Animal products

The use of cat, dog, or seal fur is subject to strict legal regulation.

Cat and dog fur

There is an absolute ban on the offering of cat or dog fur for sale in the EU, and on the import or export of cat or dog fur into, or from the EU. The only exception is if such export or import

• is occasional,
• only includes products that are for the personal use or consumption of the traveller or members of the traveller’s household, or are a present, and
• neither from its nature or quantity gives reason to suppose that the import is for commercial reasons.

The fur of certain cats can come within the scope of both animal welfare and species protection provisions. For this reason species protection legislation must also be observed.

Seal products

Seal products include all processed or unprocessed products originating from seals or derived from seals, and include meat, oil, blubber, organs, untreated furskins, and tanned or dressed furskins, and products made of furskins.

Specific seal products/species of seal (for example: walruses and certain species of eared seals and uneared seals) may come within the scope not only of animal welfare provisions but also of species protection provisions, and for this reason species protection legislation must be considered.

Import ban

There is a total ban on the import of seal products pursuant to Article 3 (1) of Regulation (EC) No 1007/ 2009.

Excepted from the import ban are seal products that

• are for the personal use of travellers or their families,
• are occasionally imported,
• neither from the product’s nature nor its quantity give reason to suppose that the import is for commercial reasons.

In addition one of the following conditions must be satisfied:

1. The seal products must either be worn by, or included in the carry-on or personal luggage of the traveller.
2. The seal products belong to the private property of a natural person who is moving house from a non-EU country to a country in the EU ("relocation goods").
3. The seal products were locally acquired in a non-EU country and are subsequently being imported by the traveller, and are accompanied by a written (informal) import statement and a document (an invoice, for example) showing that the products were acquired in the country in question ("forwarded travel souvenirs"). In this case the traveller must show these documents at the customs office of the Member State on arrival in the EU. Both the documents are then endorsed by the customs office of entry and returned to the traveller. They must thereafter be shown at the customs office of clearance, together with the customs declaration, during the subsequent clearance of the forwarded travel souvenirs.

Other information

Where appropriate, certain provisions under animal health legislations must also be observed.
You should be aware that the customs only plays a subordinate role in this area. Chiefly responsible here is the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung - BLE). If you require further information, you should direct your inquiries to the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food.