UK plant health, live-plant import & Border Control Post directory
Search 32 verified official entries: the UK, devolved and Crown Dependency plant health desks, the airport and seaport Border Control Posts that can actually clear live plants, CITES licensing, and the import and soil rules for Thailand, Indonesia, Ecuador, Colombia, the EU, the USA and holiday luggage. Every card links to its official source.
32 entries
Checked 10 November 2026
Official .gov.uk, IPPC & CITES sources
One small collector order, two routes
Importing a plant yourself vs buying one already acclimatised in the UK
DIY overseas plant import Non-EU / EU High-Risk
Overseas Phytosanitary Certificate, issued within 13 days of dispatch
IPAFFS CHED-PP filed 4h–1 working day before arrival
£5.25 APHA documentary check, plus identity and physical inspection fees
£29–£145 Dover/Eurotunnel Common User Charge, or an airline cargo-shed handling fee
£74 UK CITES import permit if the plant is listed
Soil ban: roots washed bare before export, and no arrival guarantee
Please note. Growtropic Ltd is an APHA-registered Yorkshire nursery and peat-free substrate formulator. We are not a government regulator, customs broker or legal adviser. Every entry below is copied from the official source linked on its card, checked on 10 November 2026. Border check frequencies, port shed tariffs, fees and BTOM risk tiers are revised from time to time by DEFRA, APHA, SASA and DAERA on GOV.UK and IPAFFS, so confirm with the authority before you ship.
UK & Crown authorityUK Plant Passport£61.58 / 15 min
APHA Plant Health & Seeds Inspectorate (PHSI) — England & Wales
England & Wales (Plants for Planting, UK Plant Passports, Quarantine Pests)
Operator registration via eDomero: £0; Plant Passport authorisation & annual renewal inspection: £61.58 per 15 mins (£123.16 minimum visit fee); paper form surcharge: +£20.66
Rule & watch-outMandatory authorisation for any nursery, garden centre, or online seller in England & Wales supplying plants for planting to trade buyers or by distance/online contract (SI 2020/1527 Art. 69 requires 3-year traceability records).
UK & Crown authorityPaper phyto within 3 days£5.25 doc check
APHA Original Phytosanitary Certificate Postal Desk (Imports)
England & Wales (Paper Phytosanitary Certificate Surrender)
Address
Animal and Plant Health Agency, Foss House, 1st Floor, Kings Pool, 1–2 Peasholme Green, York, YO1 7PX
Contact & hours
Tel: 0300 1000 313 · Hours: Mon–Fri 08:30–17:00
Fees & deadlines
Documentary check fee: £5.25 per phytosanitary certificate (plus risk-targeted identity & physical inspection charges); post original paper certificate within 3 days of GB arrival
Rule & watch-outRequired whenever an imported High-Risk or Medium-Risk A/B plant consignment travels on an original paper Phytosanitary Certificate rather than a cloned digital ePhyto. Certificate must be issued within 13 days before/after export dispatch.
Portal registration: £0 (standard APHA/SASA check fees billed against generated CHED-PP); pre-notify >= 4 working hours before air/RoRo arrival, >= 1 working day before sea freight
Rule & watch-outEvery commercial or postal/courier import of High-Risk or Medium-Risk A plants (all rooted plants, cuttings, tubers, corms, and tissue culture) must be pre-notified on IPAFFS with a scanned Phytosanitary Certificate uploaded before arrival.
England, Scotland & Wales (Distance-Contract Biosecurity)
Address
APHA Plant Health, Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZ
Contact & hours
Tel: 0300 1000 313 · Web Help Form via GOV.UK · Hours: Mon–Fri 08:30–17:00
Fees & deadlines
Included within authorised UK Plant Passport operator compliance (£61.58 / 15 min site audit rate; £123.16 minimum)
Rule & watch-outEvery plant sold online, by mail order, or over social media/marketplaces to a UK home grower legally requires a physical UK Plant Passport (Parts A–D) on the pot or consignment; retail shops selling solely in person to walk-in final users are exempt from issuing passports.
Rule & watch-outRequired in addition to phytosanitary clearance for all CITES-listed plants — including Orchidaceae, Cactaceae, succulent Euphorbia, Nepenthes, Cycas, and listed Anthurium/Philodendron species — even when artificially propagated in nurseries. Non-refundable once processing starts.
