Moving goods between Great Britain, the EU and Northern Ireland

Published 2026-09-10 · Last reviewed 2026-09-10 · Next review due 2026-12-10

This guide is general information written for people working around UK ports. It is not legal or customs advice, and it does not certify that any consignment complies with anything. Requirements change and depend on the specific goods, materials, route and dates involved. Always check the official sources linked below, and take professional advice where the consequences of getting it wrong are significant.

Start with the route, not the pallet

People usually ask 'is this pallet compliant?'. That question cannot be answered as asked. A pallet is not compliant or non-compliant in the abstract — it is acceptable or unacceptable for a specific movement between two specific places at a specific time. So the first job is always to classify the movement.

The movement types that matter

Within Great Britain

England, Scotland and Wales internal movements do not cross an international plant health boundary. Wood packaging phytosanitary requirements of the kind that apply to international trade are not the issue here. Other considerations — waste, product safety, contractual requirements — can still apply.

Great Britain to the EU

This is an international movement into the EU's plant health area. Wood packaging requirements apply and must be checked. It does not matter whether the goods are containerised, on a trailer, or moving groupage — the wood packaging in the load is in scope.

Great Britain to Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, but for wood packaging this movement is treated like an export: GOV.UK states that wood packaging moved from Great Britain to Northern Ireland must meet ISPM 15. That is the main practical difference from an internal GB movement.

Northern Ireland to the EU, including across the land border

GOV.UK states there is no ISPM 15 requirement for wood packaging moving from Northern Ireland to the EU, including across the land border into the Republic of Ireland. This matters to operators at Warrenpoint, Belfast and Foyle Port, where a business can be making several movement types in the same week — so the absence of a requirement on this route says nothing about the others.

Northern Ireland to Great Britain

Not the mirror image of GB to NI. GOV.UK states that ISPM 15 is not required on this route, but wood packaging made from conifer (softwood) must instead be either free from bark or accompanied by a UK plant passport. So the check is different in kind, not simply lighter.

Other destinations outside the EU

ISPM 15 is the international standard, but individual countries apply their own additional import conditions. GOV.UK advises verifying the requirements with the national plant protection organisation (NPPO) of the destination country before shipping, rather than assuming ISPM 15 marking alone is sufficient everywhere.

Practical steps

• Write down the origin and the final destination, not just the port of departure.
• Note whether the route transits any third territory.
• Identify every wood item in the load, including dunnage and bracing.
• Check current GOV.UK guidance for the movement type and for the shipping date.
• Where Northern Ireland is involved, check the dedicated NI movement guidance and support services.
• Keep the check on file with the consignment paperwork.

Our movement checker can help you frame the question. It tells you what needs checking and where to check it. It does not tell you that you are compliant, because no website can honestly do that.

Sources

Each link was checked on the date shown. Where a site blocked our automated check we say so rather than implying a clean result.