Import live animals and germinal products to Great Britain under Balai rules
When to follow Balai rules to import animals and germinal products to Great Britain from EU and non-EU countries.
You must follow Balai rules to import animals and germinal products (semen, ova and embryos) to Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) that are not covered by other rules that apply to importing live animals and germinal products from:
Imports of live animals and germinal products under Balai rules from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland should follow the process for imports from EU countries.
This guidance also applies to goods imported for commercial purposes by post or courier. Contact your post or courier service to find out if they offer an import service for commercial imports and for more information about the process.
All animals and germinal products covered by Balai rules must be imported to Great Britain from premises that are either registered or approved by competent authorities in EU and non-EU countries.
Your premises in Great Britain may need to be approved by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) depending on the:
- animal or germinal product you want to import
- reason you’re importing
Approved premises are usually zoos or laboratories.
Animals and germinal products covered by Balai rules
Animals and germinal products covered by Balai rules include:
- anteaters, sloths, armadillos
- bats, for example vampire bats, flying foxes, fruit bats, gliders
- bears, for example polar, black, brown, grizzly, pandas or giant pandas
- captive-bred birds for research, conservation or display
- dogs, cats and ferrets imported commercially
- flying lemurs and flying squirrels
- germinal products from certain animals such as horses, goats, sheep, deer, dogs, cats and zoo animals, such as elephants, bisons and bears
- jackals, foxes, wolves, African wild dogs, hyaenas
- marsupials, for example, koalas, kangaroos, wombats or wallabies
- non-domestic cats like pumas, cheetahs, lions, tigers and leopards
- otters, martens, polecats, badgers, skunks, wolverines
- possums, bandicoots, bilbys, quolls and Tasmanian devils
- pig embryos
- prosimian primates, for example lemurs, bushbabies, lorises, aye ayes and tarsiers
- racing pigeons
- rabbits and hares
- raccoons, coatis and other new world procyonids
- rodents, for example, gophers, squirrels, mice, rats, hamsters, voles, beavers, gerbils
- shrews, moles and hedgehogs
- simian primates, monkeys and apes
Importing pets
Dogs, cats and ferrets are commercial imports if they’re brought to Great Britain for:
- rehoming
- sale
- transfer of ownership (including rescue cats and dogs brought to Great Britain to be rehomed)
Dogs, cats and ferrets brought to Great Britain as your own pets (they’ll live with you and will not be rehomed, sold or change ownership) are also commercial imports if:
- you’re bringing in more than 5 pets
- you cannot travel to accompany your pets 5 days before or after they arrive in Great Britain
Commercial imports of pet dogs, cats and ferrets must come from:
You must follow Balai rules in this guidance and the following pet travel rules for commercial imports of pet cats, dogs and ferrets:
Dogs, cats and ferrets that do not meet pet travel rules must be quarantined when they arrive in Great Britain.
To commercially import dogs, cats and ferrets from Ukraine, Belarus, Poland or Romania, you must have Approved Importer status. This includes rescue animals.
Importing non-commercial pets
If they are not commercial imports, you should follow different guidance to bring:
Importing live animals and germinal products from the EU under Balai rules
Live animals and germinal products from the EU are categorised as high risk under the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM).
How imports of live animals from the EU must enter Great Britain
Live animals from the EU can enter Great Britain through any point of entry.
How imports of germinal products from the EU must enter Great Britain
Unless they are from Ireland, most imports of germinal products will need to enter through a point of entry with the relevant border control post (BCP) for physical and identity checks.
Goods moving directly from the Republic of Ireland must enter England or Scotland through a point of entry with a relevant BCP, or through Heysham. Goods from Ireland can enter Wales through any named point of entry.
There are separate rules for qualifying Northern Ireland goods.
Under Balai rules you may still be able to use an approved premises as a place of destination for checks on germinal products from the EU.
Importing live animals and germinal products from non-EU countries under Balai rules
Live animals and germinal products from non-EU countries are categorised as high risk under the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM).
How imports of live animals and germinal products from non-EU countries must enter Great Britain
All live animals and germinal products from non-EU countries must enter through a point of entry with the relevant BCP.
Import from a registered or approved premises in EU and non-EU countries
You can import all animals and germinal products covered by Balai rules from:
- a registered premises, except primates
- an approved premises, including primates
The import requirements, shown on the health certificate or import licence, will depend on whether the import is coming from a registered premises or an approved premises.
Import to an approved premises in Great Britain
Your premises must be on the list of approved premises to import:
- captive-bred birds for research, display and conservation
- carnivores
- primates
Check with the APHA imports team if your premises needs to be approved to import germinal products of certain species.
Email: imports@apha.gov.uk
Apply to get your premises Balai approved
Complete the application form.
Email the completed form to the APHA imports team.
Email: imports@apha.gov.uk
A vet from APHA will inspect your premises to check it meets conditions for approval. APHA will send you a list of conditions when you apply for approval.
When your premises is approved, it will be added to the list of approved premises.
Border officials will check if your premises is on the list when your import arrives in Great Britain.
Apply for a waiver for animals susceptible to rabies
If your premises is approved, you may be able to apply to waive quarantine rules for animals susceptible to rabies.
To apply for a waiver:
- complete the licence application form to import animals susceptible to rabies
- tick the box on the form to apply for the waiver
Check what documents you need to import from EU and non-EU countries to Great Britain
Imports from EU and non-EU countries will need either one or both of the following documents, depending on the animal or germinal product you’re importing:
- health certificate
- import licence
Health certificates
If you’re importing from the EU, the EU exporter must apply for the GB health certificate in their own country. Competent authorities should use model health certificates and any supplementary health certificates and declarations to create versions that exporters can apply for.
If the exporter creates a GB health certificate using a system approved to produce verifiable PDF certificates, they do not need to send the original health certificate with the consignment. They must send you the official, verifiable PDF certificate once it has been signed by the competent authority. Use this for your import notification in the import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFS).
If the exporter does not use a system approved to produce verifiable PDF certificates, the competent authority must send the original paper GB health certificate with the consignment and send you an electronic copy to attach to your import notification in IPAFFS.
You must attach all pages of the health certificate copy to your import notification in IPAFFS.
Import licences
Imports of certain live animals and germinal products from non-EU countries must have an import licence or authorisation and a health certificate.
If you’re importing from the EU, you may need a licence as well as a health certificate.
You should check the list of general licences to see if there’s a licence for your animal or germinal product. If a general licence for your import does not exist, you may need to apply for one.
You must apply for a licence to import animals susceptible to rabies.
You’ll need an additional licence or authorisation if you’re importing:
- non-native species
- dangerous wild animals
- endangered animals
- captive-bred birds for research, display or conservation
Contact the APHA imports team if:
- there’s no licence for your animal or germinal product
- you’re not sure if you need a licence
Email: imports@apha.gov.uk
You must attach the import licence or authorisation to your import notification in IPAFFS.
Notify APHA about imports of live animals from the EU
You must submit an import notification on IPAFFS to tell APHA about imports of live animals from EU countries. This is also known as a common health entry document (CHED). For live animals, the notification is a CHEDA.
You must do this at least one working day before the animals are expected to arrive at the point of entry.
If the health certificate for your import was generated in the EU’s digital certification and management platform (TRACES), you can use the ‘clone a certificate’ function in IPAFFS. Use this to:
- create and populate your CHEDA notification with data from a health certificate
- automatically attach a health certificate to your notification
If the health certificate was not generated in TRACES or the ‘clone a certificate’ function is not successful, you must create the CHEDA notification using the ‘create a new notification’ function or the ‘copy as new’ function.
You’ll get a notification reference number (sometimes called a unique notification number or UNN) when you submit your import notification. The format of this number will be CHEDA.GB.YYYY.XXXXXXX.
The notification reference number does not need to be added to the health certificate if it was created in TRACES, unless the import is part of the Approved Importer Scheme.
If you need help with import notifications
If you need technical help with IPAFFS, call the APHA helpline on 03300 416 999 or email APHAServiceDesk@apha.gov.uk.
If you need help completing import notifications for live animals, email importsriskmanagement@apha.gov.uk.
Notify APHA about imports of germinal products from the EU
You must submit an import notification on IPAFFS to tell APHA about imports of germinal products from EU countries. This is also known as a common health entry document (CHED). For germinal products, the notification is a CHEDP.
You must do this at least one working day before the germinal products are expected to arrive at the point of entry.
You’ll get a notification reference number (sometimes called a unique notification number or UNN) when you submit your import notification. The format of this number will be CHEDP.GB.YYYY.XXXXXXX.
The reference number does not need to be added to the health certificate.
If you need help with import notifications
If you need technical help with IPAFFS, call the APHA helpline on 03300 416 999 or email APHAServiceDesk@apha.gov.uk.
If you need help completing import notifications, contact the port health authority at the relevant BCP.
Notify APHA about imports from non-EU countries
You must complete part 1 of the common health entry document (CHED) on IPAFFS to tell APHA about imports of live animals and germinal products from non-EU countries.
You must do this at least one working day before the animals or germinal products are expected to arrive at the point of entry.
If you do not notify APHA before your consignment arrives at the BCP, you may be charged an additional fee or your check could take longer.