Free public lookup (£0); determines whether a £74 UK CITES Import Permit + overseas CITES Export Permit is legally required prior to shipment
Rule & watch-outCollectors and stockists must check exact Latin binomials (e.g., Anthurium, Ceropegia, Euphorbia, Rhipsalis, Orchidaceae) before shipping; importing CITES flora without advance permits issued before dispatch causes border seizure.
Restricted strictly to scientific research, official testing, educational trials, varietal selection, or breeding (not issued for collector or retail imports)
Rule & watch-outUntreated soil and organic growing media from non-EU third countries are prohibited from entering Great Britain without a formal specified-material authorisation and quarantine containment facility.
Statutory Scottish inspection fees under Plant Health (Import Inspection Fees) (Scotland) Regulations (SSI 2021/159); paper phytosanitary originals due at Roddinglaw Road within 3 days
Rule & watch-outCompetent authority for Scottish nurseries, Scottish retail stockists applying to issue UK Plant Passports, and plant consignments landing at Scottish airport/seaport BCPs (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Grangemouth).
GB operators authorised under the Northern Ireland Plant Health Label (NIPHL) scheme move qualifying plants/seeds for planting GB → NI without full EU export phytosanitary fees
Rule & watch-outNorthern Ireland applies EU plant health rules; private or non-NIPHL GB sellers cannot post live plants into BT postcodes without an export Phytosanitary Certificate and CHED-PP clearance. Qualifying NI Goods (QNIGs) move NI → GB under Part E rules.
Crown Dependencies Plant Health Desks (Jersey, Guernsey & Isle of Man)
Bailiwick of Jersey (JE), Bailiwick of Guernsey (GY) & Isle of Man (IM)
Address
Jersey: Howard Davis Farm, Trinity, JE3 5JP · Guernsey: Burnt Lane House, St Martin, GY4 6LD · Isle of Man: DEFA, Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Rd, St John's, IM4 3AS
Situated within the GB/Crown Dependency UK Plant Passport movement zone (£0 export phytosanitary fee from authorised GB nurseries, subject to local Pest-Free Area PFA rules)
Rule & watch-outLive plants moving from Great Britain to Jersey, Guernsey, or the Isle of Man require a valid UK Plant Passport (with PFA designation where required for specific host species) plus compliance with island biosecurity pre-notification rules.
Rule & watch-outPrimary UK entry hub for Southeast Asian and South American air-freighted aroids and tissue culture (>= 4 working hours IPAFFS notice). Critical trap: Heathrow Perishable Centre (HPC Building 588) and Eurobip are approved for PP only — not P live plants; routing live plants to a PP-only shed causes customs holds.
P, PP (Plants & Plant Products; not designated for PP(WP) isolated bark/timber). APHA statutory fees + handler charges
Rule & watch-outAuthorised 7 days a week (06:00–00:00) for air-cargo live plants (P) arriving on long-haul passenger/cargo bellyhold flights into Gatwick; requires >= 4 working hours IPAFFS pre-notification and uploaded Phytosanitary Certificate.
P, PP across all 3 handlers (WFS Building 300 also holds PP(WP) & OO). APHA check fees + handler shed charges
Rule & watch-outClosest major northern English air-freight BCP for nurseries in Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire importing tropical mother stock or in-vitro flasks (>= 4 working hours IPAFFS notice). Note: Newcastle WFS (NE13 8BH) is Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00 only.
P, PP, PP(WP), OO at both DHL and UPS terminals. APHA statutory fees + express integrator brokerage charges
Rule & watch-outPrimary UK hub for DHL Express and UPS commercial air plant imports (>= 4 working hours IPAFFS pre-notification). Critical regional trap: Nearby Birmingham Airport (BHX) is authorised for PP only and cannot clear Category P live plants for planting.
P, PP, PP(WP), OO at both airports. Statutory SASA Scottish inspection fees (SSI 2021/159) + cargo shed handling
Rule & watch-outInspected by SASA rather than APHA; original paper Phytosanitary Certificates must reach SASA Roddinglaw Road (EH12 9FJ) within 3 days. Avoid Friday arrivals into Edinburgh (closed Saturday & Sunday).
P, PP, PP(WP), OO. Incurs DEFRA Common User Charge (£29 per commodity line, capped at 5 lines / £145 per CHED-PP)plus APHA inspection fees
Rule & watch-outMandatory government SPS inspection facility for EU/Dutch live-plant lorries entering via Dover or Eurotunnel (>= 4 working hours IPAFFS notice). The £29–£145 Common User Charge applies to every eligible commercial CHED-PP even if not selected for physical inspection.
