Plants

What You Need to Know before Importing

To import plant and plant products, you will need a phytosanitary certificate from the country of origin and an import permit from AVA.

Step 1: Obtain Phytosanitary Certificate from the country of origin

Step 2: Check AVA plant health import requirements

Import Health Requirements for the import of these plants:

• opens in a new windowBanana
• opens in a new windowCassava, opens in a new windowCitrus, Cocoa, opens in a new windowCoconut, opens in a new windowCoffee, opens in a new windowCotton
• opens in a new windowOil Palm, Orchid
• opens in a new windowMaize
• opens in a new windowPineapple
• opens in a new windowRice, opens in a new windowRubber
• opens in a new windowSugarcane
• opens in a new windowTea
• opens in a new windowFresh fruit, vegetables, flowers and other plant produce
• opens in a new windowNursery stock, potted plants, seeds, mushroom spawn and tissue culture plantlets
• opens in a new windowSoil, peat moss and organic manure of plant origin
• opens in a new windowInsects and micro-organisms of agricultural importance
• opens in a new windowGenetically modified plants
• opens in a new windowFresh or Dried Herbarium Specimens
• opens in a new windowFoliages
• opens in a new windowImport Requirements of Plants for Singapore Garden Festival 2014

Step 3: Obtain import permit from AVA

The import permit is also known as the Cargo Clearance Permit (CCP), obtained through Tradenet. All the import health requirements have to be fulfilled before the CCP is approved. The CCP is valid for 2 weeks and a fee of S$11 is levied per permit.

You will need to provide the plant product codes when applying for the CCP. Download the product codes for plants and plant products.

Attach supporting documents (eg. phytosanitary certificates, invoices, packing lists, Air Waybill/Bill of Lading, CITES permits etc) to your declaration.

Your Tradenet declaration will be routed to AVA for processing.

Submit Tradenet applications and all supporting documents before 5.00pm between Mondays and Fridays, in order to facilitate processing within the same day.

For submissions received after 5.00pm, or made on Saturday, Sunday and Public Holiday, the applications will be processed on the next working day.

On eves of Christmas Day, New Years Day and Chinese New Year, please submit the applications by 12.30pm.

Step 4: Apply for CITES permit

Importing endangered species of plants and plant products requires a CITES permit by the authority of the importing and countries.

Apply for a CITES permit online via the LicenceOne (AVA e-Licensing) website. Please note that you are required to log in and locate "CITES Permit".

Some examples of CITES listed plants and plant products include:

• Cactaceae
• Cycadaceae
• Orchidaceae
• Nepenthes spp
• American Ginseng
• Agarwood
• Ramin

Get the updated list of CITES endangered species and find out more information on CITES endangered species.

Participating in the Biosecurity Assurance Arrangement (BSAA)

Import of Insects & Microorganisms of Agricultural Importance

Importers bringing in insects and micro-organisms of agricultural importance have to participate in a Bio-Security Assurance Arrangement (BSAA) with AVA.

Importers must obtain prior approval from AVA for the import of:

• insects of agricultural importance
• microorganisms of agricultural importance

For more information on importing insects, other invertebrates and micro-organisms, please refer to the sections "Insects & Other Invertebrates" and "Micro-Organisms" in Import, Export, Transhipment of Other Animals.

Import of Organic Fertilisers of Plant Origin

Importers must obtain prior approval from AVA for the import of organic fertilisers of plant origin. Only when the risk is considered acceptable will the import be granted.

These information are required in order to conduct an Import Risk Analysis (IRA):

• information on the plant materials used
• endemic pests and diseases associated with these plant materials
• manufacturing process

Import of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

Before importing GMOs, importers must obtain recommendation in advance from the Genetic Modification Advisory Committee of Singapore (GMAC).

View the Guidelines on the Release of Agriculture-related GMOs and Singapore Biosafety Guidelines for Research on GMOs .

List of Accredited Nurseries

Under the Malaysian Phytosanitary Certification Assurance (MPCA) Scheme for export of plants and plant products to Singapore, The Department of Agriculture (DOA) Malaysia has opens in a new windowaccredited nurseries located in West Malaysia.

Plant and plant products imported from MPCA nurseries do not need to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate. The Export Declaration Packaging List is used instead.