. Cloud POS sends the item's Item Lookup Code, along with its unique ID in Cloud POS.
• Manufacturer product identifier is the supplier's code for the item. Cloud POS sends the supplier part code from the item's primary supplier. If there isn't one, the Item Lookup Code is used instead.
• Standardised product identifier is a barcode such as an EAN or UPC. Cloud POS sends the first 13-digit (EAN-13) or 12-digit (UPC) barcode in the item's alias list. 8-digit and 14-digit barcodes aren't used for this. If the item has no 12- or 13-digit barcode, the first alias in the list is sent instead. If the item has no aliases, nothing is sent.

Checking your items

To make sure the right identifiers are sent, check the following on any items you ship to the EU:

• The item has a primary supplier, and that supplier has a part code for the item.
• The item has a valid EAN-13 or UPC barcode as an alias.
• If the item has more than one EAN-13 or UPC barcode, the one listed first is the one sent.

For help with updating these, see the following guides:

• How do I add and update Supplier and ordering information?
• What are the criteria for creating Aliases?

Where the identifiers appear

For all couriers except Royal Mail and Parcelforce, the identifiers are printed on the Citrus-Lime customs form. Each item row shows up to three lines underneath it:

• SKU Code shows the item's unique ID in Cloud POS.
• Manufacture Product ID shows the supplier part code.
• Standardised Product ID shows the alias.

If an identifier is blank, its line isn't shown.