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Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs An Roinn Talmhaíochta, Comhshaoil agus Gnóthaí Tuaithe Depairtment o' Fairmin, Environment an' Kintra Matthers

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  • Summary of personal food import restrictions

    Topics:
    • Plant and Tree Health, 
    • Food, 
    • Import and export of plants and trees, 
    • Personal food imports

    This section summarises the different regulations that apply to personal food imports from EU and non-EU countries.

    From EU countries

    You can bring any meat, dairy or other animal products (eg fish, eggs and honey) into NI if you’re travelling from a country within the EU provided it's in its original, intact packaging with EU oval health mark.

    You can bring almost any plants, fruit and vegetables into NI if you’re travelling from a country within the EU. Because Northern Ireland has ‘protected zone’ status for some plant pests and diseases, there are some plants and plant products that must fulfil special requirements before they are allowed into Northern Ireland.

    However if a Veterinary or Plant Health Risk Based Assessment suggests that any of these items could be diseased or harbour a pest they will not be permitted entry to NI.

    Food from Europe: details of restrictions

    You can bring in or receive by post personal imports of any meat, dairy or other animal products from any EU country, provided it's in its original, intact packaging with EU oval health mark, subject to the additional restrictions listed below. The same restrictions apply to plants and plant products sent by post as when carrying them in your luggage.

    You may only bring in or send by post larger quantities of animal products if they meet the requirements for commercial consignments, which include:

    • certification requirements, as laid down in the appropriate official European Community veterinary certificate
    • the presentation of the goods, with the correct documentation, to an authorised EU border inspection post for veterinary control, on arrival in NI

    Eligible European countries

    The EU countries are:

    • Austria
    • Belgium
    • Bulgaria
    • Croatia
    • Cyprus
    • Czech Republic
    • Denmark
    • Estonia
    • Finland
    • France
    • Germany
    • Greece
    • Hungary
    • Ireland
    • Italy
    • Latvia
    • Lithuania
    • Luxembourg
    • Malta
    • Netherlands
    • Poland
    • Portugal (including Azores and Madeira)
    • Romania
    • Slovakia
    • Slovenia
    • Spain
    • Sweden

    The Community customs territory includes these countries which also count as EU countries in this context:

    • Andorra
    • Canary Islands
    • Croatia
    • Iceland
    • Liechtenstein
    • Norway
    • San Marino
    • Switzerland

    Ineligible European countries

    Although Gibraltar is part of the EU, it is outside the Community customs territory so is therefore treated as a non-EU country.

    Though the whole of Cyprus is part of the EU, goods from any area of Cyprus not under the effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus are treated as non-EU imports. Faroe Islands and Greenland are dealt with in the section below.

    Additional restrictions

    For certain protected species, additional restrictions may apply for products brought or sent from Andorra, Canary Islands, Croatia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland.

    • caviar of sturgeon species: 125 grams per person

    If you wish to send by post, regardless of the amount, or bring in more than 125 grams in your personal luggage you must have the correct CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) permits, or all of the product will be seized. Please contact the UK CITES Management Authority on 0117 372 8774, including if you need confirmation as to whether the caviar in question is listed as an endangered species.

    Restrictions on plants and plant products from EU countries

    Products(s)Restrictions
    Certain plants intended for plantingPZ passport required with relevant EPPO code(s)*
    Certain vegetablesNo soil allowed
    Isolated bark, wood in the rough and wood chips of conifers and CastaneaPZ passport required with relevant EPPO code(s)*

    *More information on plant passports and PZ codes can be found here.

    Certain plants intended for planting include:

    • Beta vulgaris (Beetroot), Castanea (Sweet Chestnut), Cedrus (Cedar), Larix (Larch), Palms with a diameter over 5 m at the base, Picea (Spruce; not fruit or seed), Pinus (Pine; not fruit or seed), Populus (Poplar or Aspen), Prunus (not seeds) e.g. Plums, Apricots, Cherries, Almonds, Laurels, Quercus (Oak), Ulmus (Elm)

    Certain vegetables include:

    • Beetroot, Carrots, Celery, Leeks, Pak Choi, Potatoes, Rapeseed, Turnips

    From non-EU countries

    The following items are banned:

    • all meat and meat products
    • all milk and dairy products
    • some plants and plant products considered high risk
    • loose soil

    The following items are restricted

    • all plants for planting including bulbs, corms, tubers, cuttings and rhizomes, all cut flowers, grasses and foliage and all fresh vegetables and fruit except Pineapple, Durian, Dates, Bananas and Coconuts
    • fish, bivalves (dead) and fish/fishery products - no more than 20kg total weight (fish must be gutted if fresh, or processed ie cooked, cured, dried or smoked) 2kg total weight combined per person.

