EU Customs Rules Are Changing: Handling Fees and Product Identifiers
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Quick Summary
From 1 November 2026, a €2 per-item Union handling fee will apply to qualifying e-commerce imports, in addition to the €3 temporary customs duty introduced in July for consignments worth up to €150.
New EU requirements will introduce more detailed Product Identifiers (PIDs) in relevant e-commerce customs declarations, helping authorities identify products more accurately.
Different customs authorities may have different requirements for declaring multiple PIDs, potentially affecting how many declaration item lines are needed.
Businesses should confirm customs authority's declaration requirements, as the number of item lines can affect total customs charges.
As cross-border e-commerce continues to grow, EU customs authorities are adapting their rules to keep up with increasing shipment volumes. According to the European Commission, 5.9 billion low-value e-commerce items entered the EU in 2025, four times the volume recorded in 2022. That places considerable pressure on customs authorities to process shipments efficiently while ensuring product safety and compliance.
From 1 November 2026, two important changes will affect e-commerce imports into the EU: a new €2 Union handling fee per line and mandatory Product Identifiers (PIDs) for relevant import declarations.
For businesses, the important question is not only what information must be declared, but also how that information must be structured.
Product Identifiers and HS Codes: What's the Difference?
Customs declarations have traditionally relied on information such as product descriptions and Harmonized System (HS) codes. From 1 November, Product Identifiers (PIDs) will also become mandatory for relevant e-commerce declarations, helping customs authorities improve product traceability and identify potentially non-compliant goods.
The key difference lies in what these identifiers describe:
HS code: Classifies goods into categories used to determine applicable tariff classification and duty calculation. Products belonging to the same category may share the same HS code.
Product Identifier (PID): Provides more specific information to identify a particular product. A Stock Keeping Unit (SKU), commonly used by businesses to manage their inventory, can serve as one form of product identifier.
How Customs Declaration Requirements Can Affect Import Costs
Customs authorities may have different technical requirements for how product identifiers are reported.
In some declaration systems, multiple PIDs may be accepted on a single item line, provided the goods meet the conditions for being declared together.
Other systems may require separate item lines for different product identifiers. This distinction can directly affect import costs.
For example, consider the black and white T-shirts in a qualifying consignment worth less than €150:
The same two products could therefore result in different charges depending on how they are required to be declared.
Importantly, businesses should not assume that products sharing an HS code can always be combined into one declaration line. They must follow the applicable customs requirements and provide all required product-level information.
How Can Businesses Prepare for 1 November?
Ask customs authority: Can multiple PIDs be included on one declaration item line, or must each PID be declared separately?
Review product data: Check that HS codes and product identifiers are accurate and available.
Check declaration systems: Confirm that the required identifier format and declaration structure are supported.
Prepare for corrections: Establish a process for identifying and correcting missing or inaccurate information.
Assess import costs: Calculate the potential effect of different declaration-line requirements on customs charges.
Once the applicable customs requirements are understood, businesses also need reliable processes for handling product data within their declarations.
This is where solutions like x7trade can support the technical side of customs clearance. x7trade helps automate H7 and H1 declaration workflows, including processing Product Identifiers (PIDs) and highlighting missing information or data that requires attention.
Declarants can then correct the relevant information themselves and re-upload their declarations when needed, helping reduce manual work involved in managing customs declaration data.
Contact the x7trade team to learn how automation can help simplify your customs declaration workflows.
