Registration requirements for UK importers

Traders wishing to import plants and plant products to the UK must meet the registration

requirements set out in Article 65 of the Plant Health Regulation 2016/2031.

All professional operators must supply via their IPAFFS account, either:

• a valid UK registered address; or

• a valid UK registered proxy address

UK registered address

Traders importing plants and plant products must establish a registered UK business premises or office and supply a valid name, address and contact details via their IPAFFS account.

The new requirements do not require professional operators to have staff on site at all times, however the business premises or office must be contactable and accessible for visits if required by plant health officials for audit purposes. A rented business premises or office would be sufficient to meet these new requirements.

UK registered proxy address

A representative who is based in the UK, such as a customs clearing agent, may be appointed on behalf of a non-UK trader who has no physical presence in the UK. This arrangement would enable the third country trader (‘importer’) not to be based in the UK, by using a designated proxy that holds a UK address. Legal ownership of the consignment would remain with the importer; however, the proxy representative would be responsible for the introduction of plants and plant products into the UK until they have reached their first place of destination and are therefore obliged to fulfil certain plant heath import requirements on behalf of the importer (see below). An importer may register with multiple proxies.

Responsibilities of the proxy representative:

• Must be a UK based custom clearing agent or business and maintain a physical business premises or office in the UK and provide a valid name, address and contact details via their IPAFFS account

• Be able to provide documents and records for audit checks and inspections when required by the competent authority

• Take full liability for any plant health fees related to import activities

• For consignments that require presentation to a Border Control Post (BCP) upon arrival in the UK, the proxy or their representative must notify the competent authority of the consignments arrival, and present the consignment to the competent authority or plant health checks at the BCP

The declared name and address of consignee used on the phytosanitary certificate must be formatted as follows:

Anon Exporter Third Country Produce

C/o Joe Smith Freight Services

Nowhere Industrial Estate

1 Unknown Road

Some Town

City

SWXX 3XX

How to register as a UK importer

Traders must register on IPAFFS to import plants and plant products to the UK.

Registration on IPAFFS

Please follow the below guidance on how to register for IPAFFS and set up a proxy address.

1. Accessing IPAFFS

Access the IPAFFS homepage and login via your Government Gateway account. If you do not have Government Gateway credentials, please click the ‘create sign in details’

 You will be required to confirm your email address through a validation code 

2. Create a Defra account

You will need to make sure you are signed up to Defra services, which is done at the point of registration. If you are a non-UK business you will need to do the following steps:

 Although you are not a UK business you will have to select UK. You will be prompted later to input your proxy’s details. If you select non-UK then you will be unable to progress for the application.

 This should be your name as the non-UK entity not the name of your proxy

This should be the name of your non-UK business

You need to enter the address manually, so click on the provided link.

If you search for your proxy’s address using the address finder it will not display correctly and may lead to your consignment being delayed at the border

You need to insert C/O before adding the proxy business name

These need to be the details of your proxy

3. Once you have submitted your registration request, you will also need to send an email to aphaservicedesk@apha.gov.uk

stating the name, address and contact details of your UK based proxy to verify they will act as such, in the following format (see below). Please also copy your proxy to this email.

“I, Company XX (responsible person at third country business), confirm that

Company YY (UK based proxy) will act as our UK based proxy for all matters concerning

plant health controls. Company YY have agreed to take on the professional operator

responsibilities specific to UK plant imports, on our behalf. Please find the required proxy

contact details below:

Proxy name: Company YY

Proxy address: Nowhere Industrial Estate, 1 Unknown Road, Some Town, City, SWXX 3XX

Proxy telephone number: 01234 567 890”

The email must be sent from the email address provided on your registration request. This will allow the Helpdesk to validate the request and create the necessary links in PEACH between your business and your UK based proxy.

4. Continue with the registration process 

Registration requirements for UK importers: Frequently Asked Questions

1. I am not based in the UK and currently use the services of more than one agent to import plants and products. Can I continue doing this?

Yes, as a non UK based trader you may use the services of more than one proxy to import plants and products to the UK. You must register separately on IPAFFS for each proxy. For example, if you plan on using the services of three different UK proxies, you must register on IPAFFS and supply the relevant proxy details three separate times.

2. Do I need to hold a UK bank account in order to register as a professional operator on IPAFFS?

No, you are not required to hold a UK bank account under professional operator requirements as set out in the Plant Health Regulation (EU) 2016/2031. A non-UK based bank account is sufficient.

3. I am a foreign trader that only trades in Green Bananas (Musa sp.) that are subject to HMI marketing checks but not plant health controls under the Plant Health Regulation. Do I need a UK address, or to register with the services of a proxy?

No, if you trade only in Green Bananas which do not require official plant controls then you are not required to register with a UK address, nor use the services of a UK based proxy.

However, if you import any other commodities that would require plant health controls, then you must make the changes to comply with the regulations.

4. Can I use a proxy for my agent?

No, proxies can only be used in place of importers, any agent making applications for imports of plants and plant products must be based in the UK. Therefore you can not have a proxy based importer combined with another non-UK based proxy agent. 

5. Do I have to register if sending goods via post/courier?

Yes. When a business sends goods via post/courier to another business, they are subject to the same import controls that apply to other commercial imports of plants and plant products into Great Britain. This includes pre-notification, which must be made on IPAFFS.

If a business is sending goods to an individual for their personal use via post/courier, or an individual is sending goods to another individual for personal use, then the import is a personal import. As above, in most cases these require pre-notification that must be made on IPAFFS. Couriers can pre-notify on the behalf of the individual. See Gov.uk for more information on personal imports.