What you need to do

Checking Export Certification Requirements and Availability

Before planning the shipment of any consignment, exporters must check what export certification is required by accompany the consignment to the destination country.

Destination countries may require you to apply for an import permit and an Export Health Certificate (EHC) from Animal Health. If an EHC is required you must check that one currently exists and is available for issue.

EHCs do not necessarily exist for every commodity for every possible destination country because:

• Nobody may have ever tried to export that commodity to a specific destination country before, therefore, no EHC has ever been created
• The official veterinary authorities of the destination country do not permit the export of that commodity to their country
• The official government veterinary authorities of the destination country do not require any official export documentation for consignments of certain commodities.

If an EHC exists for your commodity of export, you will also need to check it is available for issue. An existing EHC may not be available for issue because:

• The official veterinary authorities of the destination country no longer wish to receive exports of that commodity to their country
• The EHC is currently suspended from being issued due to a notifiable disease outbreak in GB or the UK meaning the official statements and assurances contained in the EHC can no longer be met
• The EHC is temporarily suspended from being issued due to the conditions for export having recently changed and the changes to the EHC template have yet to be made by Defra.

A list of existing EHCs that are available for issue can be found on the Defra website.

You can also check the availability of an EHC by contacting Animal Health’s Specialist Service Centre for Exports located in Carlisle.

Check Export Requirements Can Be Met

As an exporter it is your responsibility to ensure that all the official statements and assurances contained within the EHC can be met.

If all such official statements and assurances cannot be met it is likely that the consignment will be ineligible for export.

Guidance can be sought on such official statements and assurances from your Official Veterinarian who will be certifying the EHC. Additionally, Animal Health’s Specialist Service Centre for Export also provides support and guidance to exporters and to Official Veterinarians on all matters relating to export requirements.

New Certificates

Where an EHC does not currently exist it is the responsibility of the exporter to obtain the import conditions from the official veterinary authorities of the country of destination.

The conditions must:

• be provided in writing
• obtained from the official veterinary authorities of the country of destination
• be officially translated into English language, if received by the exporter in the language of the destination country

Upon receipt of such import conditions, exporters should forward these to Animal Health Specialist Service Centre for Export at Carlisle who will pass the conditions to Defra for prioritisation and drafting of the new EHC.

Applying for Export Certification

There are three ways in which exporters can apply for an EHC or ITAHC:

• By completing the appropriate EXport Application form (EXA). All EXA’s are available in our forms area. If you are unsure which form to complete and return please contact us for advice
• By obtaining an Exports On Line (EOL) logon to enable you to submit electronic EXA’s to us. Download an EOL logon application form (ET68) (PDF 510KB). More details on how to obtain an EOL logon and the EOL system are available on the Defra website.
• By obtaining a TRACES logon and creating your own ITAHCs.

Nominate and Arrange Services of Official Veterinarian (OV)

When you apply for an EHC or ITAHC you will be asked to nominate an OV who will carry out the examination, inspection, testing, sampling and treatment in accordance with Animal Health’s instructions and the requirements of the EHC and any notes for guidance or supporting documentation.

When nominating your OV you must check with the veterinary practice that an OV, working within the practice, currently holds the correct Animal Health export authorisation to carry out the export work.

If the veterinary practice does not contain an OV that holds the correct authorisation you must contact your Animal Health Regional or Divisional office who will be able to supply you with the details of an alternative practice in your area.

Although Animal Health does not currently charge for issuing export health certificates, you will have to pay for the services of your nominated OV. Payment is a private matter to be arranged between yourself and your nominated OV.

Endangered Species

If you are exporting an endangered species you may need to apply for a licence from Animal Health’s Wildlife Licensing and Registration Service. Further details on the licensing requirements for endangered species can be found on the Endangered Species pages of our website. Alternatively, you can contact Animal Health to obtain further details of any requirements.