Importing food, feed and plants into Spain: border sanitary controls, CHED (DSCE) in TRACES, prior registrations and what happens if a consignment is rejected

Importing food, animal feed or plants from a country outside the European Union involves three cumulative layers that do not replace one another. The first is the importer's prior registration, which is done once before the very first shipment. The second is the official control of each consignment, which for many products takes place at a border control post (puesto de control fronterizo, or PCF) and is notified using the Common Health Entry Document, known in Spain as the DSCE (CHED in English), via TRACES. The third is the customs declaration, currently the H1 declaration, through which import duties and import VAT are paid.

The underlying rule is European: food and feed imported for sale in the Union must comply with EU food law or with conditions recognised as at least equivalent. Border control is the point at which the authorities verify this, consignment by consignment, before the goods are allowed to circulate.

The order matters. Customs will only release a consignment subject to PCF controls for free circulation if a finalised DSCE (CHED) is presented, and if someone submits the customs declaration without it, customs will hold the goods and notify the border control post. That is why registration and the DSCE come first, and the customs declaration comes last.

While the process is being resolved, goods that have already arrived can remain in temporary storage for a maximum of 90 days. For fresh produce, the real limit is shelf life rather than customs rules: anything not prepared before the ship or plane arrives is paid for in storage fees and lost goods.

Since 1 October 2024, official border controls on animals, food of animal and non-animal origin, feed and plants have been coordinated and carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, or MAPA) through its border inspection staff (SCOF). This was established by Orden PJC/756/2024 (Spanish Ministerial Order reorganising border inspection services). Many websites still direct food importers to Foreign Health (Sanidad Exterior), which is one of the most common mistakes: today, they are not who you deal with at the border control post.

The Ministry of Health only retains border responsibility for the goods listed in Annex II of that Order, which are products of human origin. Medicinal products, medical devices, cosmetics and biocides fall outside that annex and go through pharmaceutical inspection, which is a separate channel. For exports, however, Sanidad Exterior continues to issue health certificates for food of non-animal origin, as explained further below.

The Spanish Tax Agency (Agencia Tributaria, or AEAT, Spain's tax and customs authority) does not inspect the product itself, but cross-checks it: via web services within the Customs Single Window (Ventanilla Única Aduanera), customs verifies that the declared sanitary or phytosanitary certificate exists and is finalised. Its code is entered in the customs declaration under supporting documents (box DE 12 03).

There is also a non-sanitary control: the commercial quality control of fruit and vegetables, carried out by the SOIVRE Inspection Service through the Regional Trade Directorates (Direcciones Territoriales de Comercio). This has its own section below.

Mandatory controls at the PCF of first arrival into the Union apply, consignment by consignment, to: live animals; products of animal origin (meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey), germinal products, animal by-products, straw and hay; composite products, meaning foods combining products of plant origin with processed products of animal origin; plants and plant products listed in the phytosanitary regulations; and goods subject to temporary increase of official controls or emergency measures.

That last group includes the high-risk foods of non-animal origin listed in Implementing Regulation 2019/1793: specific products from specific countries, identified by their Combined Nomenclature (CN) code, where the European Commission has detected a risk such as mycotoxins or pesticide residues. The list is updated frequently, so it must be checked against the exact product code and origin before every purchase, rather than just once.

PCF controls also apply to non-commercial consignments of animals, products of animal origin and listed plants, unless the specific regulation states otherwise. The fact that samples are free of charge does not exempt them from border control.

All other food and feed from outside the EU does not pass through a PCF, but it does not enter unchecked either: the authorities inspect it on a risk basis at the point of entry, at the place of release for free circulation, or at the operator's warehouses. For some of these goods, arrival must be communicated via a prior notification (NOA, code C646 in the customs declaration). Non-commercial shipments of products of non-animal origin worth up to €150 (€300 between private individuals for personal consumption) are declared with a statement of compliance (declaración responsable, code 1426), provided they are not subject to EU measures.

Plants have an additional rule: they may only enter through points authorised by MAPA, and customs will not clear them without phytosanitary authorisation. The phytosanitary certificate is issued by the official plant protection organisation of the country of origin, in an official EU language and no more than 14 days before the goods leave the country of origin. Goods under Chapters 7, 8, 9, 14 and 20 of the Combined Nomenclature are processed through MAPA's CEXVEG application, which issues the plant DSCE (CHED-PP) if phytosanitary requirements apply, or a "not applicable" certificate ("no procede", code 1414) if they do not; if they are intended for animal feed, an NOA in TRACES is also required.

