Issuing and fixing plant passports for regulated plant material from 1 January 2021

If you were authorised to issue EU plant passports, you do not need a new authorisation to issue UK plant passports.

You must renew your authorisations every year using eDomero for APHA. Your business will be audited to check you are compliant. Read guidance on how to apply for authorisation.

Contact Forestry Commission to review your authorisation if you issue plant passports for wood, wood products or isolated bark.

UK plant passports in the EU

If you’re authorised to issue UK plant passports, your supplier in an EU member state can attach plant passports for you. They can do this until 30 June 2023.

Your supplier must use the passports you give them.

Your UK plant passport attached in an EU member state has draft status. It has no legal status in Great Britain until the plants have passed your examination.

Your passports must be:

• in the UK standard format

• attached correctly by your supplier

Your plants must:

• be intended for direct sale to final users — an APHA plant health inspector will determine this from the packaging or labelling

• travel to Great Britain under a phytosanitary certificate and may be inspected at border control posts

• be examined by you when they arrive at the first place of destination

If the plants pass your examination you can issue the passport. You do not need to mark the passport to show it has been issued.

If the plants fail your examination, you must remove the plant passport. You will have to correct any issues you have identified or destroy the plants.

If you find a quarantine pest, you must hold the plants and immediately notify a plant health inspector.

If you correct the issues, you must attach a new UK plant passport.

You must keep a record of all plant examinations you carry out.

As the operator responsible for issuing plant passports, you are responsible for complying with the rules.

EU plant passports in Great Britain

EU plant passports cannot be attached in England, Scotland or Wales (Great Britain). They can continue to be attached in Northern Ireland.

UK plant passports in Northern Ireland

You will need a phytosanitary certificate when moving regulated plants and plant material that need a plant passport to Northern Ireland.