Export of plants and plant products
Once compliance is confirmed, it issues a phytosanitary certificate for export or re-export of the plants, plant products and other articles, which then accompanies the consignment. Phytosanitary export certification of plant goods is further regulated by the International Phytosanitary Standards ISPM.
Prior to the intended export or re-export of plant goods, exporters must obtain information in the importing country as to what phytosanitary requirements or import licences are required by the regulations for the import of certain plant species, plant products and other articles and what accompanying documents are required. Some countries have very strict import requirements.
In Slovenia, the phytosanitary inspection and phytosanitary certificate for consignments of plants, plant products and other articles intended for export or re-export to countries outside the European Union are provided by the phytosanitary inspector of the Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection. As a rule, inspections are carried out at the place of cultivation, loading or, exceptionally, at the exit point.
The phytosanitary inspection includes:
- documentary check,
- identity check,
- examination of plants, plant products and other articles in the consignment.
Terms of the issuing of a phytosanitary certificate for export or re-export to countries outside the European Union
Exporters of plants, plant products and other articles and their representatives must be entered in the Register of professional operators – the FITO Register at the Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection.
A consignment of plant goods intended for export must comply with the phytosanitary import requirements of the importing country.
The exporter must lodge an application for a phytosanitary certificate for export and re-export to countries outside the European Union at least 24 hours prior to loading the consignment to the phytosanitary inspector. The exporter shall lodge the application in writing together with any documents accompanying the consignment.
Customs codes
TARIC is an information system for the calculation of customs duties and for information on trade measures, in which international trade commodity codes are used. TARIC codes form part of a globally harmonised system, they are mandatory in trade with third countries and are also used in consignments of plants, plant products and other articles.
ISO country codes
The two-letter country codes defined in ISO 3166-1 are widely used in documents in international trade. In addition to alpha-2 codes, ISO 3166-1 also contains three-letter country codes (alpha-3) and three-digit numeric codes (numeric-3), which are also understood in non-Latin-script countries.
ISO country codes are used in veterinary, phytosanitary and customs procedures when declaring goods for import or export, and as a standard for international communication regarding the origin of goods in the entire field of food safety.
EU engine for searching foreign market export requirements
The European Commission launched an online service to help enter markets outside the European Union. By using the destination-country-specific application, you can find the following requirements for a specific tariff group of goods:
- applicable tariffs (allowing calculation of the final price),
- import formalities (forms and documents to be completed),
- specific requirements for animals, plants and other goods falling under sanitary and phytosanitary regulations and food safety requirements,
- rules of origin and
- possibility of import into the European Union.
Search engine for export-import requirements and trade agreements - Portal Access2Markets
Export window portal
The Export Window portal, which is managed by the public agency operating in the field of internationalisation SPIRIT Slovenia, can be of help to small and medium-sized enterprises or to all those who are entering foreign markets.
It helps exporters make their first steps in foreign markets by providing education for international business, export consulting, market research, and help in entering trade fairs, business clubs and economic delegations.
The portal provides a system for collecting and distributing external trade information and advising companies on issues related to internationalisation. A database on the business environment in 53 countries (in Slovenian).