The DSCE (Common Health Entry Document, or CHED) is the document used to pre-notify the consignment to the PCF and in which the authority records the outcome of the check and its decision. There are four types, each with its own code in the customs declaration: DSCE-A / CHED-A for animals (C640), DSCE-P / CHED-P for products (N853), DSCE-D / CHED-D for food and feed of non-animal origin subject to increased controls (C678), and DSCE-PP / CHED-PP for plants (C085).

Part I is completed and submitted in TRACES, the European Commission's information management system for official controls, by the operator responsible for the consignment before it physically arrives in the Union. The operator responsible is the person in the Member State who takes charge of the consignment when it arrives at the PCF and makes the declarations, either as the importer or on their behalf. The person named in Part I must be the same person who signs it.

Notification must be made at least 1 working day before the expected arrival. Where there are logistical constraints, the PCF may accept a minimum of 4 hours, but this is an exception granted by the post, not a margin you should rely on. If the ship arrives on Monday, the DSCE must be notified by Friday at the latest.

Signing Part I is not a mere formality: the signatory undertakes to pay for the official controls and, if the consignment fails to comply, for its re-dispatch, quarantine or destruction. The original certificates accompanying the consignment are handed over at the PCF, which retains them and gives the operator an authenticated copy, and the consignment cannot be split until the DSCE is finalised.

Managora does not sign Part I or take physical charge of the consignment at the port. What we do is prepare all the data required for the DSCE (product code, certificates from the country of origin, establishment of origin, destination) so that your company can submit it from its own TRACES account. The customs declaration is submitted by your company or a registered customs representative; we prepare the full import study for your product, including the tariff classification, the applicable border controls, and the calculation of customs duties and VAT.

A food business with its registered office or headquarters in Spain that imports food from outside the EU must be registered in the General Sanitary Register of Food Businesses and Foods (Registro General Sanitario de Empresas Alimentarias y Alimentos, or RGSEAA), which is the national register. This is done by submitting a prior notification (comunicación previa) to the autonomous community where the establishment is located, and that notification is sufficient to start trading. Prior authorisation is only required for establishments handling products of animal origin that are subject to approval under Regulation 853/2004.

A common point of confusion is the regional register for retailers. Selling to the final consumer, whether in a shop or online, or supplying catering establishments counts as retail trade and goes into the register of your autonomous community. However, anyone who imports from outside the EU, or supplies other establishments beyond what is considered marginal, localised and restricted, needs the national RGSEAA. Importing, in itself, is what places you in the national register.

Anyone introducing plants into the EU that require a phytosanitary certificate must be registered in the Official Register of Professional Operators of Plants (Registro Oficial de Operadores Profesionales de Vegetales, or ROPVEG). You apply to the autonomous community where your registered office is located; if the operator only imports or exports, the application is submitted to MAPA via the General Electronic Register, and the Ministry issues a decision within a maximum of 3 months, with positive administrative silence (meaning it is deemed approved if no reply is issued in time). The same registration is required to apply for an export phytosanitary certificate.

To import feed, feed materials, pet food or feed additives, there are two steps. First, a prior notification of the establishment to the autonomous community, which enters it into the general SILUM register. Second, registration in MAPA's register of feed importers (Directorate-General for Agricultural Productions and Markets), submitted electronically: either a prior notification if the product is not listed in Annex V of Real Decreto 629/2019 (Spanish Royal Decree on the registration and authorisation of animal feed establishments and operators), or an authorisation if it is, which is decided within a maximum of 6 months with positive administrative silence.

If you intend to sell the product as organic, before placing it on the market you must notify your activity as an importer to the competent authority of your autonomous community and submit to the organic control system. The exemption for retailers selling pre-packaged organic products directly to the final consumer does not cover importers.

Managora registers you in the RGSEAA and ROPVEG using a power of attorney, without asking for your digital certificate, after first confirming which register you actually need. We also prepare and submit the notification as a feed importer and the organic operator notification. You can check the current price on the page for each service.

For fruit and vegetables, in addition to sanitary controls, there is a commercial quality control. Importers from third countries, as well as exporters, must notify the shipment to the relevant Regional Trade Directorate, either directly or through a representative. If the inspection takes place at the operator's premises, notification must be given at least 24 hours in advance. Non-commercial transactions do not need to be notified and do not undergo this control.

The list of regulated products changed on 27 September 2026 under Orden ECM/1002/2026 (Spanish Ministerial Order updating SOIVRE inspection lists). In-shell pistachios, macadamia nuts, pine nuts and Padrón-type peppers move to full commercial quality control. Shelled nuts, dried fruit under heading 0813 and dried figs, which previously had no control, become subject to a check limited to verifying the indication of the country of origin.

