Importing and exporting parcels and post to and from Northern Ireland

Last updated: 19 March 2025

The following list of prohibited and restricted goods include extra steps which are needed for sending parcels from Great Britain to Northern Ireland consumers.

Restricted goods require a customs declaration and specific steps before being moved. Prohibited goods cannot be moved. The following sections include relevant guidance on moving these items, along with more detail on specific cases relevant to parcel movements.

Agri-foods, live animals, plants and seeds

Agri-foods, live animals, plants, plant products and seeds subject to a range of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) controls which may include certification requirements, checks at points of entry and prohibitions and restrictions.

Categories of agri-foods products commonly sent in parcels include pet food, as well as food products, for consumption by humans. Live animals cannot be sent to Northern Ireland by parcel. They must be presented at an appropriately designated point of entry.

Read more about moving agri-foods into, out of, or through Northern Ireland.

Certain food, drink and feed products are exempt from certification or inspection at a point of entry. Products falling into these categories and commonly sent in parcels include certain types of confectionery, wine (where below 100l), chocolate and cakes. These would not require a customs declaration either. Find out how to export or move composite food products.

Plants, plant products and seeds may be subject to a range of Sanitary and Phytosanitary controls which may include: certification requirements, checks at Points of Entry and prohibitions and restrictions. Find out how to export plants and plant products from Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Certain products containing animal or plant products such as fruit and vegetables that have been processed and packaged to the point that they no longer pose a biosecurity risk, are exempt from Sanitary and Phytosanitary controls. These include most clothing products and certain processed plant products. These would also not require a customs declaration.

If you have any specific questions on moving goods subject to regulatory controls, read the Movement Assistance Scheme guidance, or contact the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Betel leaves

Foodstuffs containing or consisting of betel leaves (‘Piper betle’) from Bangladesh are prohibited. Betel leaves are also banned in the UK.

Bisphenol A

Infant feeding bottles containing Bisphenol A are prohibited. They’re also banned in the UK.

Civil explosives

Civil explosives must be accompanied by a document issued by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). Find more information about the transfer of explosives on the Health and Safety Executive website.

Cat and dog fur

Products containing cat and dog fur are prohibited in all circumstances.

Chemicals including pesticides subject to Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)

REACH controls the authorisation of chemicals for use in the EU market. Currently EU and UK REACH are the same, so any goods legal to sell in the UK or the EU will be legal to sell in Northern Ireland. No further action is required by retailers.

Find more information about REACH on the Health and Safety Executive website, in the section ‘UK registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH)’.

Chernobyl restrictions

Certain wild mushrooms and fruit of the genus Vaccinium (which includes blueberries and cranberries) require laboratory analysis for radioactive caesium, and official certification. This does not apply to cultivated, or commercially grown, products.

Find more information about food from certain countries post Chernobyl on the Food Standards Agency website.

Cultural objects unlawfully removed from the country in which they were created or discovered

Cultural goods are prohibited from entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain and other non-EU countries, if they have been unlawfully removed from the territory of the country in which they were created or discovered. This does not apply to cultural goods created or discovered in EU Member States.

Read more about cultural goods which have been unlawfully exported from the country in which they were created or discovered.

Dissostichus

Catch certificates are required for the Dissostichus species. The 2 variants, Dissostichus eleginoides and Dissostichus mawsoni are known as Patagonian toothfish and Antarctic toothfish. Dissostichus eleginoides is sometimes marketed under the name Chilean seabass.

Dried beans

Foodstuffs consisting of dried beans from Nigeria are prohibited. These are also banned in the UK.

Drug precursor chemicals

Trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland is subject to licensing, in accordance with the requirements in the Home Office precursor chemical wallchart for import and export authorisation.

Licensing requirements vary according to the category of drug precursor chemicals. These are industrial chemical substances to be shipped between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Where a licence is needed, the importer or exporter needs to apply to the Drugs and Firearms Licensing Unit at the Home Office.

