Bio Security

Carriage of plants / plant products into the EU from a non-EU country

Plants and plant products brought into the EU could potentially be diseased or infested with harmful organisms. EU regulations on the import of plants and plant products have been implemented to protect plants within the EU and keep them healthy.

These regulations include both import bans and import restrictions and apply to passengers, crews and commercial imports. The provisions can be found in the annexes of EU Directive 2000/29/EC, in particular in Annexes III to V. The regulations in general do not apply to frozen, dried or already processed goods of plant origin.

Prohibited:

In general, when traveling from a non-EU country you are not allowed to bring the following kinds of plants into the EU:

• Potatoes
• Citrus plants
• Grapevines
• Solanaceous (nightshade) plants

Customs Declaration:

In addition to plants, all plant parts listed in Annex V of Directive 2000/29/EC, including cut flowers, fruit, seeds and vegetables, must be declared to customs and require a phytosanitary certificate (original, not a copy), which must be issued by the competent authority abroad, in order to be properly imported into the EU. If this certificate cannot be presented, the products cannot be brought into the EU.

Exceptions

A phytosanitary certificate is not required for the following plant products:

• Pineapples
• Coconuts
• Durio
• Bananas
• Dates

Important:
If you violate the regulations, you will receive a written warning and may even be fined!

Further information

We strongly recommend that before traveling, you check the customs regulations of the EU country to which you are traveling for further details on which plants and plant products you are allowed to bring with you from a non-EU country and the associated requirements.