Import of animals and animal products

Do you import living animals or animal products into the European Union? You may only do so through an approved Border Control Post. At Import Veterinary Online (in Dutch) of the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (Nederlandse Voedsel en Warenautoriteit, NVWA) you can check if importing into the EU is possible. You will also be informed on supplementary requirements of your veterinary products, live animals, or foodstuffs.

Import through a Border Control Post

You may only import live animals or animal products into the EU through an approved Border Control Post (BCP, Grenscontrolepost, GCP, in Dutch) at ports and airports. NVWA will inspect the animals and animal products upon arrival. They do this in cooperation with Dutch Customs.

This import inspection is not always mandatory (in Dutch). You can check the Dutch-language ALIM04 Definities Dier Product list (Definition of animals, animal groups, and animal products list) to find out which category the animal or animal product is listed under, which regulations apply, and if inspection is mandatory.

For foodstuffs that contain both plant products and processed animal products (composite products), rules apply as well.

Report the cargo

You have to report the cargo electronically to a BCP at least 1 working day before it enters the Netherlands. For this, you must have a permit from the NVWA (in Dutch), have suitable software, and a connection to the government’s electronic Digipoort (in Dutch).

You can also use a Common Health Entry Document, CHED (Gemeenschappelijk Gezondheidsdocument van Binnenkomst, GGB). However, you must have this document converted into an electronic version by the NVWA. There is a fee for this.

Registering cargo in LORI

For some animals and animal products there is a maximum number or amount that may be imported into the EU (quota). This applies for example to poultry. In such cases you need an import certificate. To apply for an import certificate you have to be registered in the European LORI database at least 2 months before your application. Is your company based in the Netherlands? Then you register in the LORI database through the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO, in Dutch). You should also demonstrate the annual quantity of your imports into the EU (in Dutch). You can then apply for an import certificate to RVO.

Inspection of your cargo

In some cases, you must have your cargo of animals or animal products inspected. The Dutch-language ALIM04 Definities Dier Product list (Definition of animals, animal groups, and animal products list) tells you whether this is mandatory.