    The rules apply to any products carried in your personal luggage or sent by post (including those ordered online) and even if they’re for yourself, bought in a shop (including at an airport), home-grown/made or vacuum packed.

    Food from outside the EU: details of restrictions

    Note that though the whole of Cyprus is part of the EU, goods from any area of Cyprus not under the effective control of the government of the Republic of Cyprus are treated as non-EU imports. For restrictions from Faroe Islands and Greenland see sections below.

    Products(s)Restrictions
    Meat and dairy products (other than powdered infant milk, infant food, special foods and special pet feed required for medical reasons)Not permitted
    Powdered infant milk, infant food, special foods and special pet feed required for medical reasons*2kg total weight per person travelling
    Special pet feed required for medical reasons*2kg total weight per person travelling

    *provided that in both cases:

    • the product does not require refrigeration before consumption
    • the product is in commercially branded packaging
    • the packaging is unbroken unless in current use
    Product(s)Restrictions
    Fish/fishery products/bivalves (dead)20kg total weight per person travelling or the weight of one fish, whichever weight is the highest

    Fresh fish must be gutted.

    Fishery products include:

    • processed fish (dried, cooked, cured or smoked)
    • lobsters and prawns
    • caviar not from certain protected species e.g. salmon caviar

    Bivalves (dead) include:

    • mussels
    • oysters

    In accordance with Commission Decision 2005/692/EC (as amended) which imposes certain protection measures to prevent the spread of Avian Influenza (more commonly known as ‘bird flu’) into the EU, personal imports of raw eggs for human consumption from China (not including Hong Kong or Macao), Malaysia or South Korea (the Republic of Korea) are banned. The ban does not apply to eggs that have been cooked or processed in some way which are still permitted as part of the 2kg concession.

    For certain protected species, additional restrictions may apply e.g.:

    • caviar of sturgeon species: 125 grams per person

    If you wish to send by post, regardless of the amount, or bring in more than 125 grams in your personal luggage you must have the correct CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) permits, or all of the product will be seized. Please contact the UK CITES Management Authority on 0117 372 8774, including if you need confirmation as to whether the caviar in question is listed as an endangered species.

    The total weight of the caviar is included as part of the 20kg total weight per person allowance covering products from the ‘Fish/fishery products/bivalves (dead)’ category.

    From Faroe Islands and Greenland

    You may only bring in or send by post personal imports of the following products:

    Product(s)Restrictions
    Meat and dairy products (other than powdered infant milk, infant food, special foods and special pet feed required for medical reasons)10kg per person
    Powdered infant milk, infant food, special foods and special pet feed required for medical reasons*10kg per person
    Special pet feed required for medical reasons*10kg per person


    *provided that in both cases:

    • the product does not require refrigeration before consumption
    • the product is in commercially branded packaging
    • the packaging is unbroken unless in current use

    For certain protected species, additional restrictions may apply eg:

    • caviar of sturgeon species: 125 grams per person

    If you wish to send by post, regardless of the amount, or bring in more than 125 grams in your personal luggage you must have the correct CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) permits, or all of the product will be seized. Please contact the UK CITES Management Authority on 0117 372 8774, including if you need confirmation as to whether the caviar in question is listed as an endangered species.

    Note that from Faroe Islands and Greenland, the total weight of the caviar (from certain protected species) is included as part of the 20kg total weight per person allowance within fish/fishery products (including caviar not from certain protected species eg salmon caviar) - see below.

    Faroe Islands and Greenland: additional restrictions

    Product(s)Restrictions
    Fish / fishery products - bivalves (dead)20kg total weight per person travelling or the weight of one fish, whichever weight is the highest


    Fresh fish must be gutted.

    Fishery products include:

    • processed fish (dried, cooked, cured or smoked)
    • lobsters and prawns
    • caviar not from certain protected species e.g. salmon caviar

    Bivalves (dead) include:

    • mussels
    • oysters
    Product(s)Restrictions
    Other animal products10kg total weight per person travelling


    Other animal products include:

    • bivalves (live) e.g. mussels and oysters
    • eggs/egg products
    • frogs’ legs (hind part of the frog with the skin/internal organs removed)
    • honey
    • reptile and insect meat
    • snail meat (edible land snails, shelled)

    Frogs’ legs must be the back (i.e. the hind) part of the frog with the skin/internal organs removed. If the skin/internal organs are still attached, the frogs’ legs are not permitted. May be fresh, chilled, frozen or processed.

