Royal Mail is introducing mandatory updates to international customs requirements and item categorization, effective June 1, 2026.


To support these changes, we will update our Royal Mail OBA and Royal Mail Tracked integrations on June 2, 2026. We've aligned this date with Royal Mail, as their systems cannot accept the new data format before June 1, and we've chosen June 2 to avoid releasing on a Monday, when shipping volumes are typically at their highest. Most updates will be handled automatically to keep your shipping workflows running without interruption.


What action do I need to take now?


Most changes are handled automatically, but there are a few things worth checking before June 2:

  • Check your category setting. In your shipping service settings, make sure that Shipment Type is set to Sale of Goods (not Other). This ensures the automatic transition to the correct B2C or B2B category applies to your orders.
  • Enable customs form printing. If you want CN23 forms to print for your shipments, make sure the Print customs forms checkbox is enabled in your service settings.
  • Set up B2B order rules (if applicable). If you ship business-to-business orders, consider creating an automation rule now to assign IsBusinessOrder = True to qualifying orders. Alternatively, some channels handle this automatically - Amazon, for example, already passes this information through.
  • Choose your CN23 format. From June 2, CN23 forms will default to 4×6 format for all shipments with customs forms enabled. If you prefer A4, you'll need to enable the A4 option in your service settings once it goes live on June 2.


For a full breakdown of each change and how we're handling it, see the details below.


1. New "Nature of Item" Categories (B2B vs. B2C)


Royal Mail is replacing the existing "Sale of Goods" category with two distinct classifications based on whether the transaction is business-to-consumer or business-to-business. The broader legacy terms are being discontinued entirely. 


New Categories (Valid from June 1):

  • E-Commerce Sale of Goods (B2C)
  • Commercial Sale of Goods (B2B)


Discontinued Categories:

  • Sale of Goods
  • Mixed Content


How we are automating this for you:


You do not need to set up duplicate services or complex new rules. We will handle the heavy lifting automatically:

  • Default Transition: Any orders previously set to Sale of Goods will automatically default to E-Commerce Sale of Goods (B2C).
  • Smart B2B Overrides: Historically, we relied on the Company Name field to identify business orders. Moving forward, we are introducing a new order property: IsBusinessOrder.
    • If an order is set to E-Commerce Sale of Goods (B2C) (or the legacy Sale of Goods) and IsBusinessOrder = True, it will automatically be upgraded to Commercial Sale of Goods (B2B).
    • If IsBusinessOrder = False and the shipment is set to Commercial Sale of Goods (B2B), it will automatically revert to E-Commerce Sale of Goods (B2C).



Can I prepare in advance?


Yes, you can set up your automation rules in advance to map your business orders to the IsBusinessOrder property. Note that while you can configure your rules now, the property will officially begin processing data on June 2, 2026.


2. Mandatory CN23 Customs Forms


Royal Mail is now enforcing the use of CN23 customs declarations for all international shipments, replacing the older CN22 form.


What this means: All international orders processed through our Royal Mail integrations will now automatically generate a CN23 form instead of a CN22.


3. Improved CN23 Printing (4x6 Thermal Printer Support)


Currently, CN23 forms are only available in A4 format. This requires the customs form to be printed separately from the shipping label and manually matched during packing.


We are working on introducing a 4×6 inch CN23 format to simplify warehouse operations and improve printing workflows.

  • Target launch: June 2: If completed on time, CN23 forms will automatically print in 4×6 format alongside your shipping label directly from your thermal printer. 
  • A4 Preference: If you prefer the traditional A4 layout, you will be able to select it in your service configuration settings (Shipping > Integrations > Royal Mail OBA > Services > Edit).
  • Backup Plan: If the 4×6 rollout is delayed, the system will continue generating A4 CN23 forms for all international shipments until the new format is available.