Plants and plant products
You could potentially introduce dangerous diseases and harmful organisms when you bring in plants and plant products in your luggage. They can cause considerable damage to plants in Germany and the other countries of the European Union. EU-wide regulations on the import of plants and plant products are in place to protect our plants and keep them healthy. These regulations also apply to passenger traffic, and include both import bans and import restrictions.
Prohibited imports
The importation of particularly dangerous harmful organisms and, of course, of plants and plant products infested by them is fundamentally prohibited.
In addition, you are generally not allowed to bring in certain kinds of plants from a non-EU country when travelling.
These kinds of plants include:
- most coniferous plants
- some deciduous trees (sweet chestnut, oak, poplar from North America)
- fruit trees and medlars
- potatoes
- grapevines
- citrus plants
- loose soil and growing media
- solanaceous plants
- many grass species
Restricted imports
If you nevertheless wish to bring in live plants, plant parts (e.g. cut flowers), fruits or seeds into Germany in your luggage for personal use, you must always carry a phytosanitary certificate for these goods from the country of origin. The phytosanitary certificate is issued by the competent phytosanitary authority of the country you are visiting Germany from. If you cannot produce a phytosanitary certificate or if an explicit import ban is in place, the import will not be allowed and the goods are usually destroyed. In addition, you will be expected to pay a fine and possibly have to cover the costs for the destruction process.
Exceptions
The following fruits are exempt from the aforementioned phytosanitary regulations and you do not need a phytosanitary certificate for them:
- pineapples
- coconuts
- durio
- bananas
- dates
Please note that customs only play a supporting role in the area of plant protection. These matters primarily fall under the jurisdiction of the given competent Länder (German Federal State) authority. Customs supports these authorities through surveillance activities at borders and airports. Accordingly, if you have any questions or in cases of doubt, please first contact the German Federal State authority responsible for your place of residence. Further information can also be obtained from the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and the Julius Kühn Institute - Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants (JKI).
Plant protection products
The import of plant protection products by private persons is subject to the same regulations that apply to regular imports.
