There are special stipulations on the following commodities when shipping to Poland. 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.
- Products Of Animal Origin are goods which contain at least partly material derived from the body of an animal. These products can be divided in food or non-food.
Food means any substance, whether processed, semi-processed or raw, which is intended for human consumption, but does not include cosmetics or substances used only as pharmaceuticals.
Non-Food (not intended for human consumption) includes animal by-products, animal feed, samples for testing or research purposes (food-grade or non-food grade), and in vitro diagnostics (IVD).
Animal products and animal by-products are often subject to a veterinary inspection. These products can only be accepted under a special contract for International Special Commodities (ISC). In addition those products must undergo veterinary checks at an approved Veterinary Border Inspection Post (BIP) when entering the EU & EFTA countries or territories (EU regulations are aligned for EU countries or territories and NO; IS; CH; LI).
For UPS shipments arriving in the EU by air, Cologne is the first point of arrival /BIP. Inspections will be processed at Cologne but final customs clearance process will be issued in the destination country or territory.
Additional charges for Vet-inspection will be applicable see Brokerage Services and Charges.
Import requirements:
Generally, each type of Product of Animal Origin has specific import requirements that must be met. Food which is subject to veterinary inspections must:
Come from an EU listed Third Country or Territory (no safeguard measures in place)
Come from an EU approved establishment . Registered producers are listed under the following link: http://ec.europa.eu/food/international/trade/third_en.htm
Be accompanied by appropriate Health Certificate(s), signed by a veterinarian of the competent authority of country or territory of export. Photocopies of the Health Certificate will not be accepted.
Be appropriately packaged and labelled, indicating the nature, ingredients, quantity/ weight, the country or territory of origin and manufacturer.
Any foodstuff coming from non-approved establishments, sent as samples for testing purposes, can only be imported with a permit/license from a respective national veterinary authority. The permit/license must be send to the border inspection point responsible for the veterinary inspection. Delays may occur as the license needs to be provided already at the time of inspection.
Any non-compliant shipment must be returned at shippers expense immediately. The following exemptions apply to non-commercial shipments / gift shipments or purchased by private individuals for private consumption):
Meat, meat products, animal fat - max. 10 kg from Faroe Island and Greenland.
Fish and fish products (with intestines and organs removed) - max. 20 kg from all third countries or territories; no limitation from Faroe Islands.
Other animal products (for example, honey, egg, frog, live mussels - max. 10 kg from Faroe Islands and Greenland, and max. 2 kg from all other third countries or territories).
- Chewing gum is considered as food. Please see "food".
- Electronic equipment may be subject to CE marking (the CE marking is a mandatory European marking for certain product groups to indicate conformity with the essential health and safety requirements set out in European Directives).
Before shipping these kinds of goods it is highly recommended that shippers and importers check the national regulations in Poland.
Goods that require CE marking but do not have it available will not be allowed by customs to enter the country or territory and must be returned to the shipper.
Electronic devices using the MPEG audio compression standard based on a patent owned by Philips and their partner Sisvel need a valid license from Sisvel for import clearance. The customs authorities are responsible for checking the compliance with this requirement.
- According to European law (EU Norme), sunglass lenses and/or frames must have a "CE" sign written or stamped on it, certifying that these goods comply with EU standards and safety regulations. Samples for testing are exempted from this regulation; however customs may require additional documentation from the importer
Shipments of sunglass lenses and/or frames without a "CE" sign can not be customs cleared and will be returned to the shipper.
- Shipments to companies require sanitary control. An original health certificate is required from the producer with a list of the ingredients in order to obtain the necessary Certificate of Health from the Polish Sanitary Control Authorities.
Private shipments for own consumption are exempt from these requirements. Customs requires a declaration from the private importer stating the goods are used for private consumption only.
Based on the EU regulation 2009/669/EC certain foodstuffs (for example tea with origin China) imported from certain third countries or territories are subject to increased level of official controls due to contamination risks of these products by aflatoxinson and pathogens. These controls are carried out at Designated Point of Entries (DPE) defined by each member state.
