Phytosanitary Certificate: When Does Your Export Need One?

You need one when the importing country requires it. Under Article 28 of Korea’s Plant Protection Act, anyone exporting plants, or the containers and packaging that hold them, must have the goods inspected by a plant quarantine officer against the importing country’s requirements and pass before shipping. The only exception is goods for which the importing country does not ask for a certificate, so checking the destination’s rules comes first.

Key takeaways

• Plant Protection Act Article 28(1): if the importing country requires a certificate, the shipment must pass export quarantine before it can leave Korea.
• You apply to a regional office of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA). If the goods pass, the officer issues an export certificate or marks the goods as passed.
• Solid wood packaging may need ISPM 15 treatment and marking separately, so handle it apart from the inspection of the goods themselves.

What is a phytosanitary certificate?

It is an official document in which the exporting country’s government confirms that a consignment meets the importing country’s plant health requirements. The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) standard ISPM 12 sets the model form and issuing principles, and each country’s national plant protection organization issues it. In Korea that is APQA.

Importers often check it at customs alongside the commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading.

When do you need it?

When the importing country requires it. Article 28(1) says exporters must have plants and plant products inspected against the importing country’s requirements and cannot export them without passing, except where the importing country does not require a certificate.

Requirements vary by country and product. For the same fresh vegetable, one country may ask only for the certificate while another may also require field inspection or additional declarations. Look up the destination on APQA’s export plant quarantine pages and confirm the import permit conditions with your buyer. To meet a destination’s rules, APQA can also designate export production areas by country or crop and inspect them in the field (Article 28-4).

How do you apply?

File an application with supporting documents at an APQA regional office, and receive the certificate once the goods pass. Article 35(1) of the Enforcement Rule lists the attachments:

• Export plant quarantine application form
• Import permit (only if the importing country issues one)
• The original exporting country’s phytosanitary certificate (re-exports only)
• A list of plants to be inspected, if there are two or more items
• The importing country’s requirements, if it asks for additional declarations on the certificate

If the goods pass, the officer issues an export quarantine certificate or marks the goods as passed (Article 28(2)). Processing time and any fees can vary by product and office, so ask the local office in advance.

Suppose you ship fresh cabbage to a country that requires a certificate: apply well ahead of the sailing, have the goods inspected, and attach the certificate to your shipping documents.

Does the certificate cover wood packaging?

No. Pallets and crates made of solid wood may need treatment and marking under ISPM 15, and Korea’s Plant Protection Act handles wood packaging separately in Article 28-3. See our guide to the ISPM 15 wood packaging mark for details.

What mistakes are common?

The most common one is shipping without checking the destination’s rules. Even if the buyer says it is fine, the importing country’s plant protection authority decides, so check the official requirements yourself. Missing additional declarations on the certificate and forgetting the ISPM 15 mark on solid wood pallets also come up often.

Exporting without passing quarantine, or passing it by false or fraudulent means, can lead to up to one year in prison or a fine of up to KRW 10 million (Article 48, item 8). Forging or altering a certificate or pass mark, or knowingly using a forged one, carries the same penalty (Article 48, item 8-2).

FAQ

Can I export without a phytosanitary certificate?

Only if the importing country does not require one for those goods; in that case they are outside export quarantine. Otherwise the shipment must pass inspection first.

How long does it take to get one?

It depends on the product, the inspection method and the destination’s requirements. Once your shipping date is set, contact the local APQA office to schedule it.

Are wooden pallets covered by this certificate?

Solid wood packaging can fall under ISPM 15 treatment and marking instead. Handle it separately from the plant inspection of the goods.

What about re-exporting imported produce?

Attach the original exporting country’s phytosanitary certificate to your application. If you want it back, it can be returned after checking.

Sources

• Korea Law Information Center, Plant Protection Act Article 28 and Article 48 (Korean)
• Easy Law (Ministry of Government Legislation), Import and export quarantine procedures (Korean)
• APQA, Export plant quarantine: laws and rules (Korean)
• IPPC, ISPM 12 Phytosanitary certificates
• Related: ISPM 15 wood packaging mark, FCL vs LCL