Phytosanitary Certificate in Thailand: How It Is Issued, What It Costs and How Long It Lasts

What is a phytosanitary certificate, and who issues it in Thailand?

A phytosanitary certificate is the official document in which the exporting country confirms that a plant shipment is free of pests and meets the importing country's rules. In Thailand only the Department of Agriculture issues it: not the nursery, not the seller, not the courier.

Thailand's Plant Quarantine Act defines it in Section 4:

"'phytosanitary certificate' means an official document issued by the competent authority of exporting country to verify that plant, plant germplasm or carrier is free from pests, in compliance with the importing country requirements;"

Source: Plant Quarantine Act B.E. 2507, as amended, Section 4, official English version, Department of Agriculture.

The rule that only a government officer can issue it is international, not a Thai formality. The International Plant Protection Convention, quoted in the standard on phytosanitary certificates (ISPM 12), states:

"The issuance of phytosanitary certificates shall be carried out by public officers who are technically qualified and duly authorized by the official national plant protection organization to act on its behalf"

Source: ISPM 12, Phytosanitary certificates, IPPC Secretariat, FAO.

The Department of Agriculture reported to the IPPC that a genuine Thai certificate is printed "on the special paper with the watermark 'Department of Agriculture Thailand', A4 size", with a ten-digit number that starts with TH. Since 1 October 2022 only this format is issued, so a certificate in an older layout is a warning sign for any buyer.

How is the certificate issued for a shipment by air?

The certificate for an air shipment is issued in four steps: an application on Form Por Kor 7, an inspection with random sampling, the signature of an authorised officer, and the fee. The plants are checked against the rules of the destination country, not one general Thai standard.

1. Application. The exporter, or an agent acting for the exporter, files Form Por Kor 7 with the plant list and supporting documents. The Royal Thai Government's procedure page for air export puts it this way: "The applicant submits a phytosanitary Certificate Application (Form Por Kor 7) with all the correct and complete documents".

2. Inspection. Officials count the goods and take plant samples at random to look for pests. The Thai Customs Department's manual for the Suvarnabhumi cargo terminal sets the sample at no more than 5 percent of the total goods.

3. Signature. An authorised officer signs the certificate.

4. Fee. The applicant is notified and pays.

Form Por Kor 8 is a different document. It is used for re-export, meaning plants that were imported into Thailand and are being sent on, and it has its own list of attachments.

The plant list on the application has to match the box. The same Customs manual sets the penalty: on a third repeat offence, such as undeclared goods or a wrong quantity or weight, the Department of Agriculture refuses the certificate for the whole shipment and suspends the certificate service for 30 days from the date of detection.

How much does a phytosanitary certificate cost in Thailand?

A phytosanitary certificate costs 100 THB per certificate in Thailand, and a replacement certificate costs 50 THB. These are the Department of Agriculture's official fees, published with the air export procedure. Vehicle fees are charged on top, at the amount actually paid.

Sources: Royal Thai Government procedure pages for phytosanitary certification for air export, for re-export, and for the export of endangered plants, describing Department of Agriculture procedure.

The air export page lists the two main fees in one line: "Fees: Phytosanitary Certificate 100 Baht. Substitute phytosanitary Certificate 50 Baht". The rates are not set case by case. Under Section 15 of the Plant Quarantine Act, inspection and treatment fees are fixed by the Director-General of the Department of Agriculture "and shall be published in the Government Gazette."

A certificate that is lost or contains a mistake is replaced on Form P.Q. 9, the "Application for Superseding of Phytosanitary Certificate under the Plant Quarantine Act B.E. 2507 and Amended". The substitute is the 50 THB line in the table.

With Dragon Courier the fee question mostly disappears. Dragon Courier arranges the certificate as part of the plant service, free of charge for the USA and the UK, and charged for other markets.

What is e-Phyto, and does it change anything for the exporter?

e-Phyto is the Department of Agriculture's electronic phytosanitary certificate system. It started on 1 February 2022 with 22 types of fruit exported to China and from 1 July 2022 covers all export goods to all countries, according to the Department's press statement of 3 May 2022.

The system, at e-phyto.doa.go.th, has two entrances: one for operators and one for officials. The scale explains why it was built. In the same statement the Department reported that it issued 409,279 phytosanitary certificates in 2021, covering exports worth about 784,259 million baht.

e-Phyto changes the channel, not what the plants need: the inspection, the signature and the fee remain. On a Dragon Courier plant shipment this paperwork is handled by Dragon Courier, and the seller prepares the plants and the plant list.