Inspection Building: P, PP, OO (Main Port also holds PP(WP)). APHA inspection fees + Harwich local port health charges (exempt from Dover CUC)
Rule & watch-outKey North Sea RoRo route for Dutch greenhouse Danish-trolley plant consignments (>= 4 working hours IPAFFS notice for RoRo); importers must select the Harwich Inspection Building (P) code on IPAFFS rather than the timber-only berth.
Inspection Centres: P, PP, OO (Main port berths also hold PP(WP)). APHA fees + port operator BCP handling charges
Rule & watch-outClosest maritime entry points to Yorkshire nurseries for continental European nursery stock and palletised horticultural substrates (>= 4 working hours IPAFFS pre-notification on RoRo ferries; >= 1 working day on container vessels).
70 & 72 Sheds: P, PP, OO; Main Port (IP11 3SY): PP(WP) (bark/timber). APHA/Forestry Commission check fees + Suffolk Coastal Port Health charges
Rule & watch-outPrimary UK deep-sea container gateway for Sri Lankan coco coir/husk, New Zealand heat-treated Pinus radiata bark (PP(WP)), and sea-freighted plant containers (>= 1 working day IPAFFS notice required prior to vessel arrival).
Both hold full P, PP, PP(WP), OO designation (Tilbury RM18 7HX & Southampton SO15 1DA also hold P, PP, PP(WP), OO). APHA + local port health charges
Rule & watch-outCovers Western Channel RoRo plant movements (Portsmouth, 4 working hours notice) and deep-sea containerised botanical/substrate imports (London Gateway, 1 working day notice) without Dover CUC.
Country & traveller ruleBTOM High-RiskEU phyto required
Netherlands & EU Member States → Great Britain
(Dutch Aroids, Starter Plugs & Specimen Tropics)
Exporting authority
NVWA (Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit) & EU Member State NPPOs
Risk tier & documents
High-Risk (all plants for planting, rooted pots, cuttings & plugs): Mandatory EU Phytosanitary Certificate (ePhyto or paper) + IPAFFS CHED-PP + authorised Category P BCP or Control Point (CP)
UK entry fees & notice
£5.25 APHA doc check + risk-targeted identity/physical check fees + (£29/line up to £145 CUC if routed via Dover/Eurotunnel). 4h air/RoRo or 1 working day sea notice
Rule & watch-outClean virgin nursery coir/peat-free plugs from the EU are permitted when certified under EU/GB pest-free rules (Xylella fastidiosa host declarations apply), but uncertified retail parcels from EU plant webshops without a Phytosanitary Certificate and BCP entry are intercepted and destroyed.
Department of Agriculture (DOA), Plant Quarantine Research Group, Bangkok (IPPC)
Risk tier & documents
High-Risk: Mandatory Thai DOA Phytosanitary Certificate (<= 13 days before/after dispatch) + IPAFFS CHED-PP + UK Category P Airport BCP + (£74 UK CITES Import Permit if CITES-listed)
Rule & watch-outNon-EU soil & organic compost strictly prohibited. Plants must enter 100% bare-root (washed clean of soil) or as sterile in-vitro agar tissue culture flasks, with pest declarations (Thrips palmi, Bemisia tabaci). Bare-root Thai Alocasia and Monstera require 21–28 day high-humidity (75–90% RH) weaning in oxygenated media.
Indonesian Quarantine Authority (Badan Karantina Indonesia / Barantan, IPPC)
Risk tier & documents
High-Risk: Mandatory Barantan Phytosanitary Certificate + IPAFFS CHED-PP + UK Category P Airport BCP (LHR, STN, MAN, EMA, LGW) + CITES check
UK entry fees & notice
£5.25 doc check + APHA physical/identity check fees + airline shed/brokerage charges; >= 4 working hours IPAFFS air pre-notification; paper phyto due at APHA York within 3 days
Rule & watch-outStrict third-country soil prohibition. Mandatory root-washing strips fine feeder hairs and damages thick Anthurium velamen during 5–10 day transit; surviving imports need immediate dead-root pruning and 44% AFP chunky bark/sphagnum recovery media rather than dense compost.
