A pre-export certificate is an official EU harmonised document issued by the competent authorities of Member States of the European Union (Plant Health Regulation (PHR) (EU) 2016/2031 article 102). It is used to exchange phytosanitary information about plants or plant products that are moved between Member States before export to countries outside of the EU. It is the basis for issuing the phytosanitary certificate for export to countries outside of the EU.
What kind of information is exchanged on the PEC?
The PEC is used to exchange phytosanitary information. It may concern the absence of pests, the origin of the plants, the pest status in a field, inspection results and test results as well as processing procedures that were applied to the plants or plant products. The information on the PEC is used by the receiving Member State to issue the phytosanitary certificate for export to countries outside of the EU. The Member State where the plant or plant products were produced, stored or processed is mentioned for each product on the phytosanitary certificate for export.
What happens to a PEC after it is used to issue a phytosanitary certificate for export?
The pre-export certificate accompanies the plants or plant products during their movement within the Union territory. It is then collected and filed by the receiving competent authorities during the process of issuing the phytosanitary certificate for export to countries outside of the EU. Therefore, the pre-export certificate is not attached to a phytosanitary certificate as an official attachment and will not be sent to a country outside of the EU.