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Exporting fish to the EU

The digital 鈥榤anage fish exports鈥� service is currently unavailable. For trade continuity, editable PDF versions of the forms mentioned below are available. You can access the documentation you need by emailing your request to [email protected]. Please only email if you require a catch certificate, storage document or processing statement within the next 4 hours.

The following guidance has been created to reflect this temporary system outage.

To export wild-caught marine fish to the EU, you鈥檒l need:

• a catch certificate
• an export health certificate, except for direct landings in EU ports from UK-flagged fishing vessels

You may also need:

• a prior notification form
• a pre-landing declaration
• a storage document
• a processing statement

The EU uses these documents to monitor fishing activity and to detect illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

You鈥檒l also need to comply with HMRC guidance on customs requirements for exporting to the EU.

Rules will apply to:

• exports to the EU of fish caught by a UK flagged fishing vessel
• exports to the EU of fish imported from another country that have been stored or processed in the UK
• direct landings in by a UK flagged fishing vessel

This guidance on rules and export documents already applies to UK caught fish that is exported to these non-EU countries:

• Iceland
• Ivory Coast
• Kuwait
• Madagascar
• Norway
• Thailand
• Tunisia
• Ukraine

Send fish to an EU border inspection post

You鈥檒l need to send all consignments of fish and fishery products through an EU [border inspection post if the fish was both:

• caught by a UK flagged vessel
• landed in the UK before being transported to the EU by sea, air, road or rail

Create a catch certificate

You鈥檒l need a catch certificate for most exports of fish to the EU. The catch certificate shows that the fish was caught legally.

The catch certificate must include:

• details about the catching vessels, including vessel name, Port letter and number (PLN), licence number
• amount of fish by species and net weight per vessel
• commodity code, also known as product code
• when and where the fish was caught - for fish caught in the North East Atlantic use code FA027, for fish caught elsewhere

If you鈥檙e exporting fish that came from multiple vessels, you鈥檒l need to specify quantities from each vessel.

To get a catch certificate to export a consignment of fish from the UK to the EU you鈥檒l need to email [email protected] requesting the relevant documentation for each consignment of fish.

When you鈥檝e received and completed the form, you need to:

Email the completed catch certificate form to the UK fisheries authority. They will validate and store your catch certificate and email it back to you.

Catch certificates will be rejected if there are any inaccuracies or spelling mistakes so please check before submitting. Make sure you include correct email address on the form so the validating authority can send it back to you.

It is important to note that all documents submitted will be dealt with on a first come, first serve basis.

Once you have received your validated document, email the catch certificate to your EU importer to complete their sections or print/save a copy to present to border officials.

You won鈥檛 need a catch certificate to export:

• farmed fish and farmed shellfish
• freshwater fish or freshwater shellfish
• fish fry or larvae
• some molluscs including cuttlefish, scallops, mussels, cockles and oysters, but you may still need a live shellfish registration document - contact your local council for more information

Method of transport

You鈥檒l need to include transport details on the catch certificate. These will include by:

• sea: the container numbers and the name and flag of the container vessel
• air: the airway bill or flight number
• road: the registration number of the vehicle or CMR note
• rail: the railway bill number

If you don鈥檛 know any of these details, check with your transport agent.

You鈥檒l need to send the validated catch certificate to the importer so they can give it to the receiving country鈥檚 competent authority. You must do this for exports by:

• sea: 72 hours before landing
• air and rail: 4 hours before arriving
• road: 2 hours before arriving

Get help with catch certificates and supporting documents

During a system outage the service is only contactable via email

Get an export health certificate

You鈥檒l need an Export Health Certificate (EHC) for all exports of fish to the EU, including farmed fish and shellfish. You won鈥檛 need an EHC for direct landings in an EU port from a UK flagged fishing vessel.

Read guidance on how to get an EHC.

Direct landing documents

To land your catch from your UK flagged fishing vessel directly in the EU you鈥檒l need to land in a

Fishery enforcement officers may inspect your fish when you arrive. You鈥檒l need to show them the catch certificate.

You鈥檒l need to complete a:

• prior notification form
• pre-landing declaration

Prior notification form

You鈥檒l need to fill in a prior notification form and email it to your destination .

You need to send it:

• for frozen fish, at least 72 hours before landing
• for fresh fish, at least 4 hours before landing

Pre-landing declaration

You鈥檒l need to fill in a pre-landing declaration and email it to your destination 4 hours before landing.

You鈥檒l need to give details of the:

• area fished
• quantity of fish by species on board the vessel

North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) Port State Control forms

If you haven鈥檛 already, you will have to with NEAFC. Once your vessel is registered, you鈥檒l need to submit a NEAFC Port State Control form (PSC1 or PSC2) before landing. Check with the NEAFC to find out how much notice you need to give. This will vary depending on the country you鈥檙e exporting to and how your product is presented.

Storage document - for fish stored in the UK but not processed

If you鈥檙e exporting to the EU fish sourced from another country that have been stored in the UK, but not processed in any way, you鈥檒l need to request and create a storage document.

In your application, you need to provide:

• a description of the product and commodity code
• export weight of the product
• date and place the product entered the UK
• description of the storage facility and conditions the fish was kept in
• transport details 鈥� flight number, railway bill, vehicle registration number or CMR note

You can request a storage document by emailing [email protected] with your request. Once you have received and completed a storage document, you need to return it via email for validation and storage. The UK Fisheries Authority will validate your storage document and email it back to you.

Storage documents will be rejected if there are any inaccuracies or spelling mistakes, so please check before submitting. Make sure you include a correct email address on the form so that validating authority can email you.

It is important to note that all documents submitted will be dealt with on a first come, first serve basis.

Make sure you include the storage document, with the original third country catch certificate when you send the consignment for export.

Processing statement - for fish processed in the UK

If you鈥檙e exporting to the EU fish sourced from another country that has been processed in the UK, you鈥檒l need to create a processing statement. You can request this document by emailing [email protected]

In your application, you need to provide:

• a description of the product and commodity code
• species and weight of the fish landed
• the net weight of the fish used for processing
• the weight of the product after processing
• processing plant details, including approval number
• catch certificate number and validation date
• export health certificate number and date

Include a copy of the catch certificate from the original consignment with the processing statement.

Once you complete a processing statement, you need to email the completed processing statement to the UK fisheries authority. They will validate your processing statement and email it back to you.

Processing statements will be rejected if there are any inaccuracies or spelling mistakes, so please check before submitting. Make sure you include a correct email address on the form so that validating authority can email you.

It is important to note that all documents submitted will be dealt with on a first come, first serve basis.

Make sure you include the processing statement, with the original third country catch certificate when you send the consignment for export.

Exporting fish to non-EU countries

Find out when to use catch certificates for non-EU imports and exports of fish. Requirements for importing from the EU.