The short version
If you move goods from Spain to other EU member states above the applicable thresholds, Intrastat wants structured dispatch data: who received what, where, with what value and mass. Shopify knows your orders. It does not produce that structure. That gap is the whole job.
What Intrastat cares about
- Flow: dispatches (Spain → another member state) vs. arrivals. This guide covers dispatches.
- Partner state: the member state of destination.
- Value and mass: statistical value and net mass per line, aggregated sensibly.
- Period: calendar month, reviewed and archived.
Thresholds and detailed commodity rules change; confirm the current position with your advisor. Product tooling prepares data — it does not determine your obligation.
Where Shopify data fits
Shopify orders carry items, values, dates and shipping destinations. With weights maintained on products and exclusions configured (domestic, refunds, non-goods), that maps cleanly to dispatch candidates.
The failure mode is manual: CSV → spreadsheet → copy errors → version drift → a painful question six months later.
A calm monthly routine
- Close the month in Shopify (refunds settled where possible).
- Open the period review in Intrastat Europe.
- Resolve flags — usually missing weights.
- Reconcile totals against your own order export.
- Export, archive by period, send to your workflow.
Related: Getting started · Exporting data
This guide is operational background, not legal advice.