Import and border controls of animals, animal products and feed
When importing live animals, animal products, germinal products, organic vegetable feed, hay and straw from countries outside the EU, the goods must be controlled at the EU border at a border control post.
The veterinary border control station at Landvetter closed on June 1 2023
The veterinary border control station at Landvetter closed on June 1 2023. This means that the import of animals, animal by products, breeding material, certain feed, hay and straw from countries outside the EU no longer take place at the border control station at Landvetter. There are other border control stations in EU that you can take these products through and they are listed further down the page.
Notify the border control post at least one business day in advance
You must notify the border control post through which your consignment will enter the EU, at the latest one business day in advance.
The consignment must be registered in the web-based system TRACES.NT.
When your consignment passes the border into Sweden, you must also notify Swedish Customs of the import.
Contact information for border control posts in Sweden
All animals except ungulates
Stockholm Arlanda (airport)
Traces code: SE ARN 4 – SJV
fax: +46 8 597 852 11
Email address for Border Control Post (BCP):
Horses
Norrköping Airport
Traces code: SE NRK 4 – SJV
Only horses registered in the main section of a breeding book which is included on the European Commission’s list of breeding bodies and horses with an international competition passport (FEI passport).
fax: +46 11 18 33 54
Animal products, germinal products, plant feed, etc.
Stockholm Arlanda (airport)
Packaged chilled, frozen and room temperature products.
Traces code: SE ARN 4 – SJV
fax: +46 8 597 852 11
Gothenburg (port)
Packaged room temperature products.
Traces code: SE GOT 1 – SJV
Helsingborg (port) SE HEL 1 – SJV
Packaged frozen or room temperature products.
Traces code: SE HEL 1 – SJV
fax: +46 42 18 19 55
No Swedish border control post for cattle, pigs, sheep, goats or unregistered horses
At present, there is no approved border control post in Sweden for receiving cattle, pigs, sheep, goats or unregistered horses. Unregistered horses means horses which are not registered in the main section of a breeding book which is included on the European Commission’s list of breeding bodies and horses without an international competition passport (FEI passport).
If you are bringing any of these animals from a country outside the EU, you must therefore bring them to Sweden via a border control post in another country.
What happens at the border control post
At the border control post, the veterinarian will carry out a document check, an identity check, and a physical examination of the animal or the products to ensure that all legislative requirements are met.
The result of this control is registered in the EU common web-based system, TRACES.NT. The consignment then passes on to customs.
Sometimes, the border control veterinarian will also take test samples as part of the physical examination. If test samples have been taken from your consignment, it may normally pass on to customs and be delivered to you pending test results. However, it is preferable that the products do not proceed to retail or to production processes until you have received the final test results for the consignment. You will receive the test results within around 5 days.
If there are specific suspicions of contamination or infection, the consignment is detained at the border control post until it obtains a favourable result.
Fee for border control
There is a fee due for the consignment check. You pay a fixed fee per consignment and an hourly fee which varies depending on how long the control takes to complete, and if the control takes place during regular business hours or in the evening or on a weekend. The fee is intended to cover the cost of the control. If we need to take testing samples in connection with the border control, you will be charged the actual analysis costs from the laboratory.
The fees are stipulated in regulation SJVFS 2019:75.
Imports to Sweden through another EU Member State
Live animals
If you are bringing live animals into Sweden via another EU Member State, the border control must take place at a border control post where the consignment first arrives to the EU. In this case, you must notify that border control post of the arrival of the consignment.
When the consignment of animals passes the border into Sweden, you must notify Swedish Customs.
Animal products etc.
When transporting animal products, germinal products, hay and straw, and plant feed subject to special import conditions, by air or ship to Sweden, you must report the consignment to the relevant border control post in Sweden. If the consignment is to be reloaded onto a car, lorry, railway or inner waterway in another EU Member State, you must notify the border control post in the country in question.
Border control posts within the EU
You need to be updated with the rules for import
Before you plan to import animals, animal products or feed you must read the rules for travel and trade, so that you know what you need to comply with.
Check the following websites in order to read more about the rules for import.
Safeguard measures may stipulate control of products of non animal origin, like other vegetable feed than the ones mentioned on this webpage.
There are also special import conditions for importation of products of animal origin.
If you are going to import food you need to turn to the Swedish Food Agency for information.
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Legislation
Söker efter 2019:75
Revision date: 2023-04-20