AGROCALIDAD (Agencia de Regulación y Control Fito y Zoosanitario, IPPC)
Risk tier & documents
High-Risk: Mandatory AGROCALIDAD Phytosanitary Certificate + IPAFFS CHED-PP + UK Category P Airport BCP + (£74 UK CITES Permit where taxon is CITES-listed)
UK entry fees & notice
£5.25 doc check + APHA physical/identity inspection fees + air cargo shed handling; >= 4 working hours IPAFFS air notice prior to UK landing
Rule & watch-outZero soil permitted. High-altitude Andean cloud-forest aroids suffer severe desiccation and cold shock below 12°C in air cargo holds; domestic UK-acclimatised divisions eliminate the 30–50% bare-root post-import collapse rate.
USDA-APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ, IPPC)
Risk tier & documents
High-Risk: Mandatory USDA-APHIS Phytosanitary Certificate + specific GB Xylella fastidiosa pest-free/site declarations + IPAFFS CHED-PP + UK Category P Airport BCP
UK entry fees & notice
£5.25 doc check + APHA physical/identity check fees + USDA export inspection fee + UK express/cargo shed clearance; >= 4 working hours air notice
Rule & watch-outThird-country soil & potting media prohibited. Many US hobbyists cannot obtain USDA Xylella site declarations for small private swaps, meaning casual USPS/courier plant parcels without full certification are refused entry at UK border hubs.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI / Biosecurity New Zealand, IPPC)
Risk tier & documents
Regulated Bark (PP(WP)) / Growing Media: Commercial conifer bark requires Forestry Commission operator registration, MPI Phytosanitary Certificate (heat-treatment/pest declaration), and Notice of Landing at a PP(WP) BCP
UK entry fees & notice
100% arrival inspection on regulated isolated conifer bark (Forestry Commission fee schedule) + >= 1 working day sea container notice (Felixstowe / London Gateway / Tilbury)
Rule & watch-outExplains why importing raw Pinus radiata bark individually is impractical: Growtropic sources compliant, screened 12–18mm and fine horticultural pine bark + Grade-A dehydrated Sphagnum in bulk so UK growers and stockists can order 2.5L–25L bags direct from Yorkshire.
National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS), Department of Agriculture Sri Lanka (IPPC)
Risk tier & documents
Growing Media Purity Controls: Pure unused coconut fibre (coir pith & husk chips), completely free from soil/earth and quarantine pests, routed via commercial container ports (PP / OO)
UK entry fees & notice
Commercial container documentary/port health clearance (>= 1 working day sea notice); zero border paperwork for UK retail buyers purchasing finished mixes domestically
Rule & watch-outHorticultural chemistry warning: Phytosanitary border clearance only checks for pests and soil — unwashed brick coir often arrives at EC > 2.0 mS/cm loaded with sodium chloride that burns Anthurium and Calathea roots. Growtropic blends exclusively washed, calcium-buffered low-EC coir (< 0.5 mS/cm).
Country & traveller ruleNo personal allowanceDeclare at Red Channel
Holiday Hand Luggage & Personal Baggage → Great Britain
(Cuttings, Seeds, Bulbs & Soil)
Exporting authority
UK Border Force & APHA (Red Channel Customs Declaration at All UK Ports & Airports)
Risk tier & documents
Strict Personal Import Controls: Zero personal-allowance exemption for rooted plants, unrooted cuttings, tubers, or bulbs for planting without an official Phytosanitary Certificate (+ CITES permit if listed)
UK entry fees & notice
Immediate Border Force seizure & destruction (plus potential customs penalties) for undeclared plants, cuttings, or soil in suitcases; always declare at the Red Channel if unsure
Rule & watch-outLoose soil, garden earth, and potted soil in luggage are strictly prohibited. Bringing holiday cuttings home in wet tissue risks introducing Xylella fastidiosa, Thrips palmi, or root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne) into UK glasshouses and homes.
Country & traveller rule£0 border feesUK Plant Passport
Great Britain Domestic Distance Dispatch (England, Wales & Scotland)
(Growtropic York Glasshouse Baseline)
Exporting authority
APHA (England & Wales) & SASA (Scotland) — UK Internal Plant Passport Zone
Risk tier & documents
UK Plant Passport (Parts A–D) Included on Every Plant: Printed directly by Growtropic as an APHA-registered professional operator; zero buyer registration or border forms
UK entry fees & notice
£0 border, inspection, CUC, or CITES fees to buyer; UK tracked delivery from £4.99 (Free over £60), dispatched Monday–Thursday (1pm cutoff) with <5°C Winter Thermal Guard
Rule & watch-outPlants arrive already rooted and established in oxygenated 100% peat-free genus-specific substrate (never bare-root washed), backed by our 7-Day Live Arrival Guarantee (keep in nursery pot for first 7 days).
