Plants and plant products (phytosanitary certificate, PC)

The purpose of the phytosanitary measures is to prevent the introduction and propagation of quarantine organisms and regulated non-quarantine organisms (that is, harmful organisms that are considered particularly hazardous under the terms of the Ordinance on plant health; for reference see point 5). The import of plants and plant products, where not prohibited because of the phytosanitary risk that certain plants and plant products present, is subject to the phytosanitary certification (PC) regime within the meaning of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).

Certificates are issued under the responsibility of the national plant protection organization of the exporting country if the goods concerned meet Switzerland's phytosanitary requirements. No licence as such is needed for the import of goods requiring a phytosanitary certificate, but each shipment is subject to a phytosanitary check upon importation and, for this reason, must be notified to the Federal Plant Protection Service (SPF) no later than the day before the check is to take place. Importers are entered in an official register managed by the SPF.

Phytosanitary measures applicable to the import of plants, plant products and other items include, on the one hand, the prohibition of imports and, on the other, the phytosanitary certification regime in accordance with the procedures set out in the IPPC. Dispensation may be granted in the case of goods the import of which is prohibited or which cannot meet the mandatory phytosanitary requirements for obtaining a phytosanitary certificate. Dispensation is granted solely in the case of goods that are imported for research, selection, multiplication or diagnostic purposes, provided that the conditions for their intended use make it possible to rule out the propagation of particularly hazardous harmful organisms.

The products in question are essentially those listed under the following customs tariff numbers or chapters:

0601/0602/0603/0604 (Live trees and other plants; bulbs, roots and the like; cut flowers and ornamental foliage);
ex 0701/0702/0703/0709/0712 (Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers);
ex 0804/0805/0806/0807/0808/0809/0810 (Edible fruit);
ex 1001/1002/1005/1006/1008 (Cereals);
ex 1205/1206/1207/1209/1211/1212 (Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits; miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit; industrial or medicinal plants; straw and fodder);
ex 14 (Bark and bark products);
ex 25/31/38 (Soil and other substrates for cultivation);
ex 44 (Wood and wood products);
ex 9406 (Prefabricated buildings).

The purpose of the measures is to prevent the introduction of particularly hazardous harmful organisms affecting plants. The regimes governing plants, plant products and other items are frequently revised according to developments in the phytosanitary situation both in Switzerland and Liechtenstein and in certain countries in the rest of the world.

Not applicable (no restrictions).

The PC regime applies to all plants for planting, irrespective of origin, with the exception of those from the European Union (EU). Plants other than those for planting, plant products and products originating in countries other than the EU member States, as set out in Annex 6 to the Ordinance of the DEFR and DETEC concerning the Ordinance on plant health (for reference see point 5), are also subject to the PC regime. The import prohibition concerns goods originating in countries where the phytosanitary situation is such that the goods present a clear risk of introducing harmful organisms that are particularly hazardous for Switzerland and Liechtenstein. They are listed in Annex 5 to the above-mentioned Ordinance. For certain goods (e.g. potatoes or plants of specific conifer species), the prohibition extends to all countries other than member countries of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO).