When you order seedlings, green plants, potted plants, cuttings and other plant propagation material from a foreign online store, take the phytosanitary requirements into account. Their purpose is to prevent plant diseases and pests from spreading with the plants. As regards imports from the EU countries, there are restrictions only on fire blight host plants and seed potatoes. Ordering from outside the EU is subject to many restrictions, and you also have to organise an import inspection for plants. You should therefore familiarise yourself carefully with the below instructions before ordering plants.
Also, take into account the following:
- The requirements related to ordering seeds (in Finnish)
- Varieties included in the EU's or the National list of invasive alien species must not be ordered.
- Requirements for CITES species (in Finnish)
- Customs clearance of consignments when ordering from outside the EU (in Finnish)
Ordering plants from another EU country
- Make sure that you buy from a professional online store that sells products from controlled production. Plants sold by amateur growers involve a great risk of spreading plant diseases and pests if they have been grown in home gardens, for example. Plants from controlled professional growers have been checked for plant diseases and pests.
- When you order from the EU, there are restrictions on fire blight (in Finnish) host plants and seed potatoes. They require a PZ plant passport when imported into Finland. As you will probably not find products with a PZ marking in the online stores of another EU country, you have to obtain the fire blight host plants and seed potatoes from Finland. This requirement is due to Finland being a protective zone for fire blight and certain pests spreading with potatoes. When imported into a protective zone, these plants are subject to stricter phytosanitary requirements than elsewhere in the EU.
Ordering plants from a non-EU country
- Check the import bans.
Certain plants must not be imported from non-EU countries. The ban may apply to all non-EU countries, or only to some regions. For example, fire blight host plants, coniferous plants, citrus trees and potatoes are subject to an import ban. See the import bans here under the instructions Maahantuontikiellot (in Finnish). - Find out whether you can obtain a phytosanitary certificate for the plants you wish to order.
All seedlings, potted plants, green plants, cuttings, grafts and other plant propagation material must have a phytosanitary certificate when ordered from outside the EU. If you cannot get a phytosanitary certificate for the plants, you cannot order them. The phytosanitary certificate is granted by the plant health authority of the sending country. - Note that transport can be arranged only through Posti, DHL and UPS.
- When the consignment has arrived, start the customs declaration. When declaring, state whether the phytosanitary certificate is in the parcel or whether you have it yourself. Use the form for ordering an import inspection (in Finnish) to notify the Finnish Food Authority of the consignment to be inspected.
Complete the form carefully as the Finnish Food Authority uses the information you have provided to create the CHED-PP (Common Health Entry Document for Plants, Plant Products and Plant propagating material) in the Traces system. When the consignment has been inspected, you will receive an email in the address you have provided. If the consignment has been approved for import, you will receive a CHED-PP number for the consignment, which you will need for completing the customs clearance. - Take the costs into account. The phytosanitary certificate and the inspection are subject to a fee. The price of the phytosanitary certificate depends on the sending country. The import inspection fee is EUR 233.
- Also see Finnish Customs’ instructions for clearing customs.