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 Official Gazette Date and Number: 03 December 2011 - 28131  
 
 
 From the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock : 
 
REGULATION ON PLANT QUARANTINE  
PART ONE  
Objective, Scope, Legal Basis, Definitions and Abbreviations  
Objective  
ARTICLE 1 - (1) The objective of this Regulation is to lay down the procedures and principles 
concerning the issues related with plants, plant products and other substances with respect to plant health 
in the entry into and exit from our Country.  
 
 Scope  
ARTICLE 2 – (1) This Regulation includes the determination of harmful organisms hindering 
import and the issues that plants, plant products and other substances shall be subject to in terms of plant 
health in the entry and exit procedures into  the customs area of Turkey and al so the official controls.  
(2) Products those are brought into free zones from abroad and also those dispatched to outside  
from free zones are subject to the provisions of this Regulation.  
 
Legal Basis  
ARTICLE 3 - (1) This Regulation has been drawn up on the basis of the relevant articles of the 
Decree Having Force of Law on the Organization and Duties of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and 
Livestock No. 639 and dated 3/6/2011 and “Law on Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food and Feed” 
No. 5996 and dat ed 11/6/2010.  
 
Definitions and Abbreviations  
ARTICLE 4 - (1) For the purposes of this Regulation;  
a) Wooden packaging material means wood and wood products except for paper products used to 
protect or carry a product including packaging support materials,  
b)  Ministry denotes to the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock,  
c) Plant means living pla nts and their fruits and vegetables except for the frozen ones, tubers, 
corms, bulbs and rhizomes, cut flowers, branches with foliage, pruning residues which retain any foliage, 
leaves, plant tissue cultures, live pollens and certain live parts such as bud  wood, cuttings and scions and 
seeds in the botanical sense,  
ç) Plant Health Certificate means a certificate demonstrating that plants, plant products and other 
substances are in compliance with the phytosanitary requirements set forth in this Regulation.  A sample 
copy is drawn up in accordance with the form provided in Annex -7,  
d) Plant product means products of plant origin, unprocessed or having undergone simple process 
in so far as these are not defined as plants,  
e) Exit means the exit of plants, pla nt products and other substances from the Customs Area of 
Turkey including free zones and their exportation,  
f) Disinfection means the procedure involving the use of physical or chemical methods and 
substances for the purpose of eliminating or neutralizing  harmful organisms,  
g) Other substances mean substances other than plants and plant products that may have a risk to 
carry harmful organisms in terms of plant health,  
ğ) Plants intended for planting means any plant which is already planted and shall remain  planted 
or plants which will be later dislocated as well as plants which are not already planted, but shall be 
planted,   
 
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 h) Fumigation means the release of a certain amount of fumigant that is effective in gaseous form 
in a closed environment which has a c ertain temperature and keeping it there for a certain period of time 
in order to eradicate harmful organisms,  
ı) General Directorate denotes to the General Directorate of Food and Control,  
i) Entry means entry and import of plants, plant products and other  substances into the Customs 
Area of Turkey including free zones and their subjection to transit regime,  
j) ISPM stands for International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures.  
k) Inspector denotes to the controller who has been trained by the Ministry in o rder to draw up the 
necessary documents by carrying out any kinds of official controls for plants, plant products and other 
substances in terms of plant health during the entry into and exit from  the Customs Area of Turkey 
including free zones and transit pass in the Customs Area of Turkey and who has been authorized with 
official controls,  
l) Import means  the subjection of plants, plant products and other substances to the procedures of 
entry into free movement regime, customs warehouse regime, domestic pr ocessing regime, processing 
under customs control regime and temporary importation regime,  
m) Quarantine means control of plants, plant products and other substances in order to prevent 
entry into or spread in the country of harmful organisms,  
 n) Harmful organisms that are subject to quarantine denotes to the harmful organisms identified in 
the Annex -1 and Annex -2 of this Regulation,  
o) Lot/Batch denotes to a certain number of units of a homogenous single product in terms of 
composition and origin in a shipment,  
ö) Country of origin denotes to the country for plants where the plants are grown; the country 
where plants are grown for the plant products to obtain plant products, the country where other 
substances are subject to contamination at first by the  pests for these substances,  
p) Directorate denotes to Agricultural Quarantine Directorate and Provincial or District 
Directorates of the Ministry in places where this Directorate does not exist,  
r) Sample denotes to the example to be subjected to official  control taken from plants, plant 
products and other substances at a size determined by the General Directorate,  
s) Wood means all wood with or without bark including industrial, fibre, chip, wood for paper and 
fuel wood whether sawn or not,  
ş) Approved fu migation denotes to the fumigation process carried out in accordance with the 
method approved by the Ministry,   
t) Blending means mixing of product samples chosen in accordance with random sampling at a 
certain ratio that will represent the entire product  to be examined,  
u) Official control means any form of control including monitoring, surveillance, inspection, 
examination, quarantine, sampling and similar procedures that inspectors perform intra vires for the 
verification of compliance of the activities  within the scope of this Regulation with the provisions of this 
Regulation,  
ü) Transit means transit of plants, plant products and other substances which are not subject to free 
movement, from a foreign country to another foreign country over the Customs Area of Turkey,  
v) Re-Export denotes to the export regime performed for plants and plant products that enter into 
our Country and to be exported to another country from our Country,  
y) Re-Export Phytosanitary Certificate denotes to the certificate drawn up for re -exported plants, 
plant products and other substances in accordance with the form of which a copy is enclosed in Annex -
8, 
z) Harmful organism means type, strain (race) or biotypes of plant, animal or pathogenic agents 
that are ha rmful to plants or plant products,  
aa) Pest free area refers to an area in which a specific pest does not occur as demonstrated by 
scientific evidence and in which, where appropriate, this condition is being officially maintained,  
bb) Pest free place of p roduction refers to a place of production in which a specific pest does not 
occur as demonstrated by scientific evidence and in which, where appropriate, this condition is being 
officially maintained for a defined period,   
 