    Snails must be shelled, cooked and prepared/preserved meat of edible land snails, including canned snail meat, and snail shells re-filled with snail meat. Live snails, dead snails still in their shells and water snails are not permitted.

    Restrictions on animal skins and bush meat

    Animal hides and skins (either with or without hairs/fur) must be tanned or they are illegal products. Tanning means the hardening of hides and skins using vegetable tanning agents, chromium salts or other substances such as aluminium salts, ferric salts, silicic salts, aldehydes and quinones or other synthetic hardening agents. There is no specific limit on the amount you can bring.

    International trade in bush meat derived from animals is either banned completely or controlled by means of a permitting system. Personal imports of all meat from non-EU countries are prohibited. Penalties for illegal importation are high with up to 7 years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. There is no precise definition of bush meat that is universally accepted, although it is generally understood to be the meat of any wild animal hunted for food. It is not necessarily from endangered species.

    Restrictions on plants and plant products from Non-EU countries

    Product(s)Restrictions
    High risk plants for planting (but not seeds), loose soilNot permitted from any non-EU country
    Certain plants and plant productsNot permitted from certain non-EU countries
    All other plants for planting and seed for sowing, all fresh or chilled plants and parts of plants other than for planting and not crushed or powdered, growing medium attached to plants, certain wood and bark materialsMust be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate and declared on arrival. Must be of weight less than 2kg per person unless entry is through a Border Control Post.
    Fruits of Pineapple, Durian, Dates, Bananas and Coconuts, Pure peat or coirNone

    More information can be found here

    High risk plants for planting include:

    • Acacia
    • Acer
    • Albizia
    • Alnus
    • Annona
    • Bauhinia
    • Berberis
    • Betula
    • Caesalpinia
    • Cassia
    • Castania
    • Citrus
    • Cornus
    • Corylus
    • Crataegus
    • Diospyros
    • Fagus
    • Ficus carica
    • Fortunella
    • Fraxinus
    • Hamamelis
    • Jasminum
    • Juglans
    • Ligustrum
    • Lonicera
    • Persea
    • Malus
    • Nerium
    • Poncirus
    • Populus
    • Prunus
    • Quercus
    • Robinia
    • Salix
    • Sorbus
    • Taxus
    • Tilia
    • Ulmus
    • Ullucus tuberosus
    • Vitis

    Certain plants and plant products include:

    • Fruits of Momordica
    • Wood of Ulmus
    • Isolated bark of Quercus, Acer saccarinum, Populus

    Plants of :

    • Abies
    • Cedrus
    • Chamaecyparis
    • Juniperus
    • Larix
    • Picea
    • Tsuga
    • Chaenomeles
    • Cydonia
    • Pyrus
    • Rosa
    • Fragaria
    • Photinia
    • Pheonix
    • Solanaceae
    • Grasses

    All fresh or chilled plants and parts of plants other than for planting and not crushed or powdered, include:

    • All bulbs, tubers, tuberous roots, corms, crowns, rhizomes, cuttings and slips and chicory plants and roots
    • All cut flowers, foliage, branches and grasses suitable for bouquets or ornamental purposes
    • Fresh or chilled root vegetables, including ginger, saffron and turmeric, not dried
    • All fresh, unshelled nuts
    • All fresh or chilled fruit (except Pineapple, Durian, Dates, Bananas and Coconuts)
    • Fresh, whole, unfermented tea leaves
    • Fresh hop cones

    Certain wood and bark materials include:

    • Wood in the rough, fuel wood, wood chips or sawdust of conifers and a range of hardwood genera from certain countries
    • Bark of all conifers and some hardwood species from certain countries

    Personal import rules database

    For a detailed check of permitted foodstuffs listed by country and type, including for items sent by post, you can use the personal import rules database.

    Related content

    • DAERA Exports - Phytosanitary Certificate
    • Import and export of plants
    • Import and export of wood and bark
    • Introduction to personal food imports
    • Moving and retaining prohibited plants, plant pests, pathogens and soil
    • Personal food imports - checks and penalties
    • Seed potatoes
    • The Forest Reproductive Material (FRM) Regulations
    • Traces-NT Contingency (How to pre-notify DAERA when Traces is offline)
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