Export food and drink from the UK
You usually need to complete an Export Health Certificate and some supporting documents to export food that contains products of animal origin from the UK.
You may also need a certificate of free sale if you’re exporting processed food or drink. The food authority in the country you’re exporting to will tell you if you need one.
Check the export health certificate (EHC) finder to see if a certificate exists for your animal or product.
If you find an EHC, follow the EHC process to export. Make sure you contact the official vet (OV) or inspector who will certify your EHC before you submit any applications.
If you cannot find an EHC for your product, you’ll need to contact the competent authority in the EU country you’re exporting to, in advance, to find out what:
- paperwork you’ll need to fill in
- rules you need to comply with
If the competent authority says that you need an export health certificate, you’ll need to get their import conditions. Contact the relevant Embassy or Consulate, as well as the importer, to find out about any specific import conditions. Then contact APHA.
If there is no Export Health Certificate available and APHA are unable to assist. Plymouth City Council may be able to help by providing a food safety premise endorsement. To enquire, complete our Query Form. See our Port Health charges for details.
We will need you to send us the import conditions of the country you are exporting to. We'll then contact you to discuss what is required. This may include checking your current food business approval or registration status, inspecting your business to verify the food produced complies with UK legislation and other additional checks, depending on the wording required on the certificate.
Certifier service
Plymouth City Council offer a Certifier Service for Export Health Certificates for the following products:
- Fish
- Fishery Products
- products not of animal origin (PNOAO)
- and some composite products.
A list of certifiers is available on the Government website.
Notifications and charges
We require 72 hours notification to certify an export certificate. Your premise or consignment may require inspection prior to the certificate being issued. We cannot issue certificates for consignments that have left the country.
Our charges can be found on the Port Health charges page
Request an Export Health Certificate
If you are an existing exporter use this form to request an export certificate.