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  çç) Interception;  
1) Harmful orga nisms: means determination  of harmful  organisms  during the visual  examination 
or test of a shipment whose entry is requested,  
2) The shipment: means the rejection of a shipment, whose entry is requested,  for non -compliance 
to plant health legislation or the provision of its entry  in a controlled manner,  
dd) Entry point: means the area where plants, plant products and other substances are brought into 
the customs area of Turkey including free zones for the first time; it means the location of airport on 
arrival by air,   the location of sea port on arrival by sea and the location of customs office responsible 
for the related area where the land border is passed on arrival overland,  
ee) Consignment refers to a quantity of plants, plant products or other articles being moved from 
one country to another and covered, when required, by a single phytosanitary certificate (a consignment 
may be composed of o ne or more commodities or lots),  
ff) Debarked wood means  the w ood treated resulting in the removal of the bark (Debarked wood  
should not have to be the wood completely without bark),  
gg) Wood without bark means the wood all its barks are removed except for  bark cavities between 
the annual growth rings and the barks growing inwards around the knot,  
ğğ) Cus toms Area of Turkey means territories  of the Republic of Turkey  covering  territorial 
waters,  inland waters and  airspace of the Republic of Turkey,  
 
 
 
PART TWO  
Official Controls  
 
Official Control  
ARTICLE 5 - (1) Entry into the Customs Area of Turkey including free zones and subjection to 
transit regime of plants, plant products and other substances and their exit from the Customs Area of 
Turkey including free zones are subject to official controls.  
(2) Official Controls of plants, plant products and o ther substances by the inspector are carried out 
as being  the document, declaration and phytosanitary control, by making in -situ examination,  
examination at the laboratory by taking samples or by making analysis or having analysis made for 
detailed examin ation at the laboratory by taking samples.  
(3) Laboratory analyses on plant health of plants, plant products and other substances are made in 
the following institutions; Directorates of Agricultural Quarantine, Directorates of Plant Protection 
Research Ins titutes/Stations, Directorates of Forestry Research Institutes and other directorates of 
research institutes/stations under the Ministry that are authorized by the Ministry.  
 (4) Inspector shall enter any place, control transportation vehicles and take sam ples for the official 
control of plants, plant products and other substances within the scope of this Regulation. The inspector 
shall not make any payments for the samples. The relevant person with the product shall be obliged to 
provide any assistance dur ing the course of the official controls and provide convenience and minimum 
control requirements as well as additional safety measures when necessary.  
(5) Necessary protection measures shall be taken in cases when the existence or suspicion of 
harmful organisms subject to quarantine listed on Annex -1 and Annex -2 of this Regulation are 
determined in the course of official controls by the inspector. In such cases, the inspector is authorized 
to undertake necessary controls, sampling and other exam inations in order to prevent the spread of 
harmful organisms subject to quarantine as well as the establishment of protection and surveillance areas; 
also to take any measures including the eradication of plants, plant products and other substances that 
may lead to the spread of harmful organisms subject to quarantine.  
  
 
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Entry and exit gates  
ARTICLE  6 -  (1)  Entry  and  exit  gates  of  plants  and  plant  products  into  the  country, laid 
down in Annex -5, shall be determined with a Communiqué to be pub lished by the Ministry of Customs 
and Trade upon the consent of the Ministry.  
(2) Entry and exit of plants and plant products may be performed in all Customs Administration 
offices. However, the exit gates for some countries and products may be limited by the Directorate 
General in line with the plant health requirements of the recipient countries.  
(3) The minimum conditions required for the phytosanitary border control points shall be 
determined with an instruction to be issued by the Ministry. The entry g ates that are approved as the 
phytosanitary border control point shall be obliged to have the minimum conditions determined in these 
instructions for the official control of the plants, plant products and other substances."  
 
