Non-EU countries

Plants and parts of plants brought in from abroad may be contaminated with dangerous diseases and pests. For this reason, as in the EU, new legal restrictions on imports of plant material from outside the EU came into effect on 1 January 2020.

It is prohibited to import plants, fruits, vegetables, flowers, seeds or other fresh plant material, soil or certain types of wood from non-EU countries, the Canary Islands, Ceuta, Melilla or French overseas territories to Switzerland.

After a customs check (“Goods to declare”) by the Swiss Federal Plant Protection Service (SPPS), the import of plant material may be permitted, provided that it is accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate from the country of origin. High-risk goods (potatoes, soil, citrus leaves, etc.) are prohibited in all cases.

Exceptions
The only fruits which can still be brought into Switzerland or the EU from any other country without a phytosanitary certificate, or any checks, are pineapples, coconuts, durians, bananas and dates.

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).

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.

 

 

Flyer for passengers (PDF, 860 kB, 23.12.2019)

Last modification 04.01.2021