A UK plant passport is the official label that lets regulated plants move within Great Britain, and to the Isle of Man and Channel Islands. If your nursery supplies plants for planting to other businesses, you need to be registered, authorised and issuing passports correctly. This guide covers each step.
This guide summarises the official GOV.UK guidance for England and Wales. Rules change, so always check the current guidance before relying on it.
Changes expected in 2027. The UK and EU are negotiating a plant health (SPS) agreement. Government guidance says EU plant passports will replace UK plant passports, with the agreement intended to take effect in mid-2027. Details are not yet confirmed. This guide describes the rules in force today. Read the latest GOV.UK guidance.
When you need a UK plant passport
You need one to move regulated plant material within Great Britain. That includes:
- all plants for planting
- some seeds
- seed potatoes
- wood, wood products and isolated bark
GOV.UK keeps the full list of plants and products that need a passport.
For trade nurseries, the key points are:
- Supplying other businesses: you need a passport. That includes landscapers, other nurseries and garden centres.
- Supplying retailers: there is no exemption. If you sell to retailers, you must be authorised to issue passports.
- Selling to the public in person: you don't need a passport.
- Selling to the public online or by phone: you still need one. These are "distance contracts".
Register and get authorised
There are two separate steps:
- Register as a professional operator. Every business that works with plants must be registered. You'll get a unique registration number, which goes in part B of your passports.
- Apply for authorisation to issue UK plant passports. In England and Wales you apply to APHA (the Animal and Plant Health Agency, part of Defra) through the eDomero online service.
Other parts of the UK use different bodies:
- Scotland: SASA
- Wood, wood products and isolated bark: the Forestry Commission
- Northern Ireland: DAERA
Once authorised, you can issue as many passports as you need.
Your first inspection
APHA inspects shortly after you're authorised. An inspector will typically:
- interview the person responsible for plant passports
- audit your records
- inspect, and sometimes sample, host plants for pests and diseases
- brief you on current plant health risks
Authorisation is renewed every year through eDomero, and renewal inspections are charged in the same way as first inspections. GOV.UK lists the current fees.
What goes on a UK plant passport
The passport must say "UK Plant Passport" in English at the top, show no flag, and be clearly separate from any other information on the label. It then has lettered parts:
| Part | What it holds | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A | Botanical name | Full genus and species. Genus alone only if the species isn't known. Variety or cultivar is optional. |
| B | Your registration number | No "GB" prefix. That was only for EU passports. |
| C | Traceability code | An existing code such as a serial, week, batch or invoice number. It must trace back to the unit where the passport was issued. |
| D | Country of origin | The two-letter ISO code. "GB" covers the whole UK, including Northern Ireland. |
| E | Used for certain goods from Northern Ireland | Only when replacing the passport on qualifying Northern Ireland goods ("GB(NI)"). |
You can add a barcode or QR code to the passport, but it doesn't replace the traceability code in part C.
A traceability code isn't needed when plants are ready for sale to final users without further preparation and pose no risk of spreading quarantine pests in Great Britain.
Pest-free area passports
Plants that are hosts of pests absent from only part of Great Britain need a pest-free area (PFA) passport. It is headed "UK plant passport - PFA" and shows the EPPO code of the relevant pest. GOV.UK lists which plants need one.
Where to attach the passport
The passport goes on the smallest unit you transport the plants in. If you send the same plants on pallets, in boxes, on trays or in bags, every individual unit needs one.
- Mixed trolleys going straight to a retailer, such as a garden centre: you can attach one passport to the trolley itself. It can't be a delivery note left with the driver.
- Uniform trolleys (same species and format, same origin, same destination): a passport can go on the trolley at any stage.
- Format: a label, sticker, care label, pictorial packet, or paper form attached to the unit.
- Online and phone sales: on the plant or container, on the delivery note inside the package, or on the outside of the box.
One passport can list several species, as long as traceability is provided for every regulated plant on it.
When to issue a new passport
You need to issue a new passport if you split a consignment and the new units don't already carry one. For example, a trolley covered by a single passport, split into trays for different customers, needs a new passport on each tray.
You don't need a new passport if all of these are true:
- you don't split the consignment
- traceability is maintained
- the plants are free of pests and disease
- the plants' characteristics haven't changed
If any of those aren't met, the plants must be examined carefully before a new passport is issued.
Keep the records
Issuing passports also means keeping records for three years: who supplied you, who you supplied, and the information on each passport. Our guide to plant passport record keeping covers exactly what to keep.
How PlantDesk helps
PlantDesk nursery management software holds the passport information against every batch:
- botanical name, traceability code and country of origin
- the supplier the plants came from
- the batch's history from arrival to sale
When plants are quoted, invoiced and delivered, the record of who you supplied builds up in the same place. That keeps the information ready for your labels and for an inspector.
PlantDesk holds and produces the information. Your nursery remains responsible for its authorisation and records. See how plant passport records work in PlantDesk.