PART THREE  
Entry Control  
Impor t Control  
ARTICLE 7 – (1) Natural or legal persons or their legal representatives responsible for the 
shipment during the entry of plants, plant products and other substances into the country shall apply to 
the Directorate with the Entry Application Form o f which a sample has been laid down by the General 
Directorate. Originals of Phytosanitary Certificate or Re -Export Phytosanitary Certificate drawn up by 
the official plant protection office of the exporting country, a copy of international transportation 
documents declared to the customs and a photocopy of the invoice of the product are enclosed to the 
Application Form.  Importers and their legal representatives  must fulfill the following conditions before 
the importation:  
a) Importers or their legal repres entatives  shall be recorded in the electronic information system 
and a registration number shall be given.  
b) Importers or their legal representatives  shall report to relevant directorates  in advance the 
importation of plants , plant products and other subs tances to be carried out in the near future. This 
notification shall be made  at least 24 hours before the arrival of the shipment in transport by sea; at least 
4 hours before the arrival of the shipment in transport by air; and at least 12 hours before the  arrival of 
the shipment in transport overland. This notification shall be  made to the Directorate located at the entry 
point  along with the registration number in accordance with the shipment notification form given in 
Annex -10. 
(2) Entry control shall be carried out at three stages as the documentary check of the shipment or 
batch, identity check and plant health check:  
a) Documentary check is a control whether the documents required to be enclosed to the 
application letter for the shipment or bat ch are drawn up in a complete and orderly manner  and whether 
plants, plant products and growth  mediums banned for entry into the country  as indicated in Annex -3 
exist and whether  the specific requirements presented in Annex -4 are indicated  in the Phytosani tary 
Certificate.  
b) Declaration check is a control whether the documents submitted as annexes to the application 
letter are in conformity with the product intended to be introduced.  
c) Plant health check is an official control made, following the comple tion of document and 
declaration controls,  to determine whether plants, plant products and other substances  intended to be 
introduced, their packages and transportation vehicles, when necessary, are free from harmful organisms 
subject to quarantine given in Annex -1 and Annex -2 of this Regulation and whether they possess the 
specific requirements presented in Ann ex-4 and  whether plants, plant products and  growth mediums 
banned for entry into the country as indicated in Annex -3 exist.   
 
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 (3) Official controls of wooden packaging materials used for the transportation of goods other than 
plants and plant products wit hin the scope of this Regulation shall be carried out in cooperation with 
Customs Directorates in accordance with controls reduced at proper frequencies based on risks.  
(4) Inspector shall confirm whether the harmful organism detected during the course of  official 
control of plants and plant products and other substances to be introduced is among the harmful 
organisms subject to quarantine in the lists given in Annex -1 and Annex -2 by a laboratory test.  
(5) During shipments undeclared containing plants, pla nt products and other substances;  in cases 
where there are reasonable grounds to suspect the presence of plants , plant products and other 
substances,  official controls are carried out on these shipments to meet the requirements of this 
Regulation.  
(6) In c ases where declaration and plant health checks of plants, plant products and other 
substances listed in Annex -5 are not possible to make at the entry point, transfer of the products to 
another authorized control point in the country may be allowed by perfo rming the documentary check 
at the entry point.  In such cases;   
a) “Phytosanitary Certificate of Circulation” is filled in and approved as an original and a copy by 
the Inspectors located at the first entry point  in accordance with the example given in A nnex -11 and the 
above mentioned transfer is accompanied by the original of the document.  This document is filled in 
legibly in capital letters handwritten or electronically.  Phytosanitary Certificate of Circulation is 
requested by the related Directorate at the destination point.  
b) Official Controls are carried out in customs areas, in temporary storage areas under customs 
supervision and in depository areas  as long as the isolation is provided.  
c) The provision of the 4th article in the Phytosanitary Ce rtificate of Circulation related to the 
transportation is filled in and signed by the importer / representative or carrier under the control of the 
Directorate in order to avoid the risk of infection and spread of harmful organisms during transportation.  
ç) The Directorate responsible for the control at the destination point ensures the fulfillment of 
minimum conditions set by the Ministry  in accordance with the instructions  in order to carry out official 
controls and the availability  and / or being kept of  adequate facilities, tools and equipment.  
d) Transportation vehicles used for the transfer of products whose control could not be made at the 
entry point or the packages of the shipment must be closed and sealed to ensure that the products will 
not cause  infestation or infection and their content will remain unchanged during their transportation to 
proper examination locations (warehouses, depository areas and so on). Only in reasoned cases, related 
Directorate may allow the uncovered or unsealed shipment s of the said products on condition that they 
do not cause infestation or infection during their transportation to approved locations for examination.  
e) Temporary storage and depository areas indicated in item (b) should be under the supervision 
of the Cu stoms Directorate, their physical connection with the environment should be cut and they 
should be isolated from the external environment, necessary measures should be taken to prevent the 
contamination of harmful organisms from outside and entry into and exit from these areas must be under 
control. Pursuant to the application petition given by the Company, the appropriateness of temporary 
storage and depository areas is controlled by the related Directorate. Reasons of inappropriateness of the 
temporary st orage and depository areas found inappropriate and additional measures to be taken are 
notified to the importer and to the relevant Customs Directorate by the Directorate.    
f) The information exchange between the Directorate and Customs Directorates at t he entry point 
and arrival point concerning the packing and transportation of plants, plant products and other substances 
planned to be imported is ensured to be carried out effectively by using the Phytosanitary Certificate of 
Circulation in written or el ectronically.  
g) The importer of the shipment should notify the relevant Directorate at the arrival point in 
advance of the entry of said products in accordance with the item (b) of the first paragraph of the 7th 
article.   
 
