How to Import Plants and Plant Products

Any commercial entity engaged in production or trade of plants and plant products from the EU or Third Countries must register with the Department. These include:

• nurseries
• garden centres
• importers of plants and plant products
• exporters of plants and plant products
• customs agents involved in the importation of plants and plant products
• multiple store that trades in plants
• landscaper/landscape architect
• county council/local authority
• internet traders of plant and plant products
• Christmas tree growers
• retailer/co-op involved in the sale of plants without distribution centre
• retailer/co-op involved in the sale of plants with distribution centre
• cut foliage producer/grower
• turf grass producer/grower
• fruit producer/grower
• vegetable producer/grower
• seed producers including seed potatoes

Private individuals with non-commercial purposes do not need to register with the Department.

What a Phytosanitary Certificate is

Phytosanitary Certificate is a legal document issued by the NPPO (National Plant Protection Organisation) of the country of export for goods and commercial consignments of plant origin certifying that they are free from certain / specified harmful and quarantine pests and diseases. Click here to see an example of a Phytosanitary Certificate.

When you need a Phytosanitary Certificate

All personal and commercial consignments of plants and plant products require a phytosanitary certificate upon entry into the European Union.

Plants are defined as living plants and the following living parts of plants:

a) seeds, in the botanical sense, other than those not intended for planting;

b) fruits, in the botanical sense;

c) vegetables;

d) tubers, corms, bulbs, rhizomes, roots, rootstocks, stolons;

e) shoots, stems, runners;

f) cut flowers;

g) branches with or without foliage;

h) cut trees retaining foliage;

i) leaves, foliage;

j) plant tissue cultures, including cell cultures, germplasm, meristems, chimaeric clones, micro-propagated material;

k) live pollen and spores;

l) buds, budwood, cuttings, scions, grafts;

What Plants are Exempt from Phytosanitary Certificates

Fruits of Coconuts, Dates, Bananas, Pineapples and Durians are exempt from a phytosanitary certificate.

What Plants are prohibited from entering the European Union

See the list of Item was unpublished or removed.

Where to get a Phytosanitary Certificate

A Phytosanitary Certificate can be obtained from the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) from the country of origin of the plant or plant product.

• A list of NPPO (National Plant Protection Organisation) contact points for countries can be viewed here.

There are no checks at the border on plants and plant products originating in other member states within the European Union. However, it is a requirement for that only registered operators with the Department may import plants into Ireland from the European Union. It is also a requirement that all plants traded between professional operators within the EU have a plant passport. This is to guarantee a robust traceability system for plants within the European Union to safeguard against an outbreak or finding of pests and diseases which could harm the country’s agriculture industry and wider environment.

• See more on plant passports

Travelling through Dublin Airport

Please carefully note the following information when importing or otherwise risk delays or entry refusal at the Irish border:

• These import procedures cover procedures for Dublin Airport for all consignments of plants and plant products imported directly from third countries.
• Only registered professional operators with the Department approved to import may import regulated plants and plant products directly from third countries.
• It is the responsibility of the operator responsible for the consignment (acting on behalf of the trader, customs agent) to ensure they are registered on TRACES NT (The Trade Control and Expert System New Technology). Guidelines on how to create an EU login and sign up to use TRACES NT can be found here.
• All importers of regulated plants and plant products must notify the Department a minimum of 24 hours in advance of shipping via points 1 and 2 below.
• Regulated plants and plant products coming from the third countries must be accompanied by a valid phytosanitary certificate.
• All wood packaging material and dunnage associated with the consignment must be stamped with the ISPM 15 mark. Please refer to the Wood Packaging Material guidance for detailed information.

Registered traders are required to follow the steps and advice below:

1. Complete the CHED-PP (Common Health Entry Document for Plants, Plant Products and Plant propagating material) part 1 via TRACES NT

2. Necessary documents and logistical information must be submitted 24 hours in advance via DAFM’s Imports Control Web portal. Instructions on how to use the web portal can be found here. The documents and information required are as follows:

Instructions on how to complete a CHEDPP part 1 can be found here.

• Contact details of Operator Responsible for the consignment
• Date and time of arrival of consignment
• Country of dispatch
• Entry Point on arrival
• CHED-PP(Common Health Entry Document for Plants, Plant Products and Plant propagating material) number
• Plant Health Registration (PHR) number of the importer
• Customs SAD (Single Administrative Document) number
• Copy of the Original Phytosanitary Certificate (colour scan of original) with appropriate additional declarations
• Copy of the Invoice
• Copy of the Airway bill
• Copy of Customs SAD (Single Administrative Document

3. The importer or customs agent will receive an automatic confirmation email that the Department have received an application. This email will contain a Case Reference Number. This is an automated reply and only refers to receipt of application and is not an approval for entry.

4. If the application is incomplete or documents are missing, the operator responsible for the consignment will be notified of this via email. The email will outline what information or documents are still required. In this case, to proceed the operator responsible for the consignment must resubmit the outstanding information via the link attached on the email.

Please note incomplete applications will likely lead to delays in the processing applications.

