Phytosanitary Certificate for Export: What It Is, When You Need One, ePhyto and Common Mistakes

What a phytosanitary certificate is

Under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), each country's national plant protection organization issues phytosanitary certificates for consignments of plants, plant products and other regulated articles. ISPM 12, the IPPC standard on phytosanitary certificates, describes the certificate as an official document that accompanies the consignment and attests that it has been inspected and/or tested according to official procedures and conforms to the phytosanitary import requirements of the importing country.

The importing country decides whether a certificate is needed and what it must declare. Exporters find these requirements from the importing country's plant protection organization or through their own NPPO; in the United States, for example, USDA APHIS publishes them in its Phytosanitary Export Database (PExD) and issues certificates through its PCIT system.

What the certificate contains

• The name and address of the exporter and the declared name and address of the consignee.
• The number and description of packages, distinguishing marks, the place of origin and the declared means of conveyance and point of entry.
• The name of the produce and the quantity declared, and the botanical name of the plants.
• The certification statement that the consignment was inspected or tested and is considered to conform to the importing country's requirements.
• Any additional declarations the importing country requires, for example that the consignment is free from a named pest or was produced in a pest-free area.
• Any disinfestation or disinfection treatment, such as fumigation or cold treatment, with the date, chemical, duration and temperature.
• The place and date of issue, and the name and signature of the authorised officer with the NPPO's stamp.

Export and re-export certificates

A phytosanitary certificate for export is issued by the NPPO of the country where the plants were grown or the products produced. When a consignment is imported into one country and then re-exported to another without losing its identity and without exposure to infestation, the re-exporting country's NPPO can issue a phytosanitary certificate for re-export, which refers to the original certificate from the country of origin. Check with the final importing country whether it accepts re-export certificates for your product.

Validity, copies and ePhyto

ISPM 12 treats certificates as invalid if they contain unauthorised alterations or erasures or conflicting information, and uncertified copies are not acceptable. Importing countries may also set how long a certificate is valid, or how soon after inspection the goods must be shipped, so book the inspection close to the shipment date.

Electronic certificates are acceptable when the way they are issued and secured is acceptable to the trading partners and the issuing authority can be verified. The IPPC ePhyto Solution lets NPPOs exchange ePhytos, the electronic equivalent of a phytosanitary certificate in XML format, through a central Hub; countries without their own system can use the web-based Generic ePhyto National System (GeNS). Ask your NPPO whether the destination country accepts ePhytos, because then there is no paper original to courier.

Mistakes that hold plant products at the border

• The consignee, quantity or description on the certificate does not match the commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading.
• The botanical name is missing or wrong, or the additional declaration required by the importing country is missing.
• The certificate was issued before the goods were inspected or long before shipment, beyond the period the importing country accepts.
• Handwritten corrections were made on the certificate after issue.
• Pallets and crates are not ISPM 15 marked; a phytosanitary certificate for the goods does not cover the wood packaging.