Checks on imports of live animals from the EU
Your live animal may have document, identity and physical checks, including tests, at the place of destination. They must stay there for either:
- 48 hours
- the time indicated on the health certificate
Checks will depend on public and animal health risks.
Checks on imports of germinal products from the EU
Unless the goods are from Ireland, there are checks at the border on germinal products from the EU. Most checks will be carried out at a BCP.
Under Balai rules you may still be able to use an approved premises as a place of destination for these checks.
Find out if your consignment needs sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks
If you’re importing germinal products from the EU to Great Britain, you must present the consignment at the relevant BCP if it is called for SPS checks.
If you’re importing the goods through an airport, the authorities will carry out any necessary checks before they release the consignment for collection by your transporter.
If you’re importing the goods through a port, the way to find out if your consignment needs SPS checks will depend on whether your transporter is using the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) to clear customs.
If your transporter is using GVMS, they should use the check if you need to report for an inspection service to find out what they need to do.
If your transporter is not using GVMS, IPAFFS will provide an initial risk assessment telling you if your consignment needs SPS checks when you submit your import notification. If your consignment does need checks, you’ll also receive a text and email message 2 hours before your transporter’s estimated time of arrival in Great Britain. The message will confirm what you need to do.
If IPAFFS tells you your consignment has not been selected for SPS checks, you should still check for messages until your consignment has cleared the port, because the authorities may still call you for checks based on their final risk assessment.
Read separate guidance if you’re transiting animal products through Great Britain.
Find out what happens at BCPs.
Checks on live animal and germinal product imports from non-EU countries
Imports of live animals and germinal products from non-EU countries must be checked at a BCP in Great Britain.
Find a relevant BCP for the animals or germinal products you’re importing.
The BCP inspector will:
- carry out the relevant checks
- complete part 2 of the CHED which records the results on IPAFFS
Fees
You must pay a fee to have your consignment from non-EU countries checked at a BCP. To find out what fees you’ll have to pay, you can:
- read about BCP inspection fees
- contact the BCP you plan to use about their operation fees
Leaving the BCP
You must not remove your consignment from the BCP or customs clearance area until official inspectors have completed and validated the CHED.
After your consignment leaves the BCP, you must:
- make sure your consignment goes directly to the destination named on the CHED
- make sure the original CHED goes with your consignment to its final destination
- comply with any movement restrictions associated with your import
If you need help
Contact the APHA Animal Imports team if you’re not sure about anything in this guide.
Updates to this page
Last updated 29 October 2024 + show all updates
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Removed the section Importing live animals from the EU under Balai rules from late 2024. New border checks on live animals from the EU will not be introduced in 2024.
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This page has been updated with information about checks on germinal products from the EU and risk categories for live animals and germinal products from non-EU countries, in line with the Border Target Operating Model. Germinal products imported from the EU must now enter Great Britain through a point of entry with the relevant border control post.
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Information about cloning CHEDA notifications has been added.
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The guidance has been updated to include current information about the border target operating model risk categories and common health entry documents.
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A prompt has been added to prepare for new import controls which begin on 31 January 2024.
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Changed 'notify APHA' section to separate new CHED-A notifications for live animals from the EU and IMP notifications for germinal products from the EU.
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Corrected 'Import to an approved premises in Great Britain' section with information to check with APHA about importing germinal products. Removed inaccuracy in 'carnivores' bullet point.
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Improved readability throughout. Clarified what's required for health certificates and import licences. Improved 'checks on imports' sections, including factual corrections. Added new sections with information about changes under the border target operating model. Minor language corrections and clarifications.
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To commercially import dogs, cats and ferrets from Ukraine, Belarus, Poland or Romania, you must have Approved Importer status.
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Updated the suspension date for commercially importing dogs, cats and ferrets from Ukraine, Belarus, Poland or Romania to 29 October 2022.
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Updated the suspension date for commercially importing dogs, cats and ferrets from Ukraine, Belarus, Poland or Romania to 3 September 2022.
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Removed references to changes to import controls previously due to come into effect on 1 July 2022, as these have been postponed. The page will be updated in autumn 2022 with new dates for import controls.
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Updated the suspension date for commercially importing dogs, cats and ferrets from Ukraine, Belarus, Poland or Romania to 9 July 2022.
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Import controls on EU goods to Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) planned from July will not be introduced in 2022. The controls that have already been introduced remain in place. This page will be updated in autumn 2022.
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England has temporarily suspended the commercial import of dogs, cats and ferrets if they originate from or have been dispatched from Ukraine, Belarus, Poland or Romania, until 14 May 2022.
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First published.