The import of feed and food originating in or consigned from Japan following the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power station and not subject to vet inspection can only be imported into the EU through Designated Point of Entries (DPE). They must be accompanied by a declaration attesting that the goods are either harvested or processed before March 11, 2011, originated from a prefecture other than the ones affected by higher levels of radiation or if originated from an affected prefecture have been subjected to laboratory analysis determining the level of certain radionuclides (regulation 2011/297/EC).
The customs office responsible for our import sites are not defined as DPE. Commodities subject to import controls at a DPE can t be imported with UPS.
- The importation of food supplements (e.g. minerals, Soya products, etc.) is allowed into Poland without any additional documentation, but only if the products do not contain any animal products like animal protein, etc. If the products contain animal products the goods must be returned to the shipper.
- The European Union (EU) has placed an import ban on Honey from certain countries or territories.
Before shipping Honey to a European Union country or territory, it is highly recommended to contact your local chamber of commerce or your importer for detailed information.
If the importation is allowed by the European Union, the shipment must be accompanied by an original health certificate provided by the shipper/producer, otherwise, importation will not be possible. Furthermore, a vet inspection at the first point of arrival into the EU is required, even for sample shipments.
Brokerage accessorial charges will apply and an import delay may occur.
If the shipper fails to verify the import regulation of the destination country or territory and sends honey which is prohibited by the European Union, then all charges that may apply for the respective shipment will be billed back to the shipper.
- Data shipments to Poland require an invoice with the value of the data and the value of the CD-ROM or disk.
- Certain leather products may be mentioned in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and therefore must be accompanied by a valid CITES Certificate. This may also apply to leather watch straps.
- Companies importing medicine must supply a Registration Certificate issued by the Ministry of Health. Only medicine which is already registered in Poland can be imported for commercial use.
Medicines for personal use, or under prescription for an individual are prohibited.
Goods used in the Food Industry
All kind of goods that are being used in the food industry (e.g. knives, dishes, cups, spoons, etc.) are subject to sanitary control in Poland. The shipper has to provide a declaration stating that the goods that encounter with food for human consumption mean no harm to human health.
- The invoice must include a description of the part, the type of machine for which the part will be used, and a list of the part's components.
- Customers must use an authorized UPS / MBE (Mail Boxes Etc) Store, UPS Customer Center or ISC Approved Shipper to ship personal effects.
The UPS Store, Mail Boxes Etc, UPS Customer Center or ISC approved shipper will be required to identify personal effect shipments on the shipping label by placing "Personal Effects" in the Reference Field of a UPS "smart" label or in the Special Instructions Field of a UPS waybill. They must also clearly indicate 'Personal Effects' shipment on the Commercial Invoice.
Personal Effects are classified as used items (owned for a minimum of 6 months) intended for the consignee's personal use. Any items intended for any other use, such as wholesale or retail sales, business purposes, or for distribution are not considered personal effects and cannot be shipped on this basis. "Personal Effects" must be clearly stated on the invoice and goods description.
All of the following documents must be scanned into DIS/SIR and originals on the package:
An inventory list with estimated values with the reason for importation (holidays, move, relocation) A confirmation that the goods are older than 6 months and that they are intended for personal use only A photocopy of passport or ID card Any items intended for any other use, such as wholesale or retail sales, business purposes, or for distribution are not considered personal effects and cannot be shipped on this basis.
Excisable goods (for example, perfume, alcoholic drinks, tobacco), medicine and perishable food can not be cleared as personal effects.
Personal effects shipments are not allowed in combination with Return Services.
- Under special circumstances, samples with no commercial value can be imported without paying duty or VAT charges. The samples must be marked or mutilated in a way that ensures use only as a sample. The shipment can include only the number of samples necessary for the purpose of testing or winning an order. Exemption from duties and taxes depends on Customs discretion on the base of quantity, colors, quality, size etc.
- In order to avoid wrong customs declarations at import, it is mandatory that the exporter provide very detailed information about the shoes (for example, what kind of leather, what material used for soles and uppers, what kind of shoes (sport shoes, sandals, boots), who is to wear the shoes (children, women, men).
- Please see 'electronic equipment'.
- Most of modern test reagents for diagnostic research are built on antibodies which are generated from animal tissue. There are two types of antibodies, the monoclonal antibodies and polyclonal antibodies.
