Importing products from animals from countries outside the EU (not food or germinal products)
Animal products can spread contagious diseases. There are therefore rules that you as an importer must follow. The rules depend on what the product is and how it has been processed. The rules also apply to you as a private person when you bring in animal products from outside the EU.
New rules effective from December 30, 2026
The new deforestation regulations, effective from December 30, 2026, may affect you if you plan to import or export various products to or from countries outside Sweden.
If you have questions, please contact the Swedish Forest Agency (Skogsstyrelsen), which is the responsible authority.
Infection control rules
Animal products can be contagious if they have not been processed or sufficiently treated or if they have become re-infected after processing or treatment. The infectious agent can cause diseases such as foot and mouth disease, swine fever, avian influenza and anthrax. The risks are greatest if the infected products are used deliberately or accidentally as feed or otherwise come into contact with animals. It can have major consequences if such diseases spread. There are therefore rules on bringing in animal products from other countries which you as purchaser, importer or private person must comply with.
To avoid problems in connection with bringing in products from other countries, it is important that you find out exactly what applies in good time in advance.
Derogation from the infection protection rules
The protection rules do not apply to objects regarded as finished products such as leather goods, down pillows and fur coats, nor to jewellery made of, for example, bone or teeth.
Products coming from countries outside the EU must, in addition to certain basic requirements, meet import requirements before they are given an end point. These may include, for example, processed pet food, hides and skins, wool and hair, feathers and down, and fur.
However, please note that there may be species protection rules that you must comply with.
Requirements for registration and permission
The basic requirement to be able to import animal products is that you who are responsible for the import have the required permits to receive and handle the material. A minimum requirement is that you are registered as operator. However, it is often required that you also have approval to handle the specific product or that you have an approved establishment. If you import processed pet food which is ready to be placed in the market, it is sufficient for you to be registered as a feed business operator and that you have registered your establishment.
Countries or areas that you may import from
You may only import products from the countries that the EU has approved for imports. Further information is available on the approved countries in table XIV in Regulation (EU) No 142/2011. For bringing in products from Norway or Switzerland, the same rules apply as from countries within the EU.
Protective measures limit import
If there is an outbreak of a contagious disease or there is a risk that prohibited substances will accompany products from countries outside the EU, the EU can quickly decide on protective measures. This may entail that it will be prohibited to import certain products from certain countries or areas. The rules may change quickly depending on the state of infections in the world. Contact the Swedish Board of Agriculture for information on the current situation.
Requirements on the supplier’s establishment in the country of origin
A basic rule is that the establishment which the product comes from shall be approved or registered by the authorities in the country of origin. The establishment must be included on a list in Traces. You can check yourself whether the establishment has been approved. This can be done in the EU database on establishments outside the EU.
Documents and certificates that accompany the product
Most products must be accompanied by a veterinary certificate signed by an official veterinarian in the exporting country. It is sufficient in the case of certain products with a commercial document signed by the supplier in the exporting country.
Information about the documents that are to accompany the product is contained in the tables in Annex XIV of Regulation (EU) No 142/2011. The certificates are in Annex XV of the same regulation.
When you need an import permit
In certain cases, an import permit is required from the Swedish Board of Agriculture. You will need an import permit if you wish to import any of the following types of products:
- certain types of category 1 material as stated in Article 26 of Regulation (EU) No 142/2011
- animal by-products to be used in research and diagnostic activitiestrade samples and display items
- animal by-products and derived products from aquatic animals and aquatic invertebrates and products from these such as fish eggs, terrestrial invertebrates and their transformation forms (for example, larvae) and products derived therefrom, category 3 material consisting of animals and parts of, inter alia, rats, mice, rabbits and hares. Please note that the material may not be intended for feeding land living farmed animals except fur animals.
You can apply for an import permit via our e-service for imports.
The application shall have been received by the Swedish Board of Agriculture at the latest 30 days before the product arrives in Sweden.
Products you may not import
It is prohibited to import the following products:
- untreated manure (in accordance with the definition of manure in Regulation (EC) No1069/2009)
- untreated feathers or parts of feathers and down
- beeswax in the form of honeycomb
- urine hunting lures derived from cervids.
Veterinary border control
In order for you to be able to bring products into the EU, they are most often subject to a veterinary border control. If you are unsure about whether the requirement also applies to your products, you can look at the list in Regulation (EU) No 2021/632. The products that are to undergo veterinary border control are on the list. Research and diagnostic samples are exempted if transported directly to Sweden.