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 In the event of any change relate d to the notification, the importer should notify the relevant 
Directorate at the arrival point.   
ğ) Harmful risk analysis in conformity with international phytosanitary standards may be requested 
from the countries where plants and plant products will be  imported to our country within the scope of 
International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) during the first importation or in the case of the change 
of phytosanitary conditions.  
 
Transit control  
ARTICLE 8 – (1) Transition of plants, plant products and o ther substances from a foreign country 
to a foreign country over Customs Territory of Turkey is subject to the transit procedure. However, the 
plants, plant products and other substances brought into the harbor reach in closed containers by sea and 
again e xported by sea without unpacking in the same harbor reach, and the plants, plant products and 
other substances brought into the harbor reach in closed containers by air and again exported or imported 
by air without unpacking in the same harbor reach are no t subject to the transit procedure.  
 (2) Applications shall be made to the Directorate for plants and plant products whose transit 
control is requested by the transit form of which a sample is specified by the General Directorate.  
(3) Plants, plant products and other substances are permitted to transit pass in closed and sealed 
transportation vehicles preventing the contamination and spread of harmful organisms in our territories 
by subjecting to documentary  check   and, when necess ary, declaration and plant health checks by the 
inspector when they do not pose a risk in terms of plant health.  
(4) Plants, plant products and other substances which are banned to be introduced into the country 
listed in Annex -3 shall be transiting by pro tected refrigerated vehicles and closed container 
transportation vehicles without changing their customs status. These shall not be subject to grounding, 
unloading and transfer procedures under no circumstances.  
(5) Phytosanitary Certificates or Re -Export Phytosanitary Certificates shall not be drawn up for 
plants and plant products that are transiting from the Customs Area of Turkey that are not imported and 
are not subject to pest invasion or contamination. Partition, combining with another shipment and w hen 
there is a change in the transportation vehicle or packaging of plants and plant products within the scope 
of transit regime that are not imported yet, the Phytosanitary Certificate of the exporting country shall 
be taken and the necessary controls are  carried out; if it is found suitable Re -export Phytosanitary 
Certificate shall be drawn up and a certified copy of the Phytosanitary Certificate of the exporting 
country shall be enclosed. If the shipment has been subject to pest invasion or contamination , 
Phytosanitary Certificate shall be drawn up by indicating the origin country upon the condition that the 
requirements of the importing country are fulfilled and the transit pass of the product shall be provided.  
 
Free Zone  
ARTICLE 9 – (1) Official controls of plants , plant products and other substances which are 
brought to free zones from abroad and sent abroad from the free zones shall be made in accordance with 
the provisions of this Regulation.  
(2) The entry control of plants, plant  products and other substances  which are brought to free zones 
from abroad is carried out at the entry point of the Customs Area of Turkey including free zones.  
(3) During the entry of plants, plant products and other substances, brought from abroad and 
introduced to the free zone by making the phytosanitary control, into the Customs Area of Turkey once 
again, phytosanitary control is not carried out.  
(4) During the entry from  the Customs Area of Turkey into free zones or from a free zone to 
another free zone,  phytosanitary control is not carried out.   
 
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  (5) During the entry of plants, plant products and other substances, introduced into a free zone 
from the Customs Area of Turkey or from another free zone without making the phytosanitary  control , 
into the C ustoms Area of Turkey once again, phytosanitary control is not carried out.     
(6) If plants, plant products and other substances, introduced into a free zone by making the 
phytosanitary control, become plants, plant products and other substances listed i n the Annex -5 of 
Customs Tariff Statistics Position (CTSP) after being processed, during the entry of new plants, plant 
products and other substances into the Customs Area of Turkey or to another free zone, phytosanitary 
control is not carried out.  
 
Plants , plant products and other substances banned for entry  
ARTICLE 10 - (1) Plants, plant products and other substances listed in Annex -3 of this Regulation 
are banned to enter into the country.  
 (2) The first paragraph of this article shall not be valid for pl ants, plant products and other 
substances that are coming from a foreign country and transit pass to a foreign country through the 
Turkish customs area without prejudice to the provisions of the 8th article of this Regulation.  
 