Monoclonal antibodies are generated in vitro. Tissue from animals are taken (e.g. blood) and infected with certain substances or pathogens. The blood cells react with the production of antibodies which are than harvested and used for the production of the test kits. Due to the in vitro production and the controlled way of production those types of test kits are not subject to veterinarian control if it is a commercial production.
Polyclonal antibodies are gained from living animals like rabbits. They are infected with the substances / pathogens and the animals are producing antibodies. The antibodies are harvested from the blood stream of the animals. Test reagents with polyclonal antibodies are subject to vet inspections.
Shipment documents (commercial invoice or declaration on letterhead) should include:
the place of origin of the material
the quantity of the material, in weight or volume
a description of the material/ animal source
catalogue number and price (if available)
additives (e.g., sodium azide, glycerol), their source (e.g., whole serum, supernatant, ascites), and purification, if any.
protocols the recommended protocol or datasheet indicating any unique fixation, detergent, blocking, or incubation conditions.
the intended use (commercial/ manufacturing; research/ testing)
the name and address of the shipper
the name and address of the receiver
Commercially packaged, ready-to-use In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) containing products of animal of origin, do not require a Vet-inspection, if compliant with Directive 98/79/EC on In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices. A declaration of conformity (CE-marking) must be provided for each individual commodity (e.g. reagents, test kits, immunosorbent assays such as ELISA kits.
- A certificate of origin is not required for the import clearance of textiles. The need of a certificate of origin for the import clearance was reversed on October 24, 2011.
The country or territory of origin must be stated on the invoice for each invoice line. If the customs authorities doubt the correctness of the declared country or territory of origin they may request an additional proof which might be a certificate of origin.
- Companies are allowed to import tobacco products but only if they prepay so-called revenue stamps (excise labels) from the Polish Ministry of Finance and are then pasted on the cigarette packs / cigar boxes by the producer in the origin country or territory.
Raw tobacco is exempted from excise tax.
Private importers are only allowed to import maximum 50 cigarettes or 25 cigars (weight of each cigar equal to or less than 3.0 grams or 0.1 ounces) or other cigars limited to 10 pieces in total per importer for personal consumption.
- Toys may be subject to CE marking (the CE marking is a mandatory European marking for certain product groups to indicate conformity with the essential health and safety requirements set out in European Directives). Before shipping these kinds of goods it is highly recommended that shippers and importers check the national regulations in Poland. Goods that require CE marking but do not have it available will not be allowed by customs to enter the country or territory and must be returned to the shipper.
- Data shipments require an invoice with the character of the USB stick (storing intercompany data) and the value of the USB Stick.
- Vitamins are often considered as medicine. Before shipping vitamins it is highly recommended to check if the importation into Poland will be allowed by customs. Small amounts for personal use may be imported without any restrictions.
- Shipping of alcoholic beverages is only permitted ISC contract service. For general service restrictions please see info under alcoholic beverages.
Wine and wine products are subject to excise duty. The excise duty is calculated based on the alcoholic strength by volume. The information must be shown on the invoice.
The import of wine and wine products is also regulated by a market organization of the European Union with rules on labelling and presentation of wine and additional documentation. The Importation of wine and wine products are subject to the presentation of an:
Certificate showing drawn up by a competent body, included on a list to be made public by the Commission, in the products country or territory of origin.
An analysis report drawn up by a body or department designated by the products country or territory of origin, in so far as the product is intended for direct human consumption.
No certificate or analysis report need be presented for products originating in and exported from third countries or territories in labelled containers of not more than five litres fitted with a non-reusable closing device where the total quantity transported, whether or not made up of separate consignments, does not exceed 100 litres.
The labels of wine and wine products have to show some the following compulsory particulars like the category of the product (e.g. wine, sparkling wine, liquor wine), the protected designation or protected geographical indication if the wine has such a protection, the actual alcohol strength by volume, an indication of provenance, an indication of the bottler or an indication of the producer or vendor in case of sparkling wine and other product categories of sparkling wine.
The rules are laid down in EU regulation 2009/491. The regulation can be checked on the EU website http://eur-lex.europa.eu/homepage.html.