Exceptions for certain game trophies and other preparations
Game trophies and other preparations of birds and ungulates consisting of bones, horns, hooves, claws, teeth, hides or skins must in many cases meet all import requirements even if they are treated and can be stored at room temperature. If, however, they have undergone a complete taxidermy treatment or are mounted, the only requirement is that a commercial document must accompany them. It can be in the form of a waybill, or a paper where the consignor, the consignee, the quantity, the type of product and the date of shipment are stated. The same applies to game trophies from other animal species and to the following products
- dead insects or spiders which have been subject to a treatment, such as drying, to prevent any transmission of diseases to humans or animals
- products that have been subject to an anatomical preparation such as plastination or are imbedded in glass
- objects in natural history collections for museums or research preserved in for example alcohol or formaldehyde which allow display of the items, are embedded completely in micro-slides; or are composed of entire skeletons or parts thereof, bones or teeth
- processed DNA samples for research.
Contact the Swedish Board of Agriculture if you are unsure. Also keep in mind that there are species protection rules that you must follow.
Ensuring that the goods have reached their destination
The Swedish Board of Agriculture must ensure that certain products have reached their final destination. Accordingly, the border control veterinarian will do this by placing a request for a reply in Traces. These are the products affected:
- certain blood products
- certain bones, horns and hooves as well as products from these
- animal by-products for producing feed for fur animals and for producing other pet food than raw pet food and for production of processed products for use outside of the feed chain for farmed animals
- rendered fats for certain purposes
- fat derivatives
- photographic gelatine produced from category 1 material
- trade samples (i.e. trade samples that do not comply with all the requirements for the product in question if it had not been a trade sample).
The official veterinarian at the border control post takes care of the formalities, so that you only need ensure that the consignment is transported directly to the place of destination set out at the time of the import.
Questions and answers
What rules apply for trading with seal products?
By seals is meant all species included in the animal group seals (Pinnipedia). This group consists of three families:
- eared seals (Otariidae)
- earless seals (Phocidae)
- walruses (Odobenidae)
According to the EU seal regulation, trading with seal products is prohibited in the EU. By seal products is meant all products coming from seals, such as:
- meat
- oil
- blubber
- organs
- untreated skin and skin that is tanned or preserved in another way
- clothing items including parts of treated skin
- omega 3 capsules
- tusks
Seal products that you may sell
Seal products that originate from traditional hunting engaged in by inuits and other indigenous populations can be sold if all these conditions are met:
- Hunting has been traditionally pursued by inuit communities or other indigenous populations.
- Hunting contributes to the indigenous population’s subsistence and is not primarily operated on a commercial basis.
- Hunting is pursued in a way that takes into account animal protection taking into account the life style of inuit communities or indigenous population.
- A certified issued by an approved body accompanies the product.
You may also sell products from seals shot in Sweden before 18 October 2015 if you have a certificate from the county administrative board.
Authorities that may issue certificates
There are currently only three approved authorities:
- Greenland’s Department of Fishing, Hunting and Agriculture (Postboks 269, 3900 NUUK, Greenland)
- Department of Environment, Government of Nunavut (P.O. Box 1000, Stn. 1300, Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0, Canada)
- The Canadian Government in the Northwest Territories (P.O. Box 1320, Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9, Canada)
It is possible to apply to the EU Commission to be approved.
Import of seal products for own use
Import of seal products is permitted if it is only concerns goods which are for the personal user of the traveller or the traveller’s family. The products may not have such an extent as to raise suspicions that there is a commercial motive.
What rules apply for furs and cat and dog skins?
Furs and cat and dog skins and products that contain the same may not be:
- stored for sale
- advertised
- sold
- distributed.
This applies both in Sweden and in other EU Member States, and the products may not either be imported or exported.
What type of feed may I as a private person take with home from abroad?
As a private person, you may bring in all types of feed, regardless of weight from all EU Member States and from Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland. From Greenland and the Faroe Islands you are allowed to bring in a maximum of 10 kilograms.
In the case of feed with animal content from other countries, you may only bring pet food, and only if it is required for health reasons and provided that it is not more than 2 kilos, under the conditions that the products
- are intended for the pet accompanying the passenger
- are shelf-stable
- are packaged proprietary brand products for direct sale to the final consumer
- that the packaging is unbroken unless in current use.
Can I bring my dead pet home for burial?
If you want to bring the body from another country, you must apply for a permit from the Swedish Board of Agriculture. However, if you want to bring ashes with you, there are no special requirements. You can then handle the ashes in the same way as if the cremation had taken place in Sweden.
Contact us if you have questions
Please e-mail us if you have questions.