Harmful organisms that are b anned to enter into Turkey  
ARTICLE 11 - (1) Harmful organisms that are subject to quarantine that are listed in Annex -1 and 
Annex -2 of this Regulation and harmful organisms that are assessed to pose a risk for our Country 
following the risk analysis for pes ts that are not present in the said lists and plants, plant products and 
other substances contaminated by these organisms are banned to enter into Turkey.  
 
Special conditions that plants, plant products and other substances are subjected  
ARTICLE 12 – (1) Special conditions that plants, plant products and other substances are to be 
subjected that are intended to be introduced into the country are set forth in Annex -4 of this Regulation. 
Plants, plant products and other substances that do not carry thes e conditions are not permitted for entry 
into the Customs Area of Turkey including free zones.  
                                                                          
Interception of and the notification on the plants, plant products and other substances  as a 
result of the official controls  
ARTICLE 13 – (1) Plants and plant products and other substances that are intended to be 
introduced into the country shall not be permitted to enter into the country in the following cases; 
contaminated by harmful organ isms that are subject to quarantine listed in Annex -1 and Annex -2, listed 
in Annex -3, they do not carry the special conditions set forth in Annex -4 or the documents are missing 
or improper and the missing document is not provided or the missing part in the  document is not filled 
in. The owner of the product and the relevant Customs Directorate is informed by a letter. These products 
shall be returned to the exporting country within 10 (ten) days or destroyed as per the customs legislation. 
Destruction proce dure shall be carried out in front of the product owner or his/her representative together 
with an inspector and an official from the customs office on the condition that the destruction costs are 
borne by the product owner. However, plants and plant produ cts and other substances that are intended 
to be introduced into the country shall be sent abroad immediately by the liable person, if it is determined 
that these products are dangerous and harmful in terms of phytosanitary.  Products of this nature can no t 
be destroyed in the Customs Area of Turkey including free zones and also can not be left to the customs 
authorities.      
(2) When plants and plant products and other substances that are intended to be introduced into 
the country, except for the harmful organisms subject to quarantine present in Annex -1 and Annex -2 of 
this Regulation, are contaminated by any harmful organism subject to control and known in our Country, 
the harmful organism is intercepted. If it is possible to clean these plants, plant pro ducts and other  
 
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 substances through the processes of fumigation or disinfection, these processes are carried out on the 
condition that the costs of these processes are borne by the relevant person; when these are found to be 
free from harmful organisms foll owing the processes in the official controls their introduction into the 
Country is permitted.  
(3) The front part of the Phytosanitary Certificate is marked with an expression of “Entry into 
Turkey is forbidden” in red ink for the plants, plant products an d other substances for which entrance 
into the country is not permitted and the certificate is cancelled and returned to the relevant person. 
However, when a part of the products are to be accepted and the other part is to be rejected for the 
Phytosanitary  Certificates representing more than one lot of products, the original of the Phytosanitary 
Certificate is retained and a certified copy of the certificate is given to the relevant person bearing the 
expression of “Entry into Turkey is forbidden”.  
(4) The Notification Form given in Annex -9 shall be drawn up and sealed for plants, plant products 
and other substances that are not permitted for entry into the country for the reasons specified below by 
the inspector within 2 (two) working days in English and th ese forms shall be sent to the General 
Directorate electronically and by post. General Directorate notifies the relevant country of the 
interception process and information is given to entrance gates. Reference number is generated in the 
Notification Form in the form of “TR Provincial Traffic Code -year-Notification Sequence Number”:  
a) When they are contaminated by any harmful organisms,  
b) When they are contaminated by harmful organisms subject to quarantine that are on the lists in 
Annex -1 and Annex -2 of this Regulation  
c) Missing parts and inconsistencies in the documents of the product. These are as follows:  
1) Absence of Phytosanitary Certificate,  
2) Uncertified alterations and deleted parts on Phytosanitary Certificate,  
3) Counterfeit Phytosanitary Cer tificates,  
4) Missing information on Phytosanitary Certificate.  
ç) Products banned for entrance,  
d) The existence of plants, plant products and other substances partly banned in the shipment,  
e) When fumigation and disinfection processes are determined to be carried out in an improper 
manner.  
 (5) When plants, plant products and other substances that are intended to be introduced into the 
country are contaminated by any harmful organisms that are not present in the lists in Annex -1 and 
Annex -2 and also by those that are not known to be present in our country, those products are not 
permitted to be entered and harmful risk analysis is carried out. Quarantine measures shall be taken until 
the harmful risk analysis is concluded and if they are fou nd to be posing a risk they are not permitted to 
be introduced into the country.  
(6) In case of detection of propagating materials accompanied by the passenger without 
notification at border crossings, the products are confiscated and necessary quarantine measures apply 
regardless of the amount of products.  
 
