Importing and exporting plants and plant products
Personal imports of plant and plant products
If you are travelling in the EU, you can bring live plants and plant products (such as cut flowers, fruit or vegetables) into Northern Ireland without any documentary or physical checks, as long as they have been grown in an EU country, are free from pests or diseases and are for your own personal use.
However, you are advised to retain any receipt(s) and/or pot label(s) relating to plant purchases made in the EU, for movement into NI. In this context, 鈥淓U鈥 includes the 27 member countries plus Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland.
Bringing some plants and plant products into Northern Ireland from areas within the EU is restricted because of the Northern Ireland 鈥楶rotected Zone鈥 status against a range of pest and diseases.
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There is no personal allowance for plants in personal baggage when entering Northern Ireland from a non-EU (鈥渢hird鈥) country. If you intend to bring plants or plant products (including cut flowers) with you into Northern Ireland from a non-EU country (including England, Scotland or Wales), then they must be accompanied by a valid phytosanitary (plant health) certificate, attesting that they are free from specific pests and diseases.
An exemption exists for fruits of banana, coconut, durian, date and pineapple, which do not require a phytosanitary certificate for importation from outside the EU.
Since April 2022, phytosanitary certificates can only be issued for plants grown and inspected on registered, professional premises until their time of sale / export.
Hence, private individuals are no longer eligible to apply for a phytosanitary certificate to cover such plant movements and cannot legally bring these items with them from Great Britain into Northern Ireland.
The above rules also apply if you want to order live 鈥減lants for planting鈥 (including seeds, bulbs, tubers and corms) online or have them sent by mail.
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DAERA inspectors at 鈥榩oints of entry鈥 (ports and airports) are authorised to seize any materials deemed to be a potential risk to plant health, at their discretion.