There are special stipulations on the following commodities when shipping to Albania. If you plan to ship one of the commodities listed below, be sure to adhere to the following stipulations in order to avoid delays and holds at customs.
Cows, goats, sheep, and pigs are considered domesticated animals. All other animals are considered non-domesticated animals. Items or products made from non-domesticated animals are restricted in the UPS system and only allowed with a UPS ISC contract-CITES permit and additional restrictions may apply,please check with your local ISC Coordinator.The import of animal products and by-products containing animal products require an Animal Health Certificate provided by the exporter of the goods. Each consignment of animal products or live animals is subject to veterinary inspections when being imported to Albania from a third country or territory. A reference list of products requiring veterinary inspections is presented in the Commission Decision 2007/275/EC. In addition to the products included in this list, other products shall be inspected, including hay, straw and plant products for animal feed.
The officer responsible for the imported consignment shall ensure that all animal products are presented at a Border Inspection Point (BIP) approved for those products.
The importer is responsible for notifying the BIP and for completing Part 1 of the VDIT (Veterinary Document for Import and Transit). Notification must occur before the arrival of the goods, for the consignment arriving by land, rail or air, and one working day in advance for all the types of consignment.
The consignment must be presented to the BIP without delay upon arrival in Albania.
BIP staff can perform a visual inspection of the consignments and of the goods manifest or other electronic means, by securing in writing that VS has confirmed that the main data related to the consignment are included in the Part 1 of VDIT.
After the arrival and preliminary acceptance of the VDIT, the veterinary inspectors shall carry out an examination of documents, a verification of the identity and a physical inspection. If needed, samples of the products can be examined in a laboratory.
The examination of documents focuses on the veterinary certificate, the VDIT and all other accompanying documents. The original certificate shall be examined for its accuracy and originality. After the VDIT documentation is examined, the VDIT number and the application of the reduced inspection regime are noted.
The VDIT will be kept at the BIP until inspection procedures are concluded.
The verification of identity must be performed in order to ensure that the data in the documentation accompanying the products correspond to the characteristics of the consignment. A verification of identity must be performed on 1% of the packaged units with a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 10 units being examined. The amount of 1% is taken as a representation of the entire consignment. If the packages are opened, they should be resealed with the BIP inspection label.
Subsequent physical inspections are carried out by BIP staff.
The organoleptic examination includes odor, color, feel and taste. Frozen products must be defrosted in advance, gradually or in a microwave. The veterinary inspection focuses on compulsory and optional physical tests, the identification of the products and a check on the fulfilment of the import requirements.
If necessary, the physical inspection is supported by a laboratory inspection focused on residues, pathogenic microorganisms, contaminants or alteration or other types of residues.
For more detailed information regarding the veterinary check procedures in Border Crossing Points, refer to the following documents: the complete Veterinary Control manual and the Guidelines on procedures to be followed in border inspection posts.
Living plants, part of plants, fruits, nuts and seeds are considered to be plants. All plants have to accompanied by a Phytosanitary Health Certificate.All obligatory provisions on the sanitary procedures are applied at national level. If you want to learn more about the sanitary service within the country or territory, please refer to the Law No. 7643 dated 2.12.1992-On Sanitary Service.
The sanitary regulations with regard to the import of plant products are included in the Phytosanitary regulations or in the relevant specific legislation. The import, export and transit of plants, plant products and other related articles in Albania is subject to phytosanitary inspection and carried out at the customs entry points.
The plants, plant products and other articles subject to sanitary control requires a Phytosanitary Certificate issued by the phytosanitary authority of the country or territory of origin. Plant materials for propagation or planting are always allowed for use only after they undergo phytosanitary inspection and receive a phytosanitary certificate. The certificate must be raised in English or at least in an official language of the European Community. The botanical name of the plant(s) must be presented in Latin.
Importers of plants, plant products or other articles are obliged to inform 48 hours before the arrival of the consignment at the customs entry point, the offices of the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAF) in the district where the consignment will enter the following: country or territory of origin, type, intended use, destination, and other specifications that may be requested. After an inspection required by law has been concluded, the inspector of the customs entry point will submit to the customs authorities a report on the phytosanitary inspection of the consignment.
If phytosanitary inspection reveals that legal requirements are not met, the following measures shall be taken, depending on the case:
- phytosanitary treatment with methods that guarantee the disinfection of the consignment
- separation of infested or contaminated parts of the consignment and their elimination with methods that guarantee the complete extermination of the parasite and its potential for spreading in the country or territory
- placement of the consignment under quarantine until the official test results are available
- permission to transport the cargo under the surveillance of inspectors to the industrial processing site, when the industrial processing guarantees a complete elimination of the parasite and its potential for spreading in the country or territory
- return of the consignment
- the elimination of the consignment with methods that guarantee the complete extermination of the parasite and its potential for spreading in the country or territory
All the costs related to these measures are to be paid by the owner of the shipment. If the importer refuses to take the measures mentioned above, the inspector shall stamp the Phytosanitary Certificate with a red triangular stamp with the writing-Certificate Cancelled-noting the name of inspector and date of refusal.
Plant Protection Products (PPP)
All Plant Protection Products (PPP) imported into Albania must be registered. Only PPPs registered in European Union countries or territories are registered in Albania. The import of registered PPPs, classified as-Hazardous PPPs-and-High Risk PPPs-require import permits issued by the head of the plant protection department while the import of other PPPs is done based on the self-declaration principle.
The marketing of registered PPPs, classified as Hazardous PPPs" and High Risk PPPs requires marketing permits issued by the director of the regional Department for Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection (DAFCP), while the marketing of other PPPs is based on self declaration.