Publication
Exporters - Registration and Procedures for Export of Plants and Plant Products
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
(1), Firstly, to export plants or plant products you must be registered with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine as Professional Operator – see the Professional Operator Registration page of our website.
(2) Secondly, you must register as an Exporter on the Department’s Export Certification System to apply for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to issue a Phytosanitary Certificate.
Only registered exporters may apply for phytosanitary certification of consignments of plants, plant products and other objects to a Third Country.
The Department requires a minimum of 14 days notice prior to export to enable inspectors to arrange an inspection and allow for any laboratory testing that may be required to be completed.
1) The Export Certification System (ECS) can be accessed here .
2) The system will guide you through the steps to make an application for a Phytosanitary Certificate; the following are useful resources to assist you:
Video tutorial for ECS system
3) The Request Certificate screen will display Certificate Types which can be applied for from the list on the dropdown options.
4) Select certificate type “Phytosanitary Plant & Horticulture Certificate” which will then display the fields relevant to the Certificate.
5) Complete online application form (mandatory fields are indicated with * and must be completed).
6) Upload written confirmation from the NPPO (National Plant Protection Organisation) of the country of destination confirming the Phytosanitary Import requirements. Scanned copies of emails in PDF or Excel format are acceptable.
UK government procedures for import of plant and plant products can be accessed here .
Please note: phytosanitary certificates are only issued for plants, plant products and/or other regulated articles. Written confirmation shall confirm the requirement for a phytosanitary certificate for the plant, plant product or other article concerned and should also detail any additional declarations that are required.
7) For Export of Potatoes Only
Please complete the Potato Export Grower Information form and upload with your online application together with the other appropriate documentation where required.
8) Click on ‘Submit’ to submit the request for processing. Note: prior to clicking on Submit, the user may also upload any documents (must be in PDF and/or Excel format) to support the application.
If all is in order, a message is displayed to the user:
• informing the applicant that the request has been logged with the Department for processing;
• informing the applicant that they will be contacted in due course using the email address provided/retrieved;
• advising the applicant of the reference number for tracking purposes (e.g. ECS000180).
9) In 2023, The Department connected to the ePhyto Hub allowing the electronic exchange of Phytosanitary Certificates between National Plant Protection Organisations that are connected to the ePhyto Hub. When you are processing your application for a Phytosanitary Certificate, the system will indicate if a digital copy has issued and where not a hardcopy will be sent to exporter.
On the 30 August 2023, the United Kingdom (UK) government published their final Border Target Operation Model (BTOM) which sets out the sanitary and phytosanitary requirements for the import of goods entering Great Britain (GB). Further details on the final BTOM can be found here .
Under the new regime all regulated plants and plant products will be categorised into three risk categories of high, medium, and low. The higher the risk category the greater the assurance imposed. It is important to take note of the definitions around the various groups and species/genus contained within each category.
For plants and plant products categorised as high risk no changes are proposed as pre notification and phytosanitary certificates already apply and this will continue.
For plants and plant products categorised as medium risk, these will require pre notification on the import of Products of Animal, Food and Feed System (IPAFFS) and to be accompanied with a phytosanitary certificate from 31 January 2024.
For plants and plant products categorised as low risk, pre-notification and phytosanitary certificate is not required from the 31 January 2024.
From the 31 October 2024 risk-based identity and physical checks on high and medium risk plants and plant products will commence at Border Control Posts.
You can obtain the details of the risk categories and commodities here .
For the export of plants or plant products that use GB as a land bridge, there will be no requirement for pre-notification on IPAFFS but plants and plant products will need to be accompanied by a signed declaration that they are in phytosanitary transit and are packaged in such a way that there is no risk of spreading a pest through GB. In addition, hauliers must complete the office of transit processes on arrival in the UK for every transit movement.
There are no movement restrictions on personal quantities however we do recommend that the plants or plant products are accompanied by a valid plant passport.
For queries in relation to registration and procedures for export of plants and plant products please contact:
Registration and Procedures for Export of Plants and Plant Products to Third Countries
Phone number: