Three separate questions decide this, not one: what Eurosender's own restricted-items list allows you to book, and — entirely separately — whether the destination's own law allows the material in at all.
This page can only speak with confidence to one of the questions involved, so it's worth separating them clearly rather than blurring them into a single answer. First: can you book it through Cargosender at all? Eurosender, the logistics provider Cargosender books through, lists both 'flowers or other plants' and 'seeds' among its own restricted items on its published prohibited/restricted items page — meaning they're handled under specific conditions rather than accepted as an ordinary parcel booking. That's a real, sourced, verifiable fact about the booking process.
Second, and entirely separate: is it legal to import the material into the destination country at all? A logistics provider's restricted-items list is not a legal ruling — it reflects what that company is willing to carry, not what customs and biosecurity law actually permits at the destination. That's set by each destination country's own plant-health authority, and this page has not verified that requirement for any specific country. The general international framework is the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), a real treaty ratified by 185 governments that underpins how countries regulate plant health — but the specific rule for your destination has to come from that country's own authority, not from this page or from Eurosender's booking policy.
Third: what does the origin side (Portugal, if you're shipping from here) require for export? Portugal's plant-health authority is DGAV (Direção-Geral da Alimentação e Veterinária) — a real, verifiable government body — but this page has not confirmed the exact certificate-issuing process, so treat 'contact DGAV' as a starting point, not a complete procedure.
| Material | What to check |
|---|---|
| Seeds | Commonly restricted rather than outright banned, but frequently need a phytosanitary certificate for non-EU destinations, and some countries ban specific species outright regardless of certification. |
| Live plants and cuttings | Generally the most heavily regulated category — often needs both a phytosanitary certificate and, for certain species, additional permits; some destinations effectively prohibit live plant imports by individuals entirely. |
| Cut flowers | Rules vary by species and destination; flowers are also highly perishable, which is a separate practical problem from the regulatory one — standard parcel transit times may exceed how long cut flowers actually last. |
| Plants made from or containing protected species | Certain orchids, cacti and other species are CITES-protected — check this separately from ordinary phytosanitary requirements, since it's a different treaty with its own permit system. |
Assuming seeds are always fine because they're small and dry — many countries specifically regulate seed imports due to disease and invasive-species risk.
Sending a cutting or live plant as a personal gift and assuming personal, non-commercial shipments are exempt from plant-health rules — they generally aren't; the rules are about the material, not the intent.
Not checking CITES status separately from phytosanitary requirements — a plant can clear one and still be blocked by the other.
Underestimating how quickly cut flowers or live cuttings deteriorate relative to standard parcel transit times.
Seeds are listed as a restricted item on Eurosender's own published restricted/prohibited items page, meaning they're handled under specific conditions rather than as an ordinary parcel booking. That's a fact about the booking process — it says nothing about whether the destination country's law actually permits the seeds to be imported, which is a separate question you'd need to check with that country's plant-health authority.
Broadly, it's an official document confirming a plant or plant product has been inspected and meets the importing country's plant-health requirements, issued under the general international framework of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) — a real treaty body ratified by 185 governments. The exact certificate process and requirements are set by each country's own plant-health authority (DGAV in Portugal, for exports from here); this page hasn't verified DGAV's specific certificate-issuing procedure, so treat this as a starting point for your own enquiry rather than a complete process.
Not in terms of the plant-health rules — those apply to the material itself, not to whether the shipment is personal or commercial. A gifted cutting can still need a phytosanitary certificate or be restricted by the destination.
No — CITES applies to specific protected species (certain orchids and cacti are commonly cited examples), and it's a separate question from the general phytosanitary certificate requirement. Check the specific species against both frameworks rather than assuming one covers the other.
Confirm the destination's plant-health requirements and check with support before booking seeds, plants or cut flowers.
Contact Support →