Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS): how to register
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-04)

How to register for the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme to move or sell food in Northern Ireland.

You can register for the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS) if your business:
- is based in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) or Northern Ireland
- moves or sells food for final consumption in Northern Ireland
This includes:
- retailers selling finished goods to end consumers
- hospitality venues such as pubs and restaurants
- those providing food to the public sector – for example schools, hospitals and prisons
- wholesalers supplying smaller retail outlets
- businesses operating factory canteens
Both the business sending the consignment in Great Britain and the business receiving the consignment in Northern Ireland need to be registered for the scheme.

Businesses only need to register once.

Products that you can move under NIRMS

You can automatically move:
- all Great Britain origin retail products that will stay in Northern Ireland
- all Northern Ireland retail products processed in Great Britain
- all EU origin retail products
The scheme also allows a range of goods from the rest of the world to move into Northern Ireland. This keeps the same products on the shelves as in Great Britain.

You can move:
- products that have successfully passed through an EU border control post (BCP) before moving to Great Britain – for example, goods moving through Rotterdam or moving from Morocco through the EU to Great Britain
- products that are processed in Great Britain – for example, products that are turned into ready meals or fruit salads
You can move products that have no sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements on entry to Northern Ireland. For example:
- bananas, pineapples, durian and coconuts
- pasta, noodles and couscous (except for when they contain meat products, for example meat-filled pasta, or couscous and noodles mixed with meat)
- soup stocks and flavourings
- bread, cakes, biscuits, waffles, confectionery (including sweets), chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa
You can move products that do not require certification or controls, for example:
- processed or canned fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds, flour and wine
- fisheries products that come from countries specified in the EU illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) implementing regulations
You can move products where the UK is taking the same approach as the EU to protect against pests and diseases. This includes:
- meat – fresh, chilled or frozen New Zealand lamb, chilled or frozen poultry meat products from Thailand and China
- pet food and dog chews
- vegetables – onions, shallots, garlic, cauliflowers, broccoli, peas, beans peppers, pumpkins, squash and gourds, sweetcorn, sweet potatoes and asparagus
- fruit – tomatoes, avocados, grapes, melons, watermelons, apples, pears, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, loganberries, blueberries, cranberries, lychees, dragonfruit, figs and ginger
- cut flowers – alstroemeria, brassica, chrysanthemum, carnations, gypsophila, lilies, protea, sunflowers, tulips and roses
- cut herbs – basil, coriander, chives, dill, lemongrass, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme, turmeric
SPS goods that do not qualify under the scheme need to move under Official Controls Regulation (OCR) rules.

What you need before registering

Before you register for the scheme, you also need to register for:
- a Government Gateway (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/access-our-services-using-government-gateway/use-a-government-gateway-account) account and a Defra account (it will take 5 minutes to set up)
- Export Health Certificate Online (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-export-health-certificate) (EHC Online)
- a Food Business Operator (https://www.gov.uk/food-business-registration) (FBO) number or a Plant Health Registration (PHR) number if you export cut flowers, cut Christmas trees and wreaths
- a TRACES NT (https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/cas/eim/external/register.cgi) account
If you are a business that only exports pet food and you cannot get an FBO number, enter the approval number of the registered animal by-product business as an FBO number instead. If you cannot enter some special characters, such as a forward slash or a space, replace them with a hyphen.

If you are a business based in Northern Ireland, you also need to register for the Common Health Entry Document (CHED) Operators Portal (https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/common-health-entry-document-operator-portal-chop-registration-process) (CHOP).

You need to provide details of all the places that will send or receive goods under the scheme, and confirm that they are registered FBOs in the UK.

Businesses will need to agree to the terms and conditions of the scheme. If your application is successful, you will get email confirmation with:
- a scheme membership number for your business
- establishment numbers for all establishments that will be sending or receiving goods
You may also be eligible for the UK Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-authorisation-for-the-uk-internal-market-scheme-if-you-bring-goods-into-northern-ireland) for customs purposes.

Register for the scheme

Register your business to use NIRMS (https://www.gov.uk/export-health-certificates/general-certificate-for-moving-goods-under-the-ni-retail-movement-scheme#sign-up).

Move goods under the scheme

After successfully registering, find out how to move goods under the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/northern-ireland-retail-movement-scheme-nirms-how-to-move-goods). This guidance includes information about general certificates, additional documents (often a form of packing list), seals and compliance.

Get help

Contact APHA for help with signing up for NIRMS by:
- emailing xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)
- calling xx-xxxx-xxxx, Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm (find out about call charges) (https://www.gov.uk/call-charges)