Putting a GTIN inside a QR code
A GTIN in a QR code is not the number printed as text. It is a web address structured so that a till, a phone and a customs system all read the same product identity out of it.
GS1 Digital Link structure, conformant resolver included. 7-day free trial. Retailer asking for 2D by a fixed date? Book 20 minutes and we’ll walk through the URI structure with you.
Why retailers started asking for this
Retailers are moving point-of-sale scanning from the 1D barcode to 2D codes that can carry more than an identifier — batch, expiry, a link to product information. The coordinated deadline for that capability is the end of 2027.
For a supplier this arrives as an email asking for a 2D barcode on the next packaging run, usually without much explanation. What is being asked for is a GTIN inside a GS1 Digital Link URL, not a QR code that happens to have the number written underneath it.
What the URL looks like
A GS1 Digital Link URL puts the identifier in the path, keyed by application identifier. The GTIN sits behind /01/, and further identifiers — batch, expiry, serial — can follow in defined positions.
Because it is a real web address, a phone camera opens it like any other link. Because it is structured, a machine can extract the GTIN without guessing. That dual readability is the entire point of the standard.
The resolver is the part people miss
The URL has to resolve, and the thing resolving it is expected to identify itself as a conformant resolver at a well-known discovery path. That is what allows a scanner or a regulator to check the endpoint before trusting it.
We publish that discovery file and serve GTIN-keyed URLs with link types and a full link set as JSON. Most QR generators produce a code that looks like a Digital Link and has nothing behind it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a GTIN QR code the same as a normal QR code?
The symbology is the same. The content is not. A GTIN QR code holds a GS1 Digital Link URL with the identifier in a defined position, so it can be parsed. A normal QR code holding a link to your product page carries no identifier a machine can extract.
Do I still need my EAN-13 barcode?
Yes, for now. Retailers are planning a period where both appear on the pack — the 1D barcode keeps working and the 2D code is added alongside it. This is about adding capability, not removing the old one.
Where do I get a GTIN?
From GS1 in your country. We generate the code around a GTIN you already hold; we do not issue identifiers, and anyone offering to sell you one outside the GS1 system is worth being suspicious of.
Can the destination change later?
Yes, and it usually needs to. A dynamic code lets you repoint the destination without changing the printed artwork — useful when the product page moves or the campaign behind it ends.
Turn your GTIN into a code retailers can scan
GS1 Digital Link structure with a conformant resolver behind it.
No credit card required. No ads on your scan pages, ever. Retailer asking for 2D by a fixed date? Book 20 minutes and we’ll walk through the URI structure with you.