Bringing poultry to Sweden

There are rules that you need to follow when bringing in poultry and hatching eggs to Sweden from other countries. The rules differ according to whether you are bringing in poultry and hatching eggs from EU Member States or from countries outside the EU. The rules may also vary depending on the intended use of the poultry. You can read general information here. To find out all of the rules, you need to read the legislation.

What counts as poultry

Poultry are birds that have been raised or confined for breeding, meat or egg production or for stocking. You may also keep birds, for example, to participate in shows and competitions or for raising and sale. They are then called captive birds.

Eggs for hatching are fertilised eggs intended for hatching.

General rules for bringing poultry and hatching eggs into Sweden

There are general rules that apply regardless of the country from which you intend to bring in poultry and hatching eggs. There are also special rules for when you intend to bring in poultry and hatching eggs from an EU Member State or from countries outside the EU.

According to the general rules, you must

  • register the establishment
  • register as a transporter
  • register as an importer
  • obtain a health certificate
  • plan the transport carefully.

You need to read both the general rules and what applies for the various countries.

Register the establishment

If poultry or breeding material is to be received at your establishment from countries outside the EU, it is important that your establishment is registered at least 4 weeks before the animal or breeding material is received.

This is because the Swedish Board of Agriculture must enter the information about the establishment in the EU-wide computer system TRACES.NT, which is used in connection with the transport of animals.

Register as a transporter

If you are transporting poultry between countries, you must register as a transporter. Registration of transporters is not the same as a permit for transports for business purposes. You register as a transporter using our e-service.

You must also be registered to bring in animals

In order for you to be permitted to bring in poultry and hatching eggs to Sweden from other countries, you must be registered for import at the Swedish Board of Agriculture. You must register in our e-service at least 30 days before the expected date of the first occasion of import.

Registration is valid for 2 years from the date on which you were registered.

There must be a health certificate

When you bring in poultry and hatching eggs, you must have a health certificate showing that they are healthy. This is available in the EU’s common trading database, TRACES.NT. The animal owner in the dispatching country shall contact an official veterinarian in good time who will issue the health certificate. In this way, the movement will be registered and controlled. The health certificate signed by the veterinarian shows that the animals have been approved in compliance with the applicable health requirements.

The certificate is valid for 10 days from and including the date of issue.

You do not need a health certificate, when you bring in racing pigeons for sporting events from another EU Member State. Read more about this further down on this page.

The animal owner is responsible for not bringing infection diseases into Sweden

You as the animal owner bear the responsibility of not bringing infection disease for poultry into Sweden. The purchaser and the seller are both responsible for obtaining the relevant information and documentation.

As animal owner or a participant in trade in another way, you are responsible for knowing the applicable requirements and sampling when trading with animals.

Please not that the risk of bringing in infectious disease decreases if you bring in hatching eggs instead of live animals.

Plan the transport carefully

Please note that there may be areas with restrictions due to infectious animal diseases. There may then be special rules for transport in such an area. It is therefore important that you look up whether there are restrictions in place on where your animals are located or where they are to be transported to.

Plan the transport carefully so that the animals do not get stuck somewhere on the way. It is also important that you look up what rules apply for transport of animals when trading with animals.

Bringing in poultry and hatching eggs from EU Member States, Norway, Andorra, the Faroe Islands or Switzerland

When you are intending to bring in poultry and hatching eggs from EU Member States, Norway, Andorra, the Faroe Islands or Switzerland, there are a number of rules that apply in addition to the general rules above.

Report the import to the Swedish customs

The animals may only be imported through a customs post. When the animals cross the border, you must notify the import to the relevant customs post.

Further rules for bringing in poultry and hatching eggs

Here you can read about further rules that apply depending on your intention with your poultry.

Breeding poultry and productive poultry

A number of rules apply when you are bringing in breeding poultry and productive poultry:

  • Breeding poultry and productive poultry for meat production or eggs for consumption, must have been kept in an approved establishment since hatching or for at least six weeks before they are dispatched.
  • Poultry which are raised in captivity for the purpose of maintaining the stock of feathered game, shall have been kept in an approved establishment since hatching or for at least 21 days before being dispatched.
  • The flock from which the animals originate must be isolated for a period of 15 days before being dispatched.
  • Laying hens must be kept isolated for a period of two weeks before being dispatched, sampled no earlier than 10 days before being dispatched, and sampled with negative results regarding invasive salmonella serotypes
  • The poultry must come from flocks that have tested negative for Mycoplasma and all serotypes of Salmonella within 21 days before loading and according to special rules before they are dispatched. Testing is not needed if the disease has not been present at the facility in the last 12 months
  • If the animals come from a flock which is covered by the monitoring programme for low pathogenic avian influenza, there must not have been any confirmed cases of infection during the last three weeks before they are dispatched.
  • Poultry which are raised in captivity for the purpose of maintaining the stock of feathered game, may only have had contact with birds subject to the same animal health rules during the past 21 days before the poultry are dispatched. This means, for example, that if the poultry are at an approved establishment, they may only have had contact with poultry from approved establishments.
  • Ducks and geese shall have been tested for highly pathogenic avian influenza.
  • Poultry may not have been vaccinated against Newcastle disease as Sweden does not vaccinate against Newcastle disease. They shall be kept isolated for two weeks in an approved quarantine facility or in their original establishment under the supervision of an official veterinarian in the country they come from. The poultry must be tested for Newcastle disease during the two weeks immediately before they are dispatched.
  • An official veterinarian must carry out a document check of the health and production records kept at the establishment, an identity check of the animals in the consignment and a clinical inspection of the flock of origin during the last 48 hours before dispatch from the establishment of origin.

Poultry for slaughter

There are more rules when you are going to bring in poultry for slaughter:

  • The poultry shall be kept in a registered establishment after hatching for at least 21 days before they are dispatched.
  • The poultry must not be vaccinated against highly pathogenic avian influenza.
  • The poultry must come from flocks that have been tested for Salmonella, Mycoplasma and Newcastle disease within 21 days before loading and according to special rules before they are dispatched.
  • An official veterinarian must carry out a document check of the health and production records kept at the establishment, an identity check of the animals in the consignment and a clinical inspection of the herd of origin during the last 5 days before dispatch from the establishment of origin.

Day-old chickens

There are more rules when you intend to bring in day-old chickens:

  • The chickens must come from an approved hatching establishment.
  • The flock from which the day-old chicks originate must be isolated for a period of 15 days prior to dispatch.
  • The chickens shall have been hatched from eggs that comply with the requirements for hatching eggs which you can read under the heading Eggs for hatching from poultry.
  • The chickens shall have been hatched from eggs which come from flocks controlled by an official veterinarian.
  • The chickens must come from flocks that have been tested for Salmonella, Mycoplasma and Newcastle disease within 21 days before loading and according to special rules before they are dispatched
  • Day-old chickens may not be vaccinated against Newcastle disease as Sweden does not vaccinate against this disease. They shall have been hatched from flocks with are either not vaccinated or have been vaccinated with an inactive vaccine against Newcastle disease. If the flock has been vaccinated with a live vaccine, it shall have been vaccinated at least 30 days before collection of the eggs. They may not either come in to contact with hatching eggs which do not comply with these requirements.
  • An official veterinarian must carry out a document check of the health and production records kept at the establishment, an identity check of the animals in the consignment and a clinical inspection of the herd of origin during the last 24 hours before dispatch from the establishment of origin.

Simpler rules when you intend to bring in fewer than 20 poultry (does not apply to ostriches)

The rules are simpler when you bring in less than 20 poultry. The simpler rules apply for all species except ostriches. The rules for ostriches are the same regardless of how many ostriches you are going to bring into Sweden.

When you are going to take in fewer than 20 poultry, they shall comply with these rules:

  • The poultry shall have been kept in a registered establishment since hatching or for at least 21 days before they are dispatched.
  • If the animals come from a flock which is covered by the monitoring programme for low pathogenic avian influenza, there must not have been any confirmed cases of infection during the last three weeks before they are dispatched.
  • The poultry must not have been in contact with newly stocked poultry during the last 21 days before being dispatched. They may only have had contact with birds subject to the same animal health rules. This means, for example, that when poultry have been tested for certain diseases, they may only come in contact with poultry that has been tested for the same diseases.
  • Ducks and geese shall have been tested for highly pathogenic avian influenza. This is not needed, however, if they are going to be dispatched directly for slaughter.
  • Poultry shall come from flocks which have tested negatively for Salmonella and Mycoplasma within 21 days before loading according to special rules.
  • An official veterinarian must carry out a document check of the health and production records kept at the establishment, an identity check of the animals in the consignment and a clinical inspection of the herd of origin during the last 48 hours before dispatch from the establishment of origin.

The rule that poultry may not be vaccinated against Newcastle disease applies regardless of how many poultry you bring in.

Hatching eggs from poultry

There are more rules when you are going to bring in hatching eggs:

  • The hatching eggs must come from an approved establishment.
  • The hatching eggs must come from flocks that have been kept in one or more approved establishments since hatching or for at least six weeks before the collection of the eggs.
  • The hatching eggs must come from flocks that have tested negatively for Salmonella and Mycoplasma in accordance with special rules.
  • The hatching eggs must be labelled with the approval number of the original flock’s establishment.
  • The hatching eggs must have been disinfected.
  • The hatching eggs must come from flocks which are either not vaccinated or have been vaccinated with an inactivated vaccine against Newcastle disease. If the flock has been vaccinated with a live vaccine, it shall have been vaccinated at least 30 days before collection of the eggs.
  • An official veterinarian must carry out a health check on the flock of origin during the last 31 days prior to dispatch of the hatching eggs from the establishment of origin.
  • An official veterinarian must carry out a document check of the health and production records kept at the establishment, an identity check of the animals in the consignment and a clinical inspection of the herd of origin during the last 72 hours before dispatch from the establishment of origin.

Simpler rules when you intend to bring in fewer than 20 hatching eggs (does not apply to ostriches)

The rules are simpler when you bring in fewer than 20 hatching eggs. The simpler rules apply for all species except for hatching eggs from ostriches. The rules for hatching eggs from ostriches are the same regardless of how many hatching eggs you are intending to bring into Sweden.

When you are intending to bring in fewer than 20 hatching eggs, the following rules apply:

  • The hatching eggs must come from a registered establishment.
  • The hatching eggs must come from flocks that have been held in a registered establishment since hatching or for at least at least 21 days before collection of the eggs.
  • The hatching eggs must come from flocks that have tested negatively for Salmonella and Mycoplasma within 21 days before loading in accordance with special rules.
  • The hatching eggs must come from flocks which are either not vaccinated or have been vaccinated with an inactivated vaccine against Newcastle disease. If the flock has been vaccinated with a live vaccine, it shall have been vaccinated at least 30 days before collection of the eggs.
  • An official veterinarian must carry out a health check on the flock of origin during the last 31 days prior to dispatch of the hatching eggs from the establishment of origin.
  • An official veterinarian must carry out a document check of the health and production records kept at the establishment, an identity check of the animals in the consignment and a clinical inspection of the herd of origin during the last 72 hours before dispatch from the establishment of origin.

Captive birds

Captive birds are birds that have been kept for other reasons than the poultry which have been raised or confined for breeding, meat or egg production or for stocking. These may be those that are kept for shows and competitions or for raising and sale.

There are a number of rules when you are intending to bring in captive birds:

  • The birds shall have been kept at a registered establishment since hatching or for at least 21 days before they are dispatched.
  • If the birds have been taken to an EU Member State from a country outside the EU, they shall have been in quarantine at an approved establishment before coming to Sweden.
  • Pigeons shall have been vaccinated against Newcastle disease and must come from an establishment where they vaccinate their pigeons.
  • Captive hens must not have been vaccinated against Newcastle disease when they are to be brought into Sweden. They must have been kept isolated for two weeks before being dispatched in accordance with special rules. The animals shall have been tested for Newcastle disease for two weeks before being dispatched.
  • Parrots must also come from a facility where avian chlamydiosis has not been confirmed in the last 60 days prior to shipment.
  • Parrots must be identifiable by an approved ring tag, chip or tattoo.
  • An official veterinarian must carry out a document check of the health and production records kept at the establishment, an identity check of the animals in the consignment and a clinical inspection of the herd of origin during the last 48 hours before dispatch from the establishment of origin.

Captive birds for shows

When you bring in captive birds for shows, there is no longer any requirement to apply to the Swedish Agricultural Board for an import permit. However, you need a health certificate instead.

When you bring in captive birds which are to partake in a show, the same rules apply as to other captive birds.

