Importing wood and wood products

If you want to import wood or wood products into the European Union, you must comply with the requirements of the European Wood Timber Regulation (EUTR). It depends on the country of origin and the type of wood, bark, hardwood, or softwood, which requirements apply.

Legally harvested wood

You may only import and sell legally cut wood (in Dutch). It is forbidden to import and sell illegally cut wood or products made of this wood. You must be able to demonstrate the exact origin of the wood and that it has been cut legally.

FLEGT licence

You will possibly need a FLEGT licence for some countries. FLEGT is a European action plan against illegal logging and stands for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade. A FLEGT licence guarantees that wood products come from legally felled trees and have been imported legally.

Treated wood

Many types of wood must be treated with approved plant protection products or biocides to prevent harmful organisms being spread via the wood. The measures taken to prevent the spread of plant diseases and pests are called phytosanitary measures. You will therefore often need a phytosanitary certificate with the import consignment. You may also need a plant passport for transit within the EU.

Wood packaging

Do you import wood packaging into the EU from countries other than Switzerland? Examples of wood packaging include pallets, crates, and reels. These must meet the requirements of the ISPM 15 international phytosanitary standard. The packaging must bear an IPPC brand mark consisting of the IPPC logo (International Plant Protection Conference), a 2-letter ISO country code, a code which identifies the manufacturer, and a code that shows how the wood has been treated.

Please note: this also applies to imported products which are packaged on pallets or in wooden crates from non-EU countries and Switzerland.

Phytosanitary inspection

The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) carries out a phytosanitary inspection at the EU border. You can consult the list of products that must have a certificate and be inspected upon import in Annex XI of the EU Regulation regarding protective measures against pest of plants.