5. On arrival, consignments will be subject to documentary, identity and physical checks by a Department official.

6. On the date of arrival of the consignment the operator responsible for the consignment will be notified the allocated inspections time at the Border Control Post. It is the responsibility of the operator responsible for the consignment to ensure that the consignment is presented at the allocated time at the Border Control Post to avoid delays.

7. On successful completion of checks, a Clearance Certificate will be issued to Customs and the operator responsible for the consignment.

8. If a consignment is rejected at any stage of the checking process, the operator responsible for the consignment will be notified via email outlining the reasons for rejection. In the event of a rejection of an application the Customs SAD (Single Administrative Document) is also rejected. If the operator responsible for the consignment wishes to reapply, they must supply a new Customs SAD and reapply to the Department via the process outlined above.

9. The original phytosanitary certificate must be presented to a Department inspector at the Border Control Post in Cargo Terminal 3 in Dublin airport on the day of arrival of the consignment.

Note: It is the responsibility of the operator responsible for the consignment to ensure that any additional documentary processes necessary to clear Customs Control have been completed.

• Registration and Procedures for Import - Plants and Plant Products

Travelling through Dublin Port

Please carefully note the following information when importing or otherwise risk delays or entry refusal at the Irish border:

• These import procedures cover procedures for Dublin Port for all consignments of plants and plant products imported directly from third countries.
• Only registered traders approved to import may import regulated plants and plant products directly from third countries.
• It is the responsibility of the person responsible for the consignment (acting on behalf of the trader) to ensure they are registered on TRACES NT (The Trade Control and Expert System New Technology).
• Guidelines on how to register and use TRACES NT can be found here
• All importers of regulated plants and plant products must notify the Department a minimum of 24 hours in advance of shipping via points 1 and 2 below.
• Regulated plants and plant products coming from the third countries must be accompanied by a valid phytosanitary certificate.
• All wood packaging material and dunnage associated with the consignment must be stamped with the ISPM 15 mark. Please refer to the Wood Packaging Material guidance for detailed information.

Registered traders are required to follow the steps and advice below:

1. Complete the CHEDPP part 1 via TRACES NT

2. Necessary documents and logistical information must be submitted 24 hours in advance via the Department’s Imports Control Web portal. Instructions on how to use the web portal can be found User Guide INIS Portal. The documents and information required are as follows:

• Contact details of Operator Responsible for the consignment
• Date and time of arrival of consignment
• Country of dispatch
• Entry Point on arrival
• CHED-PP number
• Plant Health Registration (PHR) number of the importer
• Customs (Single Administrative Document) SAD number
• Copy of the Original Phytosanitary Certificate (colour scan of original) with appropriate additional declarations
• Copy of the Invoice
• Copy of the Airway bill
• Copy of Customs SAD (Single Administrative Document)

3. The importer will then receive an automatic confirmation email that the Department have received an application. This email will contain a Case Reference Number. This is an automated reply and only refers to receipt of application and is not an approval for entry.

4. If the application is incomplete or documents are missing, the person responsible for the consignment will be notified of this via email. The email will outline what information or documents are still required. In this case, to proceed the person responsible for the consignment must resubmit the outstanding information via the link attached on the email.

Please note incomplete applications will likely lead to delays in the processing applications.

5. On arrival, consignments will be subject to documentary, identity and physical checks by a Department official.

6. On successful completion of checks, a Clearance Certificate will be issued to Customs and the person responsible for the load.

7. If a consignment is rejected at any stage of the checking process, the person responsible for the load will be notified via email outlining the reasons for rejection. In the event of a rejection of an application the Customs SAD is also rejected. If the person responsible for the load wishes to reapply, they must supply a new Customs SAD and reapply to the Department via the process outlined above.

8. The original phytosanitary certificate together with a copy of the relevant clearance certificate must be received within 5 working days from the date of issue of the clearance certificate at the address below:

Note: It is the responsibility of the importer to ensure that any additional documentary processes necessary to clear Customs Control have been completed.

What to do when bringing in personal consignments from Countries within the European Union as hand luggage

There are no requirements for personal consignments of plants and plant products coming from the European Union, however we do recommend that when returning from other EU member states that people are aware of the risk of bringing in plants that may contain pests and diseases of plants that are not native to Ireland which have the potential to cause damage to the agriculture industry and wider environment.

Via postal or courier services

It is a requirement if purchasing plants over the internet from an operator within the European Union they must be accompanied by a valid plant passport.

If the plants are being sent privately there are no requirements.

What to do when bringing in personal consignments from third countries as hand luggage

Personal consignments of plants and plant products entering the EU from a third country must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate. This can be obtained from the authorities in the country of origin of that plant or plant product.

The plant or plant product with the phytosanitary certificate must be presented to the Agriculture Inspector at the point of entry when entering the country.

Via postal or courier services

Personal consignments of plants and plant products entering the EU from a third country via postal or courier services must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate. This can be obtained from the authorities in the country of origin of that plant or plant product.

This will be validated at the point of arrival by the Department inspector.

Go to the new registering as a professional operator page.