Prior notification and booking of controls - import of products of non-animal origin
Some products of non-animal origin from certain countries are required to undergo border control on import. Consignments to be inspected at the border must be pre-notified to one of the Swedish Food Agency's border control posts. Here you will find information on how to pre-notify and book controls on import of products of non-animal origin.
Help with imports
There are a lot of factors to bear in mind when importing food. There are specialised companies that help businesses import food, called customs agents or freight forwarders. Search the internet for the words “customs agents and imports” to find examples of customs agents or freight forwarders that you can use.
Prior notification
When you import a product of non-animal origin that is subject to border control, you need to pre-notify the import consignment. The consignment must be pre-notified at least one working day before its expected arrival in the EU territory. The notification is made in the web-based system TRACES.NT by creating what is known as a CHED-D (Common Health Entry Document). Part I of CHED-D is the prior notification itself, and Part II is the border control decision. Further information can be found under the heading TRACES.NT below.
TRACES.NT
For questions about a specific consignment, contact the border control post through which you intend to import your products.
Booking of border control at an airport
Once you have made a prior notification, you need to book the border control of the consignment. You can do this by sending an email to the airport's border control post. Enter the CHED-D number and the desired control date in the subject line of the email and attach a completed booking form, "Form for booking border control". If there are several consignments, fill in one booking form per consignment. In cases where the legislation requires an official certificate and analytical report, it must be attached to the CHED-D in TRACES.NT.
If the consignment is accompanied by an official certificate signed by hand, the original paper certificate needs to be delivered by post or courier to the border control post. Please note that if you send original documents by registered mail to the border control post, the delivery and opening hours of the post office may result in delays of the control.
At present, Arlanda airport is the only airport in Sweden that has an approved border control post. Food subject to border control that is transported by air to Sweden can therefore only be pre-notified to the Arlanda border control post.
Booking of border control in a port
Once you have made a prior notification, you need to book the border control of the consignment. Border control in a port must be booked at least one working day before the desired control date. In cases where the legislation requires an official certificate and analysis report, it must be attached to the CHED-D in TRACES.NT.
Consignments accompanied by original paper certificate
If the consignment is accompanied by an official certificate signed by hand, the original paper certificate needs to be delivered by post or courier to the relevant border control post. Please note that if you send original documents by registered mail to the border control post, the delivery and opening hours of the post office may result in delays of the control.
Consignments that do not need an official certificate
Contact details for border control posts
Rules for transshipment
Keep in mind that if your consignment will be transhipped in another EU country, it must be done where there is a border control post. If the border control is to be carried out in Sweden, the transhipment must take place by air or sea. If the transhipment is by road or rail, border control must be completed in the EU country in which the EU border is crossed. This is because the consignment cannot enter the EU territory without an approved CHED-D.
Example: Dried figs are transported by road from Turkey to Sweden. Prior notification must be made to the border control post in the EU country in which the EU border is crossed. When the product arrives in Sweden, it then has an approved CHED-D and only needs to be checked by the Swedish Customs. It can then be sold on the Swedish market.
Another example: Fresh chilli from Uganda is flown to another EU country and transhipped to another flight that then travels to Arlanda. Prior notification must then be made to the border control post at Arlanda. However, if the chilli is flown to another EU country where it is reloaded onto a lorry which then drives to Sweden, prior notification must be made to the border control post in the EU country in which the products first arrived.
