Certificates, declarations and forms

If you are involved in the export of plants and plant products, you may need to complete and submit documents to us. These show that your products comply with plant export laws.

The type of documents you must submit will depend on your commodity and the importing country requirements.

For information on submitting completed templates to the department for authorisation, see the Request export documents.

Completing the templates

  • follow the relevant guidelines provided below
  • do not use the ‘enter’ key
  • use the ‘tab’ key to move between fields
  • the templates must not flow onto a second page
  • if insufficient space in the product details area, a second page maybe attached
  • any attached pages must be completed in line with the relevant guideline.

A Phytosanitary (plant health) certificate provides evidence that plants and plant products for export:

  • have passed a phytosanitary inspection
  • comply with importing country requirements and with the Export Control Act 2020, and subordinate legislation.

A phytosanitary certificate can only be issued by the department if it required by the importing country.

Under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), phytosanitary certificates are issued by the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) of the country where the commodity has been grown or processed.

This certificate must always be requested by the exporter (or their agent) in the electronic documentation system (EXDOC).

If the system is down, exporters should complete this manual EX16 form. Manual forms will not be accepted under any other circumstances.

This certificate is prepared by the exporter, then verified and issued by us.

Download manual

If you have difficulty accessing these files, contact us for help.

A phytosanitary certificate for re-export may be issued by the department to support re-export certification to other countries. It attests that the prescribed plant and plant products for re-export comply with the importing country requirements of the destination country.

A Request for Permit (RFP) must be submitted through EXDOC (or associated third-party software providers) for all re-export consignments.

The phytosanitary certificate for re-export will continue to be issued manually. Clients must prepare the phytosanitary certificate for re-export template as per the Exports work instruction: Preparing a phytosanitary certificate for plant exports.  The template is available below and must be submitted to the department in accordance with normal export document request processes.

Requirements for issuing a phytosanitary certificate for re-export

Phytosanitary certificates for re-export must meet the following requirements, as demonstrated by the exporter:

  • The consignment for re-export consists of imported plants or plant products only.
  • The consignment for re-export is accompanied by an original phytosanitary certificate/s or certified copy/ies.
  • The consignment has not been subjected to the risk of infestation or contamination.
  • The plants or plant products of the consignment for re-export have not been grown or processed to change their nature in Australia

This information is covered in the Exports process instruction: Issuance of certification for plant exports.

When can a phytosanitary certificate be issued instead of a phytosanitary certificate for re-export?

  • When the consignment does not meet one or more of the requirements above, or:
  • The product is exported as part of a consignment containing Australian goods and any additional declarations required by an importing country authority can be satisfied by product inspection.
  • If the phytosanitary certificate from the country of origin has an expired period of validity.

Can certification be issued for goods in transit?

No certification will be issued for product in transit or in bond through Australian ports en route to other destinations, as it has not been formally cleared as imported into Australia.

Download template

If you have difficulty accessing these files, contact us for help.

A Certificate as to Condition may be issued to certify matters regarding a consignment of prescribed goods that cannot be certified on the Phytosanitary Certificate (for example, quality statements and variety names).

This certificate must always be requested by the exporter (or their agent) in EXDOC.

If the system is down, then exporters should complete this manual EX46A form. Manual forms will not be accepted under any other circumstances.

This certificate is prepared by the exporter, then verified and issued by us.

Download manual form

If you have difficulty accessing these files, contact us for help.

A Declaration and Certificate as to Condition may be issued to certify matters regarding a consignment that cannot be certified on the phytosanitary certificate (for example, quality statements and variety names).

Note: The Manual of Importing Country Requirements (Micor) will advise when an EX188 is required instead of an EX46A. Please confirm this information with the NPPO of the importing country.

This declaration is prepared by the exporter, then verified and issued by us.

Download

If you have difficulty accessing these files, contact us for help.

The Ship's Holds Inspection Certificate provides evidence that the hold/s of the vessel being used to export bulk products (including grain, legumes, wood chips, logs and processed forest products) was inspected before loading and was found to be clean, dry and free of infestation.

This certificate must always be requested by the exporter (or their agent) in EXDOC.

If the system is down, then exporters should complete this manual EX175 form. Manual forms will not be accepted under any other circumstances.

This certificate is prepared by the exporter, then verified and issued by us.

Download manual form

If you have difficulty accessing these files, contact us for help.

Where required by an importing country, an In-transit Cold Treatment Calibration Certificate provides evidence that cold treatment has been initiated for horticulture products and the probe sensors were calibrated.

This certificate is prepared by the exporter then verified and issued by us. The in-transit cold treatment certificate is provided to the importing country as part of the phytosanitary certification of a consignment.

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If you have difficulty accessing these files, contact us for help.

A Radioactivity Statement provides evidence that the products were monitored by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPNSA) following the Chernobyl incident.

This certificate must always be requested by the exporter (or their agent) in EXDOC.

If the system is down, then exporters should complete this manual EX46A form. Manual forms will not be accepted under any other circumstances.

This statement is prepared by the exporter, then verified and issued by us.

Download manual form

If you have difficulty accessing these files, contact us for help.

An Export Clearance Declaration is issued for prescribed goods being exported from Australia, where an approved inspector conducted an inspection in an establishment with an Approved Arrangement.

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If you have difficulty accessing these files, contact us for help.

The Notice of Intention to Export Prescribed Goods form is the manual version of the electronic Request for Permit and is completed by the exporter.

The export permit must always be requested by the exporter (or their agent) in EXDOC.

If the system is down, then exporters should complete this manual EX28 form. Manual forms will not be accepted under any other circumstances.

This form is prepared by the exporter, then verified and issued by us.

Download manual form

If you have difficulty accessing these files, contact us for help.