Please follow the steps to apply for a plant produce re-forwarding 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-phytosanitary-certificate.defra.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 produce) and click ‘Continue’.

4. Select ‘Apply for a reforwarding phytosanitary certificate’ and click ‘Continue’.

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

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 are the import details?’

9. Complete the import details and click ‘Save and continue’.

10. Click ‘Choose file’ to locate your saved pdf of the relevant import phytosanitary certificate from your computer, click ‘Open’, then click ‘Upload’.  

11. You will see a banner confirming the upload, click ‘Yes’ if correct, or ‘No’, then repeat step 10.  Click ‘Save and continue’. 

12. Click ‘What’s in your consignment?’. 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).

13. Enter the commodity details, country of origin, weight and packaging details and click ‘Save and Continue’. 

14. The commodity has now been added to the application. To add another commodity, select the ‘Yes’ radio button and repeat steps 12 & 13.  When all commodities are added, select ‘No’ and then ‘Save and continue’.  Go to step 16.   

15. To upload a file containing the commodities, download and complete the .csv template with your commodities, save, browse to locate then click ‘Upload’.  Go to step 16. 

16. Click on ‘Where will the inspection take place?’.  You can click ‘Select’ next to an existing address or click the hyperlink ‘add a new address’.

17. Select the ‘Yes, select this address’ radio button, then click ‘Continue’.

18. Enter the details of who is the contact for this application and then click ‘Save and continue’.   

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

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

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

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

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

24. Click the hyperlink to open section 3.  The ‘Review your answers’ page opens, you can change any data if required using the ‘Change’ hyperlinks on the right.

25. When reviewed, click ‘Continue’. 

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

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

28. The application has been submitted.  

29. There is now some information displayed telling you what happens next.  Click the ‘View your applications’ hyperlink to return to the dashboard.

30. 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.