Plant Passport

A plant passport (plantenpaspoort) is an official label required for trading and transporting plants, seeds, and planting material within the European Union. The passport certifies that the plants are free from quarantine pests and diseases and meet EU phytosanitary standards. It must accompany each trading unit of regulated plants.

To issue plant passports, your business must be registered with the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) and authorized as a professional operator. This involves inspections of your nursery, garden center, or wholesale operation. You are responsible for checking incoming material, maintaining traceability records, and applying the correct passport labels before sale or shipment.

Requirements

  • Registration: Companies must be registered with the NVWA as authorized companies
  • Plants and planting material: The passport is required for specific plants and planting material as listed in EU Regulation 2016/2031
  • Phytosanitary requirements: Plants must be free from quarantine diseases and pests (plaagorganismen)
  • Traceability: The passport must contain traceable information about origin and destination

Procedure

  • Apply for authorization: Apply to the NVWA for authorization as a company allowed to issue plant passports
  • Inspection: The NVWA inspects your company and cultivation sites for compliance with phytosanitary requirements
  • Issue passports: After approval, you may issue plant passports for your plants yourself
  • Registration: Maintain a register of all issued passports