What is a Phytosanitary Certificate, and how does it matter to import Japanese Green Tea?

In order to import certain goods into a country, you need to fulfill various requirements. This is obligatory for each of your imports. If you fail to comply with these necessities, your imports will never be able to cross borders. One of the requirements is that you have to provide a phytosanitary certificate, especially if you are importing organic Japanese tea. Proceed below to know all about the phytosanitary certificates and why they are important.

The Purpose of Phytosanitary Certificates

Phytosanitary certificates are the certificates that must accompany your import because these certificates verify that your import is free of all kinds of pests and diseases. The phytosanitary certificates are also important to make sure that all the phytosanitary requirements of the importing country are being followed and fulfilled. These certificates can also be issued in the case of re-export of certain goods. If you’re importing organic Japanese tea, it is quite indispensable to provide a phytosanitary certificate to attest that your import products fulfill all the phytosanitary requirements.

Forms and Types of Phytosanitary Certificates

There are two kinds of phytosanitary, which are described as follows:

“Phytosanitary Certificate” for export purposes: This certificate is issued by the origin country’s National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO). It describes everything that is included in the consignment via a certifying statement. Several other documents, such as treatment records and additional declarations, must also accompany the phytosanitary certificate for export purposes.
“Phytosanitary Certificate for re-export” for re-export purposes: This certificate is also issued by the NPPO of the re-exporting country. The phytosanitary certificate for re-export purposes provides a linkage to the phytosanitary certificate issued in the country of origin. It gives the full details of the changes made in the consignment before shipping to the importing country. If the consignment isn’t processed or grown in the country, this certificate is used to verify its contents.

The procedure of issuing both of these certificates is the same, along with the systems that verify their legitimacy.

Attachments to Phytosanitary Certificates

There can be instances when the information to be added to the certificate exceeds the space available on the form. In that case, you can add attachments to the certificate to provide complete information regarding the consignment.

The number of the phytosanitary certificate should be written on each of the attachments, and it should be dated, signed, and stamped in the same way as that of the phytosanitary certificate. However, make sure that the attachments contain only the information that is required on the phytosanitary certificate. If your attachment consists of more than one page, make sure to number all the pages and mention the number of pages on the phytosanitary certificate.

Mode of Transmission

Phytosanitary certificates should be presented to the inspection officials at the time of the arrival of your consignment. If the importing country accepts, they can be transmitted separately through mail or other modes of transmission.

How does a Phytosanitary Certificate matter to importing Organic Japanese tea?

As already mentioned, phytosanitary certificates are required to attest whether your imports are free from all kinds of pests and contamination. Now, tea is one of the most consumed beverages in the entire world, and a lot of people import tea either for personal uses or to start businesses. But the major concern of the countries’ customs officials is whether the shipment complies with the food and safety standards of the said country.

A provision of the phytosanitary certificate can verify all that. This certificate contains every minute detail regarding your tea import that can allow it to enter the country. Thus, if you’re importing organic Japanese tea, make sure that your exporting country also issues a phytosanitary certificate to attest to the import.

Which Country Requires Phytosanitary Certificate?

Phytosanitary Certificate is issued per shipment prior to shipment to the country.
In Japan, the Phytosanitary office (植物防疫所) only issues the certificate if the importing country requires this certificate compulsory.

For instance, for the UK it’s not compulsory, the organization does not produce this certificate.

For the UAE, exporting green tea it is compulsory to issue this certificate; therefore, if the business is located in the UAE, and if the order is directly shipped to the UAE from Japan, this certificate can be prepared.

Requirements to Complete the Phytosanitary Certificate

Below mentioned are the requirements that your exporting country needs to fill out to get a phytosanitary certificate for organic Japanese tea. Note that this certificate contains a lot of sections, so one needs to be vigilant when filling out this form.

The certificate identification number. The identification system provides a unique serial number that should be written at the top of the form.
The name of the Plant Protection Organization of the exporting country or the country of origin. The name of the country that is issuing this certificate can also be added here.
The name of the Plant Protection Organization of the importing country. If your shipment goes through a transit country, then the name of the importing country along with the transit country should be written here. The exporting country must ensure that all the import and transit regulations are being met.

Section I. Consignment Description

The name and the full address of the exporter of your tea. If your exporter is local but is running an international business, the name and address of that exporter can also be used.
The name and full address of the person who’s importing the products. They should be clearly detailed so that the NPPO can verify the information sufficiently. Make sure that the address is present in the importing country.
The third part of this section asks you to portray the number and description of the packages that you want to import. For example, if you’re importing 15 packages of organic Japanese tea, you need to mention the exact number along with the size of each package. You can also add any other description that you find vital to add.
If your import contains any distinguishing marks, this is the time that you unveil them. You can also mention the distinguishing marks on the attachment, which must be signed and stamped. However, if there are no distinguishing marks, you can write none in this section and proceed.
Next is the place of origin. This is the place from where your consignment gets the phytosanitary status, i.e., where there is a possibility that your consignment may be grown or may or may not be exposed to contamination. If your consignment moved from one place to another, the name of the place where the consignment is at present will be written in this section. Some countries require the details of the place of origin as a “pest-free production site” or “pest-free production place.” In that case, it is better to indicate this to the country of origin.
Declared conveyance means. Various terms can be used to fill this space, such as air, rail, sea, mail, etc. If you know the flight number of the aircraft or the ship’s voyage number, you can add that in the details as well.
Declared point of entry. Here, you need to write the country’s name of the final destination where your shipment will arrive. If you have a transit country in between, you will need to list the name of those countries as well.
The next part is where you write the product name and the quantity that is declared by the country of origin. For example, if you are importing organic Japanese tea, you will write this in the product name section and the amount of tea that you ordered in the next part. Make sure you get the quantity as accurate as possible so that the customs officials can verify your import along with the contents present in it. For identification, international codes (customs codes) can also be used. Moreover, make sure that the units and terms you use are internationally recognized.
In the next part, you have to write the botanical (scientific) name of the plants. Since organic Japanese tea doesn’t have any scientific name, you can just write “not applicable” or “N/A” in this section.
Certifying statement

Section II. Additional Declaration

An additional declaration should include the information needed by the importing country and not the phytosanitary certificate. It should be precise and to the point but it must cover all the aspects of the imports.

Section III. Disinfection and/or Disinfestation Treatment

The disinfection treatment(s) listed on this certificate must be those that are acceptable to the importing country. Also, those treatments must be performed in the exporting country as well as the transit country.

Stamp of Organization

Once your form is completed, you need to get it stamped by the issuing official, NPPO. However, make sure that the stamp or seal doesn’t obscure the valuable information present on the certificate.

Name of the authorized officer, date, and officer’s signature

This is where the name of the issuing official, along with his/her signature, is required. Also, you need to mention the date. Both of these things should be mentioned in capital letters. Abbreviations can be used to identify months so that there is no confusion between months and years.

Conclusion

If you want to import organic Japanese tea to your country, it will be vital for your shipment to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate. This certificate is provided by the exporting country. However, all the valuable details are provided by the importer. If you fail to provide a phytosanitary certificate with your import, your import will be ceased at the first port of arrival.

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