Plants, seeds and bulbs

• Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 — plant health
• Regulation (EU) 2017/625 — official controls
• Regulation (EU) 2016/2032 and Directive 66/402/EEC for seed marketing
• Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 — invasive alien species

Who has to appoint one

Anyone importing or trading plants, seeds or bulbs in the Union. Professional operators must be registered with the national plant protection organisation, and most plants for planting require a plant passport for movement within the Union and a phytosanitary certificate for import.

Thresholds and exemptions

No general threshold. Small quantities in travellers' luggage lost their exemption in 2019, and online sales to consumers require the same documentation as commercial consignments.

What must appear on the label

The plant passport in the harmonised format with the botanical name, the traceability code, the country code and the operator registration number, attached to the trade unit. Seeds require the category, variety, lot number and the official label where certified seed rules apply.

Marketplace fields

Marketplaces increasingly require the operator registration number for live plants, and cross-border consumer sales without a plant passport are unlawful even inside the Union.

Documentation you must hold

Registration as a professional operator, authorisation to issue plant passports, traceability records for at least three years, phytosanitary certificates for imports, and for certain species import permits or prohibitions.

Standards and testing

Inspections rather than laboratory testing in most cases: visual examination for quarantine pests, with sampling where the species is high risk. Some species require testing for specific pathogens before certification.

Language requirements

Documentation in the language of the authority concerned; the plant passport format is harmonised and largely code-based.

When it applies

Registration and authorisation before trading. Import documentation must accompany the consignment at the border control post.

How long records are kept

Traceability records for at least three years.

What happens if you do not comply

Destruction of the consignment at the border, prohibition of trading, and fines. Invasive alien species on the Union list may not be traded at all, and enforcement is strict because the harm is irreversible.

Who enforces it

National plant protection organisations, border control posts and customs.

Where the boundary lies

This regime has nothing to do with product safety law and cannot be handled by a representative: it requires registration of an operator with the plant health authority. Seeds for sowing also fall under variety listing rules, so a variety not listed in the EU catalogue cannot be marketed.

Questions we are asked

Can we ship houseplants to EU consumers?

Only as a registered professional operator issuing plant passports, and imports need a phytosanitary certificate through a border control post.

Are seeds easier than plants?

Not necessarily. Seeds face variety listing and certification rules in addition to plant health requirements.