How long is a Thai phytosanitary certificate valid?

Thailand does not fix a validity period for its phytosanitary certificate. The international standard leaves the duration to the plant protection authorities of the exporting and importing countries, so the destination's rule decides. Figures such as "14 to 60 days" found online are not an international rule.

ISPM 12 puts it in two sentences:

"Phytosanitary certificates may have a limited duration of validity. The NPPO of the exporting country or the importing country may make relevant stipulations."

Source: ISPM 12, Phytosanitary certificates, Section 1.6, IPPC Secretariat, FAO.

Neither the Plant Quarantine Act nor the Department of Agriculture's procedure pages set a number of days. In practice the certificate is tied to the inspected shipment, so it is issued close to the flight. Great Britain is a clear example of a destination rule: GOV.UK guidance accepts a certificate issued no more than 13 days before or after the date the consignment left the exporting country, with no requirement to arrive within those 13 days.

The United States checks content rather than a date window. Under the federal rules for plants for planting:

"The phytosanitary certificate must identify the genus of the plants for planting it accompanies."

Source: 7 CFR § 319.37-6, Cornell Legal Information Institute (eCFR).

Do orchids and other CITES plants need more than the certificate?

Yes. Orchids and other plants listed under CITES need a Thai export permit on top of the phytosanitary certificate. The permit is issued under the Plant Species Act B.E. 2518 on Form Por Por 13, costs 100 THB, and the official procedure should take no longer than one hour.

The Royal Thai Government's procedure page for the export of endangered plants sets out the legal basis:

"Those intending to export endangered plants and plant residues must comply with the stipulations outlined in [CITES] and the Plant Species Act B.E. 2518 (1975), as well as the notifications from the Department of Agriculture..."

Source: Royal Thai Government procedure page on the export of endangered plants, describing Department of Agriculture procedure.

The permit comes from a different desk from the certificate. Thailand's CITES Management Authority for plants is the Department of Agriculture's Office of Plant Varieties Protection, listed by the CITES Secretariat separately from the wildlife authorities. Dragon Courier prepares CITES documents free of charge and sends CITES plants to major markets such as the USA. The full orchid process is in the guide on exporting orchids from Thailand.

What happens when the plants land?

At the destination, the certificate is checked together with the importing country's own documents. The United States requires a written permit for plants for planting, and the European Union has required a phytosanitary certificate for all plants since 14 December 2019.

The US rule is in 7 CFR § 319.37-5: plants for planting may be imported "only after issuance of a written permit". Dragon Courier holds an import permit for each market it serves, so the buyer does not need one, and the team can send a copy of the plants covered by the permit. What each destination asks for, quoted from its own authority, is in the guide on importing plants from Thailand, rules by country. The terms themselves, from import permit to quarantine pest, are explained in the guide on plant export terminology.

About Dragon Courier

Dragon Courier is a Bangkok courier, family owned, with more than 30 years in logistics in Thailand and more than 20,000 shipments a month to over 200 destinations. Its plant export service sends live plants to the USA, Canada, Europe, the UK, Singapore and Hong Kong, with the phytosanitary certificate, the CITES documents and the import permit handled by Dragon Courier.

Plants are shipped bare root, with new sphagnum moss. Collection is by a van with air conditioning made specifically for plants, temperature is controlled door to door, and plants go on the fastest flight. Delivery generally takes 2 to 4 working days, depending on the market. For the USA, fumigation can be arranged on request, with the cost approved by the shipper first.

Thai Baht, delivery duty paid, fuel surcharge included, plant price list of 10 June 2026. Boxes are charged on actual weight or on dimensions, whichever is greater. Insurance is not offered for live plants. The step by step process for a first shipment is in the guide on exporting live plants from Thailand.

Contacts and drop-off

The plant species, the quantity and the destination are enough to get a quote and a check against the permit. Office +66 2656 9019, Justin is on LINE and WhatsApp at +66 6-5937-0812, or info@dragoncourier.com. Drop-off runs until 17:00, Monday to Saturday, at the Bangkok office on Sukhumvit Soi 4 (217/3 Crystal Garden Building, 3rd floor, Klongtoey 10110) or the Chiang Mai office on Viangbua Road, and a pickup can be arranged for a date and time that suits. Is the plant list ready to match the box?