Please follow the steps to apply for a plant products phytosanitary certificate on the Plant Health Exports Service (PHES)

Step 1: Log into your Government Gateway Account

1. Enter your Government Gateway ID and password at https://exporter.apply-plant-export-certificates.service.gov.uk. 

2. From the dashboard, click ‘Start a new application’. 

Step 2: Application   

3. Click the radio button next to the required commodity (plant products) and click ‘Continue’.

4. Enter the country exporting to and click ‘Continue’.

5. The regulations specific to the export destination will appear.   

6. Check the regulations, then tick to confirm you have understood and followed the export regulations for this commodity and click ‘Continue’.

7. Enter your own choice of reference then click ‘Save and Continue’.

8. Complete section 1 ‘About your application’.  ‘Create a reference number’ is completed, click the hyperlink to open ‘What’s in your consignment?’

9. You can choose to either add individual commodities or upload a file of commodities.  To add individual commodities, select ‘Manually, by adding one at a time’ and click ‘Continue’ (go to step 15 to upload a file).

10. Start to enter the details of your commodity by botanical name.  

11. Enter a description if you cannot locate the botanical name or the product is mixed.

12. Enter the primary country of origin, and additional countries of origin (optional).     

13. Complete the weight, quantities and packing details, then click ‘Save and continue’. N.B.Exporters should use ‘unit’ as the measurement for plants/bunches/stems.   

14. Select yes or no to add another commodity then click ‘Save and continue’.  If yes is selected, repeat steps 10 – 14. If no, go to step 16.    

15. Download and complete the .csv template with your commodities, save, browse to locate then click ‘Upload’.  Go to step 16.

16. Click the ‘How will the consignment be transported?’ hyperlink and enter the details and click ‘Save and continue’.

17. Click the hyperlink ‘Who will receive this consignment?’, then enter the consignee’s details and then click ‘Save and continue’.  Section 1 is complete.   

18. Section 2 allows you to upload additional documents if required. Click the hyperlink to open.

19. To upload a document, click ‘Browse’, select the document from your computer and ‘open’, add a file name and click ‘upload’.  

20. The document can then be viewed or deleted. Click ‘Save and continue’.

21. The section 3 hyperlink is live once section 1 is complete. Click to open. 

22. The ‘Review your answers’ page opens, review all the information input – you can amend anything with a ‘Change’ hyperlink.  Click ‘Continue’.

23. Add the date when the certificate is required and click ‘Continue’.

24. Tick to confirm the exporter declaration and click ‘Submit application’.

25. The application has been submitted.  

26. You now need to send samples for inspection to the address shown. 

27. Your application will be processed, and if there are no problems, your certificate will be issued, and you will be invoiced.  You will only be contacted If there is a problem.

28. You can monitor the status of your applications via the dashboard.  You can view the details of any completed application by clicking onto the application reference (number on the left), then by clicking on the ‘View this application’ hyperlink.  This opens a page showing all the details of the completed application.  This is not amendable, view only.