How to fill out a phytosanitary certificate
A phytosanitary certificate states that a consignment of plants or plant products has been inspected and meets the importing country's requirements. The critical thing to understand before filling anything in: you do not issue it. A national plant protection organisation does, after inspection — what you prepare is the application.
The 17 fields on a phytosanitary certificate
Taken from the document itself, in the order it prints them.
- Document No.
- Country of Origin
Where the plants were grown, which for processed products is where the raw material was produced rather than where processing happened.
- Country of Destination
Determines which import requirements apply. Every destination publishes its own, and they differ by commodity and sometimes by region within a country.
- Shipper / Exporter
- Consignee
- Marks & Numbers
Distinguishing marks on the packages, so the inspected consignment is identifiable as the one that arrives.
- Method of Dispatch
How the consignment travels, since transit conditions bear on pest risk and some requirements are mode-specific.
- Place of Receipt
The point of origin of the consignment, which inspectors use to trace back to the growing site.
- Port of Discharge
- Declaration
The additional declaration, and the field that gets certificates rejected. Importing countries frequently require specific wording about a named pest or a treatment, and it must appear exactly as prescribed. Paraphrase is refused.
- Reference
- Date
- Lead Time
The window between inspection and shipment. Many destinations require the certificate to be issued within a set number of days before departure, and an old certificate is rejected however accurate.
- Special Instructions
Treatment details where one was applied: chemical, concentration, duration, temperature, date. These are checked against the destination's requirement, not simply recorded.
- Name
- Place
- Company
The national plant protection organisation issuing, not your company. This is the field that most often reveals a misunderstanding about who signs.
The line-item columns
One row per product. Columns can be hidden, renamed or added in the generator.
- Pkgs
- Pkg Type
- Description
Botanical name where the destination requires it — genus and species, not the trade name. \u201cCut flowers\u201d is not a botanical description and will not satisfy a phytosanitary requirement.
- Marks & Numbers
- Qty
As inspected. A certificate covering a quantity larger than what shipped is a discrepancy; smaller, and part of the consignment is uncertified.
- Unit
A working phytosanitary certificate, prefilled with a sample shipment. Every field above is editable here, and it downloads as a PDF.
Check before filingA phytosanitary certificate can only be issued by a national plant protection organisation. Use this to prepare the application and supply your inspector with the consignment details — it is not itself a valid certificate.
IPPC model certificate (ISPM 12)
| Number of packages | Description of packages | Name of produce | Botanical name of plants | Quantity declared | Unit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This is to certify that the plants, plant products or other regulated articles described herein have been inspected and/or tested according to appropriate official procedures and are considered to be free from the quarantine pests specified by the importing contracting party and to conform with the current phytosanitary requirements of the importing contracting party, including those for regulated non-quarantine pests.
Your entries are kept as you move between documents: the parties, ports, container and line items all carry across.
You apply; the authority issues
The certificate is a government-to-government assurance under the International Plant Protection Convention. Your role is to apply, present the consignment for inspection, and provide accurate information. Preparing a draft is useful because it makes the application faster and surfaces missing information early — it is not the certificate.
Check the destination's requirements first
Import requirements are specific, published, and change. They can demand a particular treatment, a declaration about a named pest, an inspection at the growing site rather than at packing, or a certificate issued within a stated number of days of shipment. Finding out after the goods are packed frequently means re-inspecting or re-treating.
Re-export is a different certificate
Where goods have already been imported and are being sent on, a phytosanitary certificate for re-export is issued instead, referencing the original. Using an origin certificate for a re-exported consignment is a common error and gets the shipment refused at the far end.
+Can I issue this myself?
No. It is issued by a national plant protection organisation after inspection. What you prepare is the application and the information behind it.
+How long is it valid?
There is no universal validity, but many destinations require issue within a set number of days before shipment. Check the specific requirement.
+Does timber packaging need one?
No — wood packaging is covered by ISPM 15 treatment and marking, and declared on a packing declaration. A phytosanitary certificate is for the goods themselves.
+What if the consignment is split?
Each part generally needs its own certificate or a certified copy, depending on the destination. A single certificate does not cover consignments that arrive separately.
Judge it by the document, not the feature list.
Everything above is already on the form. Fill it in and download the PDF — no account needed.
Open the phytosanitary certificate generator