Starting November 1, 2026, EU customs declarations for import distance sales will require product identifiers as mandatory fields. This change affects any FBA seller shipping directly from outside the EU to consumers in EU countries — missing or incomplete catalog data can halt fulfillment, even when pricing, postage, and tax calculations are otherwise correct.
What’s Changing
- New requirement: Product identifiers (e.g., EAN, UPC, or equivalent) must be included in customs declarations for all import distance sales into the EU.
- Scope: Applies to shipments from outside the EU destined directly to end consumers.
- Enforcement: FedEx and other major carriers have already announced these fields will be mandatory in their systems — stricter than the baseline customs requirement.
- Impact: Orders missing this data risk delays or rejection at customs, even if all other documentation and calculations (tax, postage, pricing) are correct.
Action Items for FBA Sellers
- Audit your catalog data: Ensure all products have complete, accurate product identifiers (EAN, UPC, GTIN) in your Amazon and fulfillment system records.
- Review supplier data: Confirm your suppliers are providing identifiers on invoices and packaging labels.
- Coordinate with logistics partners: If you use FBA export or 3PL fulfillment to EU customers, verify they have systems in place to capture and transmit these identifiers to customs.
- Timeline: Begin remediation now to avoid disruption when the requirement goes live in November 2026.
How Squatio Helps
Prospect (Product Database) is your single source for complete, verified product master data. By keeping your product identifiers, descriptions, and catalog attributes centralized and accurate within Squatio, you ensure compliance-ready data is available when you need it — whether for customs declarations, carrier submission, or international fulfillment. Starting the audit now means you can identify gaps before the deadline arrives.
Have you encountered customs hold-ups on EU orders before, or is this your first time setting up direct-to-EU fulfillment? What’s your current process for maintaining product identifiers across your supply chain?