Try a country, an airport code such as LHR, or a plant group such as Anthurium. Or ask the nursery team directly: we import mother stock ourselves and know these routes well.
Type anything you know into the search box: a country, a town, an airport code, a courier, a plant genus or a piece of jargon from an invoice. The cards narrow as you type, and the address bar updates so you can copy the exact lookup into a forum post, an email to a supplier or a note for a colleague. The category buttons limit the list to authorities, Border Control Posts or country rules; the scenario buttons pull together the entries that matter for a particular job, such as importing rare aroids, running a plant shop or sending plants to Scotland, Northern Ireland or the islands.
Which entries apply to you
A collector buying a variegated Monstera from a Thai grower needs four cards in this order: the Thailand country card for the certificate and soil rules, a Category P airport such as Heathrow or Manchester, the IPAFFS desk for the CHED-PP pre-notification, and the Species+ and CITES cards if the plant is listed. A plant shop or garden centre needs the passport authority for its nation: APHA in England and Wales, SASA in Scotland or DAERA in Northern Ireland, plus the Forestry Commission if it brings in bark or wooden display crates. A buyer in a BT, JE, GY or IM postcode should start with the Northern Ireland or Crown Dependencies card.
Why buying in the UK avoids all of this
Every rule in this directory falls on the importer. When a plant is bought from a registered UK nursery, it has already crossed the border, been through its checks and settled into British light and humidity. It travels to you on a UK Plant Passport, rooted in its pot, with no certificate, pre-notification, port charge or permit for you to arrange. That is how we sell every plant from our York glasshouses, and it is why a plant that arrives from us can carry a live arrival guarantee while a bare-root import cannot.
How each entry was checked
Each address, telephone number, opening window, fee, approved category and deadline is taken from the official page linked on its card, and every one of those pages was opened and returned successfully on 10 November 2026. We do not add entries from forums, couriers or broker websites. Government bodies change shed approvals, fees and risk tiers, so treat the official page as the final word and contact the authority before you commit to a shipment.
FAQs
Plant import and biosecurity questions
Still unsure? Email care@growtropic.co.uk with a photo of the plant and its roots — the nursery team replies Monday to Thursday.
Can I bring plant cuttings home from holiday in my luggage?
Not without paperwork. Great Britain has no personal allowance for rooted plants, unrooted cuttings, tubers or bulbs for planting: each needs an official phytosanitary certificate from the country you are leaving, and a CITES permit as well if the species is listed. Loose soil and potted soil are prohibited outright. Undeclared plants found by Border Force are seized and destroyed, so if you are unsure, use the Red Channel and declare them.
Why was my plant parcel from an EU webshop seized?
Since the Border Target Operating Model came in, plants for planting from the EU are High-Risk goods. A parcel needs an EU phytosanitary certificate, an IPAFFS CHED-PP pre-notification and entry through an authorised Category P Border Control Post or control point. Retail parcels posted without that certificate and border entry are intercepted and destroyed, whatever the shop told you at checkout.
What is the difference between a Category P and a PP Border Control Post?
Category P sheds are approved to inspect live plants for planting. PP sheds are approved for plant products only, such as cut flowers and produce. Routing a live plant to a PP-only shed causes a hold, and there are traps: the Heathrow Perishable Centre (Building 588) is PP only, and Birmingham Airport is PP only, so a consignment for planting must be booked through a P-approved handler such as those at Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick, Manchester or East Midlands.
What is the Dover Common User Charge for plants?
It is a DEFRA charge for using the government inspection facility at Sevington for goods entering through Dover or Eurotunnel: £29 per commodity line on each common health entry document, capped at five lines, so a maximum of £145 per CHED-PP. It applies to every eligible commercial consignment even if it is not picked for a physical check, and it is in addition to APHA inspection fees.
Is a UK Plant Passport the same as a phytosanitary certificate?
No. A phytosanitary certificate is issued by the exporting country’s plant protection organisation for a consignment crossing a border into Great Britain. A UK Plant Passport is the label an authorised UK operator attaches when plants move within Great Britain and to the Crown Dependencies, with Parts A to D giving the botanical name, the operator’s registration number, a traceability code and the country of origin. A plant bought from a UK nursery travels on a passport, with no border paperwork for the buyer.
Mon–Thu live dispatchNever sat in a depot over a weekend