To import goods as organic, you need a Certificate of Inspection (COI) in TRACES. It is issued neither by the importer nor by the exporter: it must be issued in TRACES before the consignment leaves the third country by the control authority or control body that verified the shipment. The importer then notifies the arrival by completing their section of the COI, subject to the same minimum advance notice periods as the DSCE.

Pay close attention to 31 December 2026: on that date, the recognition of equivalence of third countries under Article 48 of Regulation 2018/848 expires, which is the route allowing imports with certificates issued by the authorities or control bodies of those countries. If your supplier certifies through that route, you should check with them now how they will certify shipments departing from 2027 onwards.

If you import coffee or cocoa, among other commodities, you must also take into account the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR): its obligations start on 30 December 2026, and on 30 June 2027 for natural persons, micro-undertakings and small undertakings that were already established as such on 31 December 2024. We explain this in detail in our guide to the EUDR.

If documentary, identity or physical checks detect non-compliance, the PCF records its decision in the DSCE, which may be the rejection of the consignment, and customs will not allow the goods to be placed under any customs procedure other than the one indicated by the border post. The consignment is detained, and the costs of the official controls and of whatever measure is ordered (re-dispatch outside the Union, quarantine or destruction) are borne by the operator who signed Part I.

When the issue is an unfavourable laboratory analysis result, the operator has the right to a second expert opinion. This is governed by Real Decreto 562/2025 (Spanish Royal Decree on official controls in the agri-food chain), in force since 3 July 2025, and must be requested within 10 working days starting from the day following notification of the unfavourable result.

It can take two forms, or both at the same time. The first is a documentary review by an expert appointed by the operator in the application, accompanied by the documents proving that the requirements are met; if the expert cannot prove experience in all required functions, a second expert with at least 2 years of experience in those areas may be accepted so that together they cover them all, and if the operator fails to appoint a valid expert, the authority may appoint its own staff. The second is a second analysis at an official laboratory from the laboratory database, chosen and agreed with that laboratory beforehand; if no laboratory is specified, it is carried out at the laboratory that performed the first analysis or at another official laboratory chosen by the authority.

A second analysis is only possible if a sufficient sample was retained when the first sample was taken. If the application has a rectifiable defect, or the expert does not meet the requirements, the authority will notify you and you have a further 10 working days to remedy the defect or appoint another expert. With perishable goods and storage charges mounting daily, waiting to see what happens is the worst option.

With your power of attorney, Managora reviews the inspection report and the test results, tells you whether a second opinion is viable, and prepares and submits the application and the written submissions (alegaciones) within the deadline. We do not take physical charge of the goods at the port or decide their fate: that is signed by the operator. If the detention is not sanitary but due to suspected trademark counterfeiting, it follows a separate customs procedure with its own deadlines.

When exporting, the general rule is that the food must comply with EU food law, unless the destination country requires otherwise. In practice, the importing country's requirements dictate the process, determining which certificate you need and which authority issues it.

For live animals, products of animal origin (including those for human consumption), animal feed and animal health products, the export veterinary certificate is requested through CEXGAN, MAPA's electronic application. The Ministry registers the exporter automatically the first time they apply for a certificate. Where no identity or physical check is required, it is processed within a maximum of 1 day for establishments with an audited self-monitoring system (autocontrol) and 2 days for all others; if corrections are required, the deadline is 3 days, extendable to 5.

When the destination country requires conditions beyond EU rules and the inspection services cannot verify them from their own records, compliance is proven as follows: for products of animal origin for human consumption, through a specific self-monitoring plan audited by an independent control body plus a declaration from the establishment; in all other cases, through a health attestation issued by a certifying agent.

Export health certificates for food of non-animal origin are issued by the Ministry of Health (Sanidad Exterior) and, since 1 January 2026, exclusively in electronic format via the SAEXCERT application: the autonomous communities no longer issue them on paper.

If the destination country requires a phytosanitary certificate, it is issued by MAPA at the request of the professional operator registered in ROPVEG who has the goods under their control, and that issuance cannot be delegated to third parties. The inspection is carried out at the applicant's request at border inspection points or other authorised facilities. Exporting without the certificate required by the destination country is the responsibility of the exporter.

In CEXGAN, an applicant other than the exporter can request the certificate if they prove representation, and Managora does this for you with your power of attorney. The export phytosanitary certificate must be requested by the operator holding the goods; we complete your ROPVEG registration and leave the application ready for you. We cover the rest of the export process in our guide to exporting outside the EU.