- What it is
- An official document issued by the plant protection authority of the exporting country, certifying that the batch meets the requirements of the importing country
- Who issues it
- In France, the regional food service (SRAL); abroad, the national plant protection organisation
- Key point
- A certificate that is altered, incomplete or does not match the batch is enough to block the shipment
- Legal texts
- International Plant Protection Convention (ISPM 12); Regulation (EU) 2016/2031; Regulation (EU) 2017/625
In short
The phytosanitary certificate is the international passport of a batch of plants. Issued by the authorities of the exporting country after inspection, it certifies that the plants are free from regulated pests and comply with the requirements of the destination country. Its model is harmonised by the International Plant Protection Convention.
Certificate or plant passport?
- The phytosanitary certificate accompanies plants crossing an external border; it is issued by a public authority, batch by batch.
- The plant passport accompanies plants moving within the EU; it is a label issued by the authorised professional operator.
A botanical name that is incomplete or differs from the invoice, a missing additional declaration, a number of packages that does not match, a correction not validated: these formal errors are enough to have a perfectly healthy batch refused. An erroneous certificate cannot be corrected by hand: a replacement certificate must be requested from the issuing authority.
What the certificate must contain
- certificate number and issuing authority;
- names and addresses of the exporter and consignee;
- description of the consignment and botanical names of the plants;
- place of origin, means of conveyance and declared point of entry;
- any additional declarations required by the destination country, and any treatment applied;
- date, name and signature of the authorised officer, and stamp of the authority.
Formalities
- Import: check prohibitions in advance, require a compliant certificate from the supplier, notify the arrival in TRACES, present the batch for inspection and await the decision before customs clearance.
- Export: identify the destination country's requirements, anticipate inspections during the growing season, apply for the certificate and present the batch for inspection.
How the firm can help
- Check the requirements applicable to your plants and your trade route.
- Provide in your contracts who supplies the certificates and who bears the consequences of a defective certificate.
- Assist you when a batch is blocked for a documentary reason, and challenge the decision.
- Take action against a supplier whose irregular certificate caused a batch to be sent back or destroyed.
General information on French and EU law, which does not replace an analysis of your situation. Read the French version.