Sanitary and Phytosanitary & Veterinary regulation

In this part of the CEFTA Web Portal you will find the most important sanitary, phytosanitary and veterinary control procedures to be followed for each CEFTA Economy. The information about the control procedures includes but is not limited to: 1.The location of sanitary, phytosanitary and/or veterinary control offices including working hours in each office; 2.A description of sanitary, phytosanitary and/or veterinary procedures; 3.The documents asked by the respective authorities in order to obtain approval for entering, transiting or exiting the territory of the respective CEFTA Economy; 4.The officially approved documents issued by the respective authorities; 5.A description of the official procedures for sampling. In cases where the final destination of goods is one of the CEFTA Economies included in this web portal, please refer to the sanitary, phytosanitary and/or veterinary import procedures of that Economy. In case your goods exit the territory of one of the CEFTA Economies included in this web portal, please refer to the sanitary, phytosanitary and/or veterinary export procedures relevant to that Economy.



Albania
Bosnia and Herzegovina
North Macedonia
Moldova
Montenegro
Serbia
Kosovo*


What is subjected to the Sanitary Inspection

Importers of plants, plant products or other articles have to be registered as such with the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

The importing of plants or plant products referred to in the attached Annex III into the Republic of Albania is prohibited where they originate in the economies listed in the Annex..

Laws and Regulations

Phytosanitary rules in the Republic of Albania are provided for in Law No. 9362 “On Plant Protection Service,” and Council of Ministers’ Decree No. 750 “On implementing phytosanitary quarantine inspection rules.”

Where is Phytosanitary Inspection Conducted

Import, export , and transit, in the territory of the Republic of Albania of plants, plant products and other related articles can be done only at customs Offices where the  phytosanitary inspection is operating and whre they where they are subjected to Phytosanitary Control.

Import / Export / Re-exsport / Transit procedure

Import

The procedures for importing/exporting any goods that are subject to phytosanitary inspection include the following:

• Applicants are obliged to inform the offices of the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAF) in the district where the consignment will enter 48 hours before the arrival of the consignment at the customs entry point.
• A phytosanitary inspection is carried out. If the phytosanitary inspection reveals that the legal requirements are not met, one the following measures is taken appropriately:

a) phytosanitary treatment for the disinfection of the consignment;
b) separation of infested or contaminated parts of the consignment and their elimination to ensure complete extermination of the parasite and its potential for spreading in the economy;
c) placement of the consignment under quarantine;
d) permission to transport the cargo under the surveillance of inspectors to the industrial processing site, when the industrial processing guarantees a complete elimination of the parasite and its potential to spread in the economy;
e) return of the consignment;
f) complete elimination of the consignment.
All the costs related to the measures listed above are borne by the shipment owner.

• At the end of an inspection, the inspector at the customs entry point submits to the Customs Authorities a report following the format presented in Annex VI on the phytosanitary inspection of the consignment, and then the goods are released.

Export /Re-Export

A Phytosanitary Certificate is issued for any plants or plant products originating from Albania, and a Phytosanitary Certificate for Re-Export is issued when the consignment is being delivered to multiple destinations, has been warehoused or has been repackaged in Albania. Both certificates referred to above are only issued if, following inspection, the inspector concludes that a consignment meets all the specific requirements set by the importing economy.

Transit

The movement in the territory of Albania of plants, plant products or other articles produced in Albania and listed in Annex V, Part A is allowed only if they, their packaging, and, if necessary, their vehicles have been subjected to phytosanitary inspection. Plants and plant products produced in Albania and other articles referred to in Annex V, Part A, must have the attached Domestic Phytosanitary Certificate.

Supporting documents, Forms

Any plants, plant products and other articles specified in the attached Annex V that are being imported are required to possess a Phytosanitary Certificate issued by the Phytosanitary Authority of the economy of origin.

Phytosanitary Certificates or Phytosanitary Certificates for Re-Export are required to contain information in compliance with the Model Phytosanitary Certificate of the International Plant Protection Convention and be in at least one of the official languages of European Community. The botanical name of the plant(s) is required to be presented in Latin.

Phytosanitary Certificates or Phytosanitary Certificates for Re-Export must be issued no earlier than 14 days before the plants, plant products or other articles are subjected to phytosanitary inspection at customs entry points.

You can find information on Phytosanitary Quarantine Inspection service fees here.