Import of plants or plant products

The import of plants, plant products, and controlled items shall be understood as any shipments from third countries into the customs area of the Community, regardless of what kind of use has been permitted for these plants. "Third country" means a country that is not a European Union Member State.

Shipments of plants, plant products, and controlled items from the V.B. List from third countries must first be registered at the first point of entry into the EU in order for them to undergo a mandatory phytosanitary check performed by a phytosanitary inspector. In international traffic, such shipments must be accompanied with the original phytosanitary certificate of the exporting country. Shipments from the V.B. List may only be brought in via specific points of entry with a customs office and phytosanitary inspection.

A point of entry is a location where plants, plant products, and other controlled items are first brought into the customs area of the Community:

• an airport, in the event of air transport;
• a port, in the event of maritime or river transport;
• a station in the event of railway transport; and
• a location of a customs office responsible for the area where the shipment crosses the border of the Community, in the event of any other form of transport.

Importers of plants, plant products, and controlled items from the V.B. List must be entered into the Register of Producers, Processors, Importers, and Distributors of Plants, Plant Products, and Supervised Objects (FITO Register) kept by a competent authority beforehand.

The application for the entry in the FITO Register is lodged by filling out the required forms.

Anyone who wishes to be entered into the FITO Register must:

• appoint a person responsible for plant health protection who is suitably professionally trained,
• sign a statement on Form 3 of the application, stating that they are familiar with the local regulations and obligations arising from the registration

When performing activities, a registered importer must fulfil their obligations arising from the registration via their person responsible for plant health protection, and provide a mandatory annual phytosanitary check performed by a competent phytosanitary inspector.