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Plant means a living plant or a living part of a plant at any stage of growth. This includes trees and shrubs.

Plant product means a product of plant origin that is unprocessed or has had a simple preparation. This includes wood and bark.

You should also use this guidance for goods imported for commercial purposes (to be sold onwards) by post or courier. Contact your post or courier service to find out if they offer an import service for commercial imports and for more information about the process.

Read separate guidance if youre importing plant and plant products:

• from non-EU countries to Northern Ireland
• from the EU, Liechtenstein or Switzerland to Great Britain
• to Great Britain for personal use

Plant health controls are managed by:

• APHA (the Animal and Plant Health Agency) in England and Wales
• SASA (Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture)?in Scotland?

Fruit and vegetables

If youre importing fruit and vegetables from non-EU countries to Great Britain, you also need to:

• follow quality and labelling rules
• check if your goods need to go through marketing standards controls

Find your risk category

Plants and plant products imported from non-EU countries to Great Britain are categorised as:

• high risk
• medium risk A
• medium risk B
• low risk

High risk, medium risk A, and medium risk B plants and plant products from non-EU countries move under plant health controls.

Low risk plants and plant products are exempt from plant health controls. ?

The assessment of plant health risk is ongoing, and risk categorisations may change.

Check the risk category for your goods.

High risk and medium risk A and B goods: plant health controls

If you import high risk and medium risk A plants and plant products, you need to:

1. Register to import if youre importing for the first time.

2. Get a phytosanitary certificate from your exporter.?

3. Meet the ISPM 15 international standard for any wood packaging material you use.?

4. Notify the relevant authorities about your import.

5. Comply with documentary, identity and physical checks.?

6. Pay fees for plant health checks.

If you import medium risk B plants and plant products, you need to:

1. Get a phytosanitary certificate from your exporter.?

2. Meet the ISPM 15 international standard for any wood packaging material you use.?

Find out the frequency of checks for your goods.

Register to import

You mustregister to useIPAFFS(the import of products, animals, food and feed system)to import high risk or medium risk A plants and plant products from non-EU countries to Great Britain.

After you complete your registration, youll be officially registered as a professional operator to import plants and plant products.

If you need help with registering to useIPAFFS, you can call the APHAhelpline on 03300 416 999 or emailaphaservicedesk@apha.gov.uk.

Read Forestry Commission guidance if you want to register as a professional operator to import timber, wood products or bark.

Get a phytosanitary certificate

For high risk or medium risk A or B plants and plant products, your exporter must get a phytosanitary certificate for each consignment from the plant health authority in the country theyre exporting from.

A phytosanitary certificate is a statement from the plant health authority that the consignment:

• has been officially inspectedor tested, or both
• complies with legal requirements for entry into Great Britain
• is free from quarantine pests and diseases

Phytosanitary certificates for import purposes must have been issued no more than 13 days before or after the date the consignment left the country of export. There is no requirement for a consignment to arrive in Great Britain within 13 days of it leaving the country of export.

If you need a phytosanitary certificate for your consignment, check that your exporter has provided one before the consignment arrives in Great Britain. Make sure you get a scanned copy from your exporter.

If youre importing high or medium risk A plants and plant products, youll need to upload a copy of the phytosanitary certificate on IPAFFS when you notify APHA or SASA about your consignment.

Notify the relevant authorities about your import

If youre importing high risk or medium risk A plants and plant products, you must use IPAFFS to:

• let APHA or SASA know in advance when your goods will arrive (this is known as pre-notification)
• upload any necessary documents - for example, a scanned copy of your phytosanitary certificateand accompanying documents
• read any notifications about what documentary, identity and physical checks your goods will need
• follow the progress of your consignments

You must give notice:

• at least 4 working hours before the goods land in Great Britain for air and roll-on-roll-off freight
• at least 1 working day before the goods arrive in Great Britain for all other freight

If you do not give enough notice, your consignment may be delayed.

After youve submitted your import notification, youll get a message on IPAFFS to tell you if your consignment has been selected for checks.

If you need help with import notifications, email planthealth.info@apha.gov.uk or phone 0300 1000 313.

Get your goods inspected when they enter Great Britain

If youre importing high risk or medium risk A plants or plant products from non-EU countries, you must present your consignment to the authorities when it arrives in Great Britain if it has been selected for checks.

APHA (England and Wales) or SASA (Scotland) will carry out documentary, identity and physical checks to make sure your consignment:

• includes all required documents
• contains the plants you have declared
• is free from pests and diseases

The checks can take place at either a:

• border control post (BCP) - a border inspection facility where goods first arrive
• control point (CP) - an inland inspection?facility

All high risk and medium risk A plants and plant products imported from non-EU countries must enter Great Britain at an airport or a port with a BCP that can handle plants and plant products. You can then transport your goods to a CP, if you wish to.

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