Buyer guide · Compliance
Poultry import permits and veterinary certificates by product
Live birds, hatching eggs, table eggs, poultry meat and poultry machinery clear customs under different rules. Live chicks and hatching eggs are treated as animals and germinal products: in the United States, South Africa and Saudi Arabia a permit is needed before shipment. Meat and table eggs need a listed origin and establishment. New machinery is mainly a customs classification matter.
Last reviewed by the HatchMatch Group editorial team. Each requirement links to the authority page it comes from, with that page's own update date where shown. Rules change with disease events; this is not legal advice. Recheck the official page for every consignment.
Products compared
| Product | Customs code | What the authority checks |
|---|---|---|
| Live poultry and day-old chicks | HS 0105 (day-old Gallus chicks: 0105.11) | Treated as live animals: destination permit or licence where required, an origin veterinary certificate, approved origin flock or hatchery, and animal-welfare transport rules. |
| Hatching eggs | HS 0407 (fertilised Gallus eggs: 0407.11) | Treated as germinal products, not food: their own certificate model, an approved source flock and hatchery, and often a permit before shipment. |
| Table eggs | HS 0407 (table eggs of Gallus: 0407.21) | Food: listed origin, listed establishment or packing centre, health certificate and egg marketing rules. |
| Poultry meat | HS 0207 | Food: listed country and establishment for the exact product, health certificate, and cold-chain control. |
| Poultry machinery and equipment | HS 8436.21 (incubators, brooders), 8436.29 (other poultry machinery) | Customs classification, duty and product-safety rules. No machinery-specific veterinary rule was verified for this guide; ask the destination authority about used equipment. |
Is a permit needed before shipment? (live birds and hatching eggs)
- European Union
- Not shown as a general permit on the pages checked. Entry depends on a listed country and establishment and a pre-notified CHED in TRACES.
- Great Britain
- A GB health certificate and an IPAFFS notification are required; an import licence is needed in some cases (for example hatching eggs whose chicks leave GB within three weeks of hatching).
- United States
- Yes — a USDA import permit, except shipments from Canada through a land-border port. Applications go through APHIS eFile (VS 17-129).
- South Africa
- Yes — a veterinary import permit obtained before the animal or product is shipped; live farm poultry and genetic material also need Animal Improvement authorisation first.
- Saudi Arabia
- Yes for live birds, chicks and hatching eggs — a prior import permit from the General Department of Agricultural Affairs (MEWA).
- United Arab Emirates
- Not verified — the MOCCAE live-animal service pages could not be read for this check.
Live poultry and day-old chicks: official requirements
HS 0105 (day-old Gallus chicks: 0105.11). Treated as live animals: destination permit or licence where required, an origin veterinary certificate, approved origin flock or hatchery, and animal-welfare transport rules.
European Union
- Live animals are pre-notified with a CHED-A in TRACES and processed at the border control post of entry.European Commission — TRACES modules · no update date shown
- Entry conditions, including the country lists and certificate models for poultry, hatching eggs and poultry products, are published per commodity.European Commission — EU entry conditions · no update date shown
Great Britain
- Live poultry must be accompanied by the appropriate health certificate and kept on the destination premises for 6 weeks unless slaughtered earlier.GOV.UK — Import of live poultry (IIN PTTC/2) · page updated
- Hatching eggs and day-old chicks need the appropriate health certificate; where a licence applies it must be granted before the hatching eggs are imported.GOV.UK — Import of hatching eggs and day-old chicks (IIN EGHE/2) · page updated
- For EU origins, all pages of the health certificate copy are attached to the IPAFFS import notification; some imports also need an import licence.GOV.UK — Import live animals and germinal products from the EU to Great Britain · page updated
United States
- Live poultry shipments need a USDA import permit and a minimum 30-day quarantine (stated exceptions apply to eligible Canadian birds).USDA APHIS — Importing live poultry · page updated
- Hatching eggs and day-old poultry need a USDA import permit (Canada land-border exception) and port-veterinarian inspection at first entry; quarantine depends on origin disease status.USDA APHIS — Importing hatching eggs and day-old poultry · page updated
- New and renewal live-animal permit applications are filed in APHIS eFile using VS Form 17-129.USDA APHIS — Animal health permits · page updated
South Africa
- Apply for a veterinary import permit and obtain it before the animal or product is shipped.South African Government — Import animals and animal products · no update date shown
Saudi Arabia
- Obtain a prior import permit; the consignment must travel with a certificate of origin and a health certificate, and the importer needs a commercial registration for the activity.MEWA — Frequently asked questions (imports) · no update date shown
International standards: WOAH 5.10 Model veterinary certificates for international trade; WOAH 6.5 Biosecurity procedures in poultry production; WOAH 10.4 Infection with high pathogenicity avian influenza viruses; WOAH 10.9 Infection with Newcastle disease virus; WOAH 7.4 Transport of animals by air; WOAH 7.3 Transport of animals by land.