Read more about trading in drug precursor chemicals between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Endangered animals and plants subject to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Goods made from endangered animals and plants are controlled by CITES. They require CITES documentation, which must be presented for physical stamping at a CITES designated point of entry and exit, before they can be moved between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. While not conventionally sold in shops, specialist dealers may sell certain products, for example mahogany.

Check if you need a CITES permit.

Explosive pre-cursors

Substances that can be used to make explosives are already controlled in Northern Ireland. They require a license to market and use. Read more about explosive pre-cursors.

Fluorinated gases (F-gases)

You need to be registered and have quota if you want to move hydrofluorocarbons (the most common type of F-gas) into Northern Ireland.

Read more about moving F gas between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Hazardous Chemicals subject to Prior Informed Consent (PIC)

This covers hazardous chemicals that are banned or severely limited in their movements. Read more information about Prior Informed Consent on the Health and Safety Executive website.

Invasive alien species

It is illegal to trade in live, invasive, alien (non-native) plant and animal species. The Invasive Alien Species list of plants and animals is the same in all of Ireland as it is in the UK. Plants prohibited to move into Northern Ireland are also illegal to sell in the UK.

Find more information about invasive species of:

• non-native animals
• non-native plants

Leg-hold traps

Fur from animals caught in the wild must demonstrate that it was not caught in a leg-hold trap. This regulation does not apply to furs from animals reared in captivity.

Read more about importing animal furs and skins.

Mercury

Movements of mercury are already controlled. You need written permission from Northern Ireland’s Department for Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs to move mercury into Northern Ireland.

Ozone-depleting substances

You need to be licensed and have quota if you want to move ozone-depleting substances into Northern Ireland (and be licensed to move it out of Great Britain). You should follow the guidance provided.

Persistent organic pollutants

Movements of persistent organic pollutants are already controlled. You need written permission from Northern Ireland’s Department for Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs to move persistent organic pollutants into Northern Ireland.

Read more about the movement of hazardous chemicals on the Health and Safety Executive website, in the section ‘GB PIC List of Chemicals’.

Prohibited plants

You cannot move certain prohibited plants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Read more about exporting high-risk and prohibited plants.

Radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel

There is no change to the processes for shipments of radioactive sources and spent fuel from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. These cannot be sent by parcel. The sender must continue to ensure that they are only moved to individuals in Northern Ireland, in accordance with the guidance for shipping radioactive waste and spent fuel.

Rough diamonds which subject to the requirements of the Kimberley Process

You’ll need a Kimberley Process certificate from the Government Diamond Office if you plan to move rough diamonds from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

There are diamond products which fall outside the remit of the Kimberley Process, such as:

• cut and polished diamonds
• diamond dust
• lab-grown diamonds

The commodity codes for rough diamonds are:

• 7102.10
• 7102.21
• 7102.31

Seal products

Products made from seal fur or skin are prohibited, unless they are either:

• for the personal use of Travellers or their families, and of non-commercial quantities
• the result of traditional hunts by Inuit, or other indigenous communities

Read more about importing animal furs and skins — export of fish.

Swordfish, Bigeye Tuna and Bluefin Tuna

Swordfish, Bigeye Tuna and Bluefin Tuna have extra controls.

Read more about Importing or moving Swordfish, Bigeye Tuna and Bluefin Tuna into the UK.

Timber subject to Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) regulations

FLEGT documents are only necessary for timber, and timber products, originating in countries that have signed voluntary agreements to combat illegal logging. Currently only Indonesian wood requires a FLEGT. However, FLEGT timber only comes by shipping container or plane, rather than parcel.

Read more about FLEGT licences.

Waste

There are controls on the shipment of waste. This only refers to commercial waste and not sending old goods (for example, DVDs) in the post.

Read more about the import and export of waste.

Wine and Spirits

Orders of wine and spirits of over 100 litres must be accompanied by form VI-1. Read more about importing and exporting wine.