Product entry by post or cargo  
ARTICLE 14 - (1) Plants and plant products received by post or cargo shall be permitted to be 
introduced into the country by controlling them as per the provisions of this Regulation without prejudice 
to the provisions of Article 10 of this Regulation.  
(2) The words of “BİTKİ -PLANT” are written in bold capital letters in Turkish and English on 
packages involving plants and plant products.  
 
Entry into and/o r circulation within the country of the scientific substances and harmful 
organisms   
 
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 ARTICLE 15 - (1) Introduction and circulation of plants, plant products and other substances in 
the country for the purposes of scientific researches, tests and variety im provement shall be carried out 
in accordance with the Communiqué t o be set forth by the Ministry.  
 
 
 
 
  PART FOUR  
Exportation  
Exportation inspections  
ARTICLE 17 - (1) Natural or legal persons or their legal representatives thereof who want to 
export plants, plant products or other substances shall apply to the Directorate with the Export 
Application Form, a sample of which is specified by the Directorate and reque st the official inspection 
of the plants and plant products to be exported.  
(2) The official inspections are conducted taking into account factors such as the harmful organism 
that the product may carry and the locality of the product, except for the plan ts, plant products and other 
substances the exportation of which have been banned.  
(3) The plants, plant products and other substances that are desired to be exported and the 
packagings thereof are subjected to official inspection with respect to phytosan itary requirements of the 
receiving state. If necessary, further laboratory analyses are made or have such made.  
(4) The analyses are made in the laboratories specified in paragraph three of article 5 of this 
Regulation, in accordance with their nature.  
(5) For plants, plant products or other substances that satisfy the phytosanitary requirements of the 
receiving state, a Phytosanitary Certificate is drawn up as one original and two copies, in accordance 
with the sample given in Annex -7 and as per ISPM –12 rules. The original and one copy is given to the 
exporter. One copy is kept in the Directorate. The number of approved copies as requested by the 
exporter is given to the exporter.  
(6) Following the issue of the Phytosanitary Certificate and the Re -Export  Phytosanitary Certificate 
the plants, plant products and other substances must exit within 14 (fourteen) days. The plants, plant 
products and other substances, the exit procedures have not been carried out are inspected again.  
(7) For products that are de sired to be exported, but that do not satisfy the phytosanitary 
requirements of the receiving state in the official inspections made, the owner of the product or his 
representative is informed.  
(8) In case the required particulars do not fit into the relev ant section of the Phytosanitary 
Certificate during issuing the Phytosanitary Certificate, such particulars are attached to the Phytosanitary 
Certificate as a list. Such lists must bear the same number, date, signature and stamp as the Phytosanitary 
Certif icate. In the relevant section of the Phytosanitary Certificate it is stated that the required particulars 
in that section are attached.  
(9) If the plant and plant product to be exported have not been produced in Turkey and if they are 
plant and plant prod ucts for which information concerning the area of production or the stages of 
growing are required, a Re -Export Phytosanitary Certificate is drawn up and an approved copy of the 
Phytosanitary Certificate of the country of origin is attached thereto. For pl ant and plant products for 
which information concerning the area of production or the stages of growing are not required, in case 
the importer country does not require a Re -Export Phytosanitary Certificate, a Phytosanitary Certificate 
is drawn up, stating the country of origin.  
(10) A Phytosanitary Certificate and a Re -Export Phytosanitary Certificate are drawn up, in the 
spaces that are left empty are filled out with the expression “None / Yok” in order to prevent subsequent 
additions or such a section is  blocked and closed.   
 
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 (11) The plants, plant products or other substances for which an official inspection has been 
conducted and a Phytosanitary Certificate has been issued may if deemed necessary be subjected again 
to an official inspection until their e xit. In case non -compliance with respect to the first inspection is 
determined for the products that are re -inspected, the existing Phytosanitary Certificate is cancelled. If 
the customs procedures for the product have been started, the Customs Directorate  is informed in order 
to prevent the exit of the product.  
 
Plants, plant products and other substances that are returned  
ARTICLE 18 - (1) For plants, plant products and other substances that have been exported but 
returned for various reasons, an applicati on must be made to the Directorate with an Entry Application 
Form, a sample of which has been specified by the General Directorate. The original of the Turkish 
Phytosanitary Certificate of the product or the certified copy of it provided by the Directorate  which 
prepared the Phytosanitary Certificate , the customs clearance statement and a photocopy of the invoice 
of the product shall be attached to the Entry Application Form.  
 (2) Taking into account the reasons of returning the product, after it is determi ned whether the 
returned plants, plant products and other substances are the same as the exported plants, and plant 
products, it is determined whether they are free from the harmful organisms that are subject to quarantine 
that are given in Annex -1 and Ann ex-2 of the present Regulation.  
(3) The plants, plant products and other substances that are determined to be in compliance with 
the provisions of this Regulation are allowed to enter into Turkey. The plants, plant products and other 
substances that are de emed unsuitable to enter into Turkey as the result of official inspection are exported 
to a third country if they satisfy phytosanitary requirements or are destroyed.  
(4) In case the returned plants, plant products and other substances are contaminated wit h any 
organism that is known to exist in Turkey and that is subject to control other than the harmful organisms 
that are subject to quarantine and that are given in Annex -1 and Annex -2 of this  Regulation, fumigation 
or disinfection is carried out if it is  possible to decontaminate such harmful organisms by fumigation or 
disinfection, the expenses to be borne by the owner; if after such treatment they are found to be free from 
the harmful organisms in the official inspections, they are allowed to enter Turk ey. 
(5) In case the exported product is returned by the importer country, the Directorate that performs 
the procedures on the returned plants, plant products and other substances shall inform the General 
Directorate within 2 (two) days.  
   
 
11 
 PART FIVE  
Phytosanitary Certificates  
 
The Phytosanitary Certificate and the Re -Export Phytosanitary Certificate   
ARTICLE 19 - (1) In entry of the plants, plant products and other substances into Turkey, the 
Phytosanitary Certificate or the Re -Export Phyto sanitary Certificate in English or in Turkish issued by 
the official plant protection service of the country of origin or the exporter country in compliance with 
the forms given in Annex -7 or Annex -8 or in another format that cover these particulars in acc ordance 
with the ISPM –12 rules must accompany the plants, plant products or other substances. A Turkish 
translation approved by a sworn translator is attached to the Certificates in other languages.  
(2) The Phytosanitary Certificate or the Re -Export Phyto sanitary Certificate must be addressed to 
Turkey and must bear the stamp, date and name, surname and signature of the competent authority of 
the concerned service of the exporter country.  
(3) The special requirements that are given in Annex -4 and that hav e to be specified on the 
Phytosanitary Certificate or the Re -Export Phytosanitary Certificate in importation of plants, plant 
products and other substances must explicitly written as an additional statement or the related articles 
and paragraphs must be re ferred to. Additional statements covering information concerning the area of 
production cannot be written on the Re -Export Phytosanitary Certificate.  
(4) There may be no deletions nor erasure on the Phytosanitary Certificate and the Re -Export 
Phytosanitar y Certificate, all corrections and changes must be approved by the related official plant 
protection service.  
(5) The Phytosanitary Certificate and the Re -Export Phytosanitary Certificate must be issued at 
most 14 (fourteen) days prior to the shipment dat e. However, for Certificates on which the inspection 
date and the date of issue are separately stated, the period between the inspection date of the product and 
the shipment date of the product must be at most 14 (fourteen) days.  Inspection date of the product must 
be stated on  the Phytosanitary Certificates issued after  the shipment date.  
(6) The entry of plant and plant products that are brought without the original of the Phytosanitary 
Certificate or the Re -Export Phytosanitary Certificate is not allo wed. The Phytosanitary Certificates and 
the Re -Export Phytosanitary Certificates issued in accordance with the ISPM -12 and the electronic 
Phytosanitary Certificates and the Re -Export Phytosanitary Certificates of the countries as deemed 
suitable by the Min istry are accepted as valid.  
(7) If the plants and plant products to be introduced were not produced in the exporting country 
and if they are plants and plant products for which information concerning their production areas and 
their growing cycles is req uired, the product should be accompanied by the original of the Re -Export 
Phytosanitary Certificate and the original or an endorsed copy of the Phytosanitary Certificate issued by 
the country of origin. For plants and plant products for which information c oncerning their production 
areas and their growing cycles is not required, a phytosanitary certificate may be issued by the exporting 
country, stating the country of origin.  
 (8) For plants and plant products which have been produced in an EU Member State and which 
have been exported from another EU Member State and for which information concerning their 
production areas and their growing cycles is required, the exporter EU Member State may issue a 
Phytosanitary Certificate, stating the country of origin an d the area of production information.  
(9) The list of plants and plant products that must be accompanied by a Phytosanitary Certificate 
is given in ANNEX -5. 
(10) Phytosanitary Certificate to be issued for plants and plant products to be exported shall be 
issued in line with the provisions of Article 17.   
 
  
 
12 
 Situations where a Phytosanitary Certificate is not necessary  
ARTICLE 20 - (1) In the following cases a Phytosanitary Certificate is not necessary and a 
phytosanitary inspection is made at the port of en try, allowing the entry of those that are clean:  
a) For fresh and dried fruits and vegetables brought by the passenger for consumption and the 
amount not exceeding three kilograms,  
b) For flower bouquets coming for non -commercial purposes, not exceeding one and for wreaths,  
c) The plants and plant products which are approved by the Ministry to be sent as a donation to 
official departments or bodies or to charity institutions by natural and legal persons in foreign countries 
for consumption purpo ses, 
(2) The General Directorate may establish restrictions for plants, plant products and other 
substances accompanying a passenger in order to prevent contamination and spread of harmful 
organisms.  
(3)  A Phytosanitary Certificate is not necessary for wo od packaging materials accompanying 
commodities intended for entry into Turkey and marked according to ISPM -15. 
(4) A Phytosanitary Certificate is not necessary for wood packaging materials coming to free zones 
and/or accumulating in free zones accompanied  by commodities intended for entry into the Customs 
Area of Turkey and marked according to ISPM -15. 
(5) A Phytosanitary Certificate is not necessary for plants, plant products and other substances to 
be introduced into the country that have been left to th e customs and passed into public ownership.  
 
PART SIX  
Sampling and Analysis  
 
Sampling and sending for analysis  
ARTICLE 21- (1) In official inspections, the inspector conducts general macroscopic controls of 
plants, plant products and other substances .  
(2) In official inspections, the inspector takes samples of the plants, plant products and other 
substances  when necessary.  
(3) The sample is taken so that it represents the lot and plant group and is taken separately for each 
lot and each plant group, an d if necessary, for each variety.  
(4) The sample is taken from in a sufficient amount from the harmful organisms, from parts of 
plants and plant products contaminated with the harmful organisms, from parts of plants and plant 
products that are likely conta minated with the harmful organisms or if the product has a homogenous 
distribution, from the blend prepared according to the random sampling method, recording the sampling 
in a Sampling Minutes, a sample of which is specified by the General Directorate.  
(5) The owner of the plants, plant products and other substances or the person responsible from 
them has to give the inspector the sample in a sufficient amount. No charges are paid for the samples 
taken . 
(6) The samples taken in accordance with the principles of the present Regulation are packaged, 
sealed, labeled and sent to the laboratory for analysis in the fastest way possible.  
(7) The procedures and principles of sampling are specified by the Instructions of the General 
Directorate.   
 
Objection and assessment of the objection  
ARTICLE 22- (1) The owner of the plants and plant products or his representative may object 
to the results of analysis of the samples  taken in accordance with the principles of the present Regulation, 
applying to the Directorate that has taken the samples in writing within 7 (seven) days following 
notification of the results to him. If the analysis was not made by the Directorate to which the objection  
 
13 
 application was given, the Directorate that has taken the sampl e informs the Directorate that has 
conducted the analysis of the objection.  
(2) The Directorate that has conducted the analysis establishes a commission to assess the 
objection. This Commission consists of three experts on the analysis conducted, working in the Plant 
Protection Central Research Institute, Research Station Directorates and the Quarantine Directorates that 
have a laboratory. The expert who has conducted analysis objected may not be a member of this 
commission.  
(3) The Commission takes all i nformation, documents, preparations and photos from the expert 
who had performed the analysis to examine them. The Commission, when it deems as necessary, may 
refer to the knowledge of the inspector who had taken the sample.  
(4) The Commission examines the  methods and the results of the analysis. If as a result of the 
examination no errors or defects are determined in the analysis process, the result is decisive and cannot 
be objected to.  
(5) If as a result of the examination of the Commission errors or de fects are determined in the 
analysis process, the analysis is repeated by the experts of the Commission in a laboratory specified by 
the Commission on the existing samples, if they exist, or if they do not exist, on samples newly taken. 
The result of the r epeated analysis is decisive and cannot be objected to.  
(6) Charges such as the fee for the analysis, the daily allowance, accommodation and traveling 
expenses of the commission members concerning the analysis are paid by the person who had made the 
objec tion. 
 
PART SEVEN  
Miscellaneous and Final Provisions  
    
Administrative sanctions  
   ARTICLE 23 – (1) The provisions of article 38 of the “Law on Veterinary Services, Plant 
Health, Food and Feed” No. 5996 shall be applied against those who violate the pr ovisions of the present 
Regulation.  
 Repealed legislations  
ARTICLE 24  – (1) Regulation on Agricultural Quarantine, published in the Official Gazette 
dated 10/2/2009 and No. 27137 is repealed.  
(2) Regulation on Agricultural Quarantine Sampling and Analysis, published in the Official 
Gazette dated 14/10/2004 and No. 25613 is  repealed.  
 
TEMPORARY ARTICLE 1  – (1) The Regulation on Agricultural Quarantine and its Annexes 
that are repealed by this Regulation shall remain in force for the Phytosanitary Certificate and Re -export 
Phytosanitary Certificate issued before 15/03/2012.  
Provision relating to EXPO 2016 Antalya Fair  
PROVISIONAL ARTICLE 2 – (1) Palm species listed in the Annex -3 of this Regulation to be 
brought to EXPO 2016 Antalya Fair by the participating countries for exposition may be allowed to 
enter the country providin g that the palm species are found clean after six -month follow -up in temporary 
storage and depository areas with official control purposes.  
Enforcement  
ARTICLE 25 - (1) This Regulation enters into force on the date of 15/03/2012  
Execution  
ARTICLE 26 – (1) T he provisions of this Regulation are executed by the Minister of Food, 
Agriculture and Livestock.