Hatching eggs: official requirements
HS 0407 (fertilised Gallus eggs: 0407.11). Treated as germinal products, not food: their own certificate model, an approved source flock and hatchery, and often a permit before shipment.
European Union
- Products of animal origin and germinal products (which include hatching eggs) use a CHED-P.European Commission — TRACES modules · no update date shown
- Entry conditions, including the country lists and certificate models for poultry, hatching eggs and poultry products, are published per commodity.European Commission — EU entry conditions · no update date shown
Great Britain
- Hatching eggs and day-old chicks need the appropriate health certificate; where a licence applies it must be granted before the hatching eggs are imported.GOV.UK — Import of hatching eggs and day-old chicks (IIN EGHE/2) · page updated
- For EU origins, all pages of the health certificate copy are attached to the IPAFFS import notification; some imports also need an import licence.GOV.UK — Import live animals and germinal products from the EU to Great Britain · page updated
United States
- Hatching eggs and day-old poultry need a USDA import permit (Canada land-border exception) and port-veterinarian inspection at first entry; quarantine depends on origin disease status.USDA APHIS — Importing hatching eggs and day-old poultry · page updated
- New and renewal live-animal permit applications are filed in APHIS eFile using VS Form 17-129.USDA APHIS — Animal health permits · page updated
South Africa
- Apply for a veterinary import permit and obtain it before the animal or product is shipped.South African Government — Import animals and animal products · no update date shown
Saudi Arabia
- Obtain a prior import permit; the consignment must travel with a certificate of origin and a health certificate, and the importer needs a commercial registration for the activity.MEWA — Frequently asked questions (imports) · no update date shown
International standards: WOAH 5.10 Model veterinary certificates for international trade; WOAH 6.5 Biosecurity procedures in poultry production; WOAH 10.4 Infection with high pathogenicity avian influenza viruses; WOAH 10.9 Infection with Newcastle disease virus.
Table eggs: official requirements
HS 0407 (table eggs of Gallus: 0407.21). Food: listed origin, listed establishment or packing centre, health certificate and egg marketing rules.
European Union
- Products of animal origin and germinal products (which include hatching eggs) use a CHED-P.European Commission — TRACES modules · no update date shown
- Entry conditions, including the country lists and certificate models for poultry, hatching eggs and poultry products, are published per commodity.European Commission — EU entry conditions · no update date shown
Great Britain
- Imported eggs must meet egg marketing standards; EU consignments are notified in IPAFFS at least one working day before arrival.GOV.UK — Import eggs to Great Britain · page updated
South Africa
- Apply for a veterinary import permit and obtain it before the animal or product is shipped.South African Government — Import animals and animal products · no update date shown
Saudi Arabia
- Food of animal origin is admitted only from countries and establishments on the SFDA lists for that product.SFDA — Product-first country and establishment lists · no update date shown
International standards: WOAH 5.10 Model veterinary certificates for international trade; WOAH 6.5 Biosecurity procedures in poultry production; WOAH 10.4 Infection with high pathogenