Importing fresh fruit, vegetables and seafood into the EU through the Netherlands

EU law sets the requirements; in the Netherlands NVWA is the competent authority, KCB carries out fresh-produce inspections, and Dutch Customs releases the goods into free circulation.

The Commission states that relevant plants and plant products entering the EU need a phytosanitary certificate issued by the exporting country's national plant protection organisation, showing that the consignment meets EU plant-health requirements. KCB states that unprocessed fruit and vegetables generally need one, with the exceptions of pineapple, banana, date, durian and coconut fruit.

Consignments are pre-notified to the border control post on CHED Part I in TRACES — a CHED-PP for plants and plant products. NVWA explains that in the Netherlands this runs through CLIENT Import, which passes the inspection result to TRACES, and recommends working with a Dutch forwarder for submission and formalities.

Since 1 January 2025 fresh fruit and vegetables sold in the EU fall under a general marketing standard, and ten products have their own specific standard: apples, citrus fruit, kiwifruit, lettuces and curled- and broad-leaved endives, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, sweet peppers, table grapes and tomatoes. KCB lists green bananas under a separate standard.

For consignments selected for inspection, KCB checks that the documents match the goods and samples the produce against the standard. When quality and plant-health requirements are met it issues a control certificate or release code so that customs can release the goods. Not every consignment is physically inspected.

Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 sets EU maximum residue levels, and the Commission states that the same limits apply to imported food. The EU Pesticides Database lets you search the current limit by product and substance; the Commission notes that the Official Journal remains the legal reference.

Under Article 18 of the General Food Law an importer must be able to identify its suppliers and business customers and keep that information available for the authorities — one step back, one step forward.

Products of animal origin may enter the EU only from listed non-EU countries and, for fishery products, from listed establishments. Each consignment travels with the official health certificate set for the product and is pre-notified on a CHED-P to the border control post.

For marine fishery products within the scope of the EU's IUU rules, a catch certificate validated by the flag state is required; the Commission states that use of the CATCH system became mandatory for EU importers and authorities on 10 January 2026. Some products are excluded — check the list for your product.

The Netherlands both imports and re-exports large volumes of the products we source. These are past trade values by HS code — not demand forecasts, stock or prices.

• Product, variety or species, class or grade, size or count, and fresh, chilled or frozen
• Phytosanitary certificate from the exporting authority (fruit and vegetables), and any additional declaration for the origin
• The marketing standard and class the produce must meet, and labelling of origin and class
• Residue results against EU limits for the crop
• Seafood: listed establishment number, health certificate, and catch certificate where the IUU scheme applies
• Port or airport of entry, border control post, arrival weeks, and who files the CHED and customs declaration
• Incoterms® rule and named place, currency, offer validity and how arrival claims are evidenced

Our team turns these points into one reviewed request and approaches suitable suppliers on your behalf. Buyers pay nothing; sourcing programmes start from USD 250,000 per year or season, and every requirement is confirmed per shipment rather than assumed.