Switzerland and the EU

Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the EU form a common phytosanitary area, within which plant material can, in principle, be freely traded (no systematic phytosanitary border controls). Under the bilateral Swiss-EU Agreement on Trade in Agricultural Products, the same regulations apply throughout this single market for trade in plant material.

For plants and parts of plants intended for planting, and for certain other goods, a plant passport is required for sales within Switzerland and for exchanges with the EU. Only in the case of direct (local) supply to persons not using these goods for commercial or professional purposes is a plant passport not generally required. However, for trade – within Switzerland or with the EU – in vegetables, fruits, cut flowers, most seeds, and other plant products not intended for planting, a plant passport is not generally required.

Plant passports can only be issued by authorised operators and by the competent authority in the country concerned (in Switzerland, the Swiss Federal Plant Protection Service/SPPS). Persons and companies producing plant material intended for planting only for their own use do not need to issue plant passports and therefore do not require authorisation.

Note: The United Kingdom (with the exception of Northern Ireland) is considered as a non-EU country for trade in plant material since 1 January 2021 (for more information, see below).

More information about the plant passport

What does a plant passport look like?

The plant passport must take the form of a label. It must be clearly visible and be permanently attached to the commercial unit or individual product.

General import licence requirement

For imports of many agricultural products, a general import licence is required.

More information on the general import licence

Import licences for forest reproductive material

Imports of forest reproductive material require a licence issued by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).

Protection of endangered species (CITES)

Trade in protected plant species is subject to the provisions of the Washington Convention (CITES). Information on this topic can be obtained from the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO).

Further information on CITES

Brexit: What will apply from 1 January 2021?

The United Kingdom (UK) left the EU at the end of January 2020, with a transitional period until the end of 2020. Since 1 January 2021 the UK (with the exception of Northern Ireland) is considered as a non-EU country for trade in plant material.

This concretely means the following:

For imports of fresh plant material (plants, fruits, vegetables, cut flowers etc.) from the UK (except Northern Ireland) into Switzerland and the EU, a phytosanitary certificate will in principle be required from 1 January 2021. In addition, certain goods (e.g. vine plants) will be subject to an import ban from that date, as is already the case for other non-EU countries. Exports of plant products to the UK must comply with the new UK phytosanitary rules (a phytosanitary certificate is often also required; for more information see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/importing-and-exporting-plants-and-plant-products-from-1-january-2021).
Northern Ireland is practically considered as a European Union state: plants and other goods requiring a plant passport can continue to be traded between Northern Ireland and Switzerland/EU with a plant passport. It is still possible to trade other plant products (vegetables, cut flowers, fruits, etc.) with Northern Ireland without phytosanitary documents.