In addition, the person responsible for the show must ensure that this is done:

  • All birds participating in the show must be registered to participate in advance.
  • All birds participating in the show must be subject to the same animal health rules, if the birds come from the country in which the show takes place. If this is not possible, the birds from the country in which the show takes place shall be kept in separate premises, so that they do not come into contact with birds from other countries.
  • A veterinarian shall verify the identity of the birds before they may enter the show.
  • A veterinarian shall monitor the condition of the birds when they arrive at the show and during the duration of the show.

It is not necessary to obtain a new animal health certificate before your birds travel home from the show. When the birds are to be moved back to the country from which they came, the veterinarian at the show can certify that the health status of the birds has not been compromised during the show. This certificate must be attached to the animal health certificate which was written before the birds left their home country. A requirement is that the journey home is completed within the period of validity of the animal health certificate.

Hatching eggs from captive birds

A number of rules apply when you are bringing in hatching eggs from captive birds:

  • The hatching eggs must come from a registered establishment.
  • The hatching eggs must come from flocks that have been kept at a registered establishment.
  • The hatching eggs shall come from flocks that are not vaccinated or have been vaccinated with an inactivated vaccine for Newcastle disease. If the flock has been vaccinated with a live vaccine, it shall have been vaccinated at least 30 days before collection of the eggs.
  • An official veterinarian must carry out a document check of the health and production records kept at the establishment, an identity check of the animals in the consignment and a clinical inspection of the herd of origin during the last 48 hours before dispatch from the establishment of origin.

Racing pigeons for sporting events

When you are transporting pigeons to another EU Member State, in order to release the pigeons there and let them fly home, this applies:

  • Pigeons shall have been vaccinated against Newcastle disease and must come from an establishment where they vaccinate their pigeons.
  • When you bring in racing pigeons for sporting events, there is no longer any requirement to apply to the Swedish Agricultural Board for an import permit. However, you need self-declaration instead.
  • The person who is responsible for the pigeons in the country from which they come must produce a self-declaration, stating that the pigeons meet all the requirements. Each country shall have a template for the self-declaration, which must be used. The self-declaration must accompany the animals when they travel. There does not have to be a health certificate written by a veterinarian.
  • If the pigeons have been taken to an EU Member State from a country outside the EU, they shall have been in quarantine at an approved establishment before coming to Sweden.

Voluntary infection protection programme

Through the association for infection protection control of poultry, SSK, the poultry industry has produced an infection programme which includes isolation and sampling in connection with importing.

The infection protection programme is organised on a voluntary basis and is a complement to applicable legislation. The programme is intended to prevent infectious diseases coming to Sweden and spreading between establishments. Contact Föreningen för Smittskyddskontroll av fjäderfän (SSK) for more information.

Bring in poultry and hatching eggs from countries outside the EU

When you are intending to bring in poultry and hatching eggs from countries, there are a number of rules that apply in addition to the general rules at the top of this page.

You may only bring in poultry and hatching eggs from certain countries outside the EU

The import of poultry and hatching eggs is only permitted from certain countries outside the EU. Please contact us via e-mail to find out from which countries you are allowed to bring in poultry and hatching eggs, and to find out more about the requirements for your particular category of poultry.

Bring in the animals and the hatching eggs via an approved border control station

Animals from approved countries outside the EU, except for Norway, Andorra, the Faroe Islands and Switzerland, may only be brought in via an approved border control station.

When you bring in animals, you must notify the border control veterinarian at least one working day in advance of arrival to the border control post. You must also report the animals to the border control post in the Trace system via a CHED (Common Health Entry Document). The person who creates the CHED can be a private person, a company importing the animals, or a company in charge of organisation of shipping.

There is currently no border control station in Sweden that is approved to receive cattle. Therefore, you must bring the animals in via an approved border control station in another country. The transport will then be handled as an import from another EU country.

If the import takes place via another EU country, it must be reported to the border control post where the animals enter the EU.

When the animals cross the border into Sweden, you must report the entry to customs.

When the animals pass the border into Sweden, you must register the import with the Swedish Customs.

The import of poultry and hatching eggs to the EU may become banned

If there is an outbreak of serious infection or there is a risk that prohibited substances will accompany products from countries outside the EU, the EU can quickly decide on protective measures. In this event, the import of poultry and hatching eggs into the EU would be banned.

Revision date: 2023-04-12

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