Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Hong Kong
Phytosanitary Certificate – Guidelines for Applicants

In international trade of plants and plant products, many countries require that the imported consignment to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the exporting country.  The phytosanitary certificate is an official document used to certify that the plants are free from pests and diseases and that the plants conform with the importing country’s relevant regulations.  In Hong Kong, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) is the designated authority to issue phytosanitary certificates.

	The application procedure is as follows:

(a)	The application form must be submitted in person at least 7 days prior to departure of the consignment to the following office:

		The Plant and Pesticides Regulatory Division (Licensing Counter No. 1) 
		5/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 
		303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, 
		Kowloon, Hong Kong  

Application forms and guides may be obtained from the above office, or by fax at (852) 2708 8885 through an interactive voice response system. They may also be downloaded from the web site of AFCD at http://www.afcd.gov.hk.

(b)	Once the application is accepted, the applicant is required to pay a user fee immediately at the shroffs counter.  Please note that all fees are non-refundable whether a phytosanitary certificate can be issued or not. Details of the prescribed fees are made available upon request. 

(c)	Upon payment of the fee, an appointment will be set up within 1 week for inspection of the consignment at its storage site. Please note that inspection will not be carried out on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. For a thorough inspection, the applicants must ensure easy accessibility to the entire consignment and provide labour to move and unpack the goods.

(d)	A phytosanitary certificate will be issued within 2 working days after inspection if all the phytosanitary requirements are met.  It is required to be collected over the Licensing Counter No.1 of this office.  Consequently, applicants are strongly advised not to load the consignment until the result of inspection is known. Applicants are also advised to ensure the consignment is free from soil, injurious pests and diseases before submitting an application.

(e)	To facilitate applicants with small consignment, express service is provided to them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, except on public holidays.  Applicants must bring along the entire consignment and the completed application form to the above office between 9 a.m. and noon.  If all the phytosanitary requirements are met, the phytosanitary certificate will be issued and available for collection between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on the same day.

(f)	Please note that a phytosanitary certificate is valid only if it is issued within 14 days prior to the export of the consignment.

Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, Cap.586, export or re-export of endangered plant, whether wild or artificially propagated (e.g. orchids, pitcher plants and cacti, etc), requires a CITES Licence to Export/Re-export issued in advance by this Department.  Applications for a CITES Licence to Export/Re-export may be made at Counter No. 7 of the same office hall.  For export of specimens of Appendix II plants artificially propagated in and originated from Hong Kong, applicant may apply for using the phytosanitary certificate as a CITES Licence to Export (Please tick in the appropriate box under Declaration on Endangered Species).  For details, please contact the Endangered Species Protection Division (Licensing Section) of this Department by phone at (852) 2150 6974 or by fax at (852) 2376 3749.

	To obtain further details of the phytosanitary certification service, you may approach the above office (Counter No. 1) in person or contact us by electronic mail (plantlic@afcd.gov.hk), by phone (852) 2150 7000 or by fax (852) 2314 2622.  You may also obtain information, forms and guides on various services of this Department by visiting AFCD web site (http://www.afcd.gov.hk) or through our interactive voice response system at (852) 2708 8885.