188体育

There are rules for bringing plants or 鈥榩lant-based products鈥� (like wood) into Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) for your own use.

This includes if you鈥檙e travelling with plants or plant-based products, or you鈥檝e ordered them to arrive by post.

The rules depend on:

• what products you鈥檙e bringing in
• the country you鈥檙e bringing them from

If you break the rules

Border Force can take away (鈥榮eize鈥�) your plants or products if they think you鈥檝e brought them into the country illegally.

If you鈥檙e not sure about any of the plants or products you鈥檙e bringing in, speak to a Border Force officer in the 鈥榬ed channel鈥� at customs or on the red point phone.

If you鈥檙e bringing in plants or plant-based products from the EU, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, you might need a 鈥榩hytosanitary鈥� (plant health) certificate.

Plants and plant-based products that need a phytosanitary certificate

You鈥檒l need phytosanitary certificate for certain plants, seeds, bark and wood.

Plants and plant parts

You鈥檒l need a phytosanitary certificate if you鈥檙e bringing in:

• plants for planting
• tubers of ware potatoes - Solanum tuberosum L.
• conifer cut trees and branches - Conifers (Pinales) over 3 metres

Seeds

You鈥檒l need a phytosanitary certificate if you鈥檙e bringing in:

• potato - Solanum tuberosum L.
• chestnut 鈥� Castanea
• chilli - Capsicum spp. L.
• tomato - Solanum lycopersicum L.
• sunflower - Helianthus annuus L.
• alfalfa - Medicago sativa L.
• onion - Allium cepa L.
• leek - Allium porrum L.
• runner bean - Phaseolus cocineus.
• French bean - Phaseolus vulgaris L.
• green pea - Pisum sativum L.
• broad bean - Vicia faba L.
• rapeseed - oil and fibre plants of Brassica napus L. Brassica rapa L.
• white mustard seed - oil and fibre plants of Sinapis alba L.
• soybean 鈥� oil and fibre plants of Glycine max (L.) Merrill
• flax or linseed 鈥� oil and fibre plants of Linum usitatissimum L.

Bark

You鈥檒l need a phytosanitary certificate if you鈥檙e bringing in the isolated bark of the following trees:

• chestnut 鈥� Castanea
• conifer - Conifers (Pinales)
• walnut - Juglans L.
• wingnut - Pterocarya Kunth.

Wood

You鈥檒l need a phytosanitary certificate if you鈥檙e bringing in natural (non-manufactured) wood from the following trees:

• plane - Platanus L.
• walnut - Juglans L.
• wingnuts - Pterocarya Kunth.
• chestnut - Castanea Mill., excluding wood which is bark-free
• conifer - Conifers (Pinales), excluding wood which is bark-free
• conifer from Portugal or Spain - Conifers (Pinales)

If you鈥檙e bringing in natural (non-manufactured) wood from France, Germany or Italy, you鈥檒l also need a phytosanitary certificate for the following:

• maple - Acer L.
• horse chestnut - Aesculus L.
• alder - Alnus L.
• birch - Betula L.
• hornbeam - Carpinus L.
• katsura - Cercidiphyllum Siebold and Zucc.
• hazel - Corylus L.
• beech - Fagus L.
• ash - Fraxinus L.
• golden-rain - Koelreuteria Medikus.
• plane - Platanus L.
• poplar - Populus L.
• willow - Salix L.
• lime - Tilia L.
• elm - Ulmus L.
• Prunus L. such as plum, peach, nectarine, apricot from Germany or Italy

If your plant and plant-based products does not need a certificate

Your plant or plant-based product must still be:

• free from pests and diseases
• for your own use

If you鈥檙e bringing plants and plant-based products (like wood) from outside the EU, Switzerland and Liechtenstein you鈥檒l need a 鈥榩hytosanitary鈥� (plant health) certificate.

This includes, for example:

• all plants for planting
• parts of trees used as decoration
• cut flowers and foliage
• natural (non-manufactured) wood

Check how to get a phytosanitary certificate.

A 鈥榩hytosanitary鈥� (plant health) certificate proves your plants:

• have been inspected
• are free from dangerous pests and diseases
• are suitable to enter the UK

If you鈥檙e travelling into Great Britain with your products, get a certificate from the plant health authorities in the country you鈥檙e travelling from.

You鈥檒l need to apply for a permit or certificate if you鈥檙e bringing any plants or plant based products protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) into Great Britain.

This includes various species of orchids, succulents, carnivorous plants and cycads, as well as woods such as Bulnesia, Dalbergia and agarwoods.

Check if you need a CITES permit.

How to get a CITES permit

You can apply for a CITES permit online.

If you鈥檙e bringing the items into Great Britain, you鈥檒l need to arrive at one of the ports or airports that handles CITES items.

Sending items by post

If you鈥檙e sending the items by post, make sure you fill in and attach both of the following:

• customs declaration form CN22 or CN23 - you can get these from any Post Office
• the CITES permit or certificate

If you need advice on bringing plants or plant-based products into Great Britain, or to arrange an inspection, contact:

• the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) if you鈥檙e in England or Wales
• Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) if you鈥檙e in Scotland

To check the CITES rules, contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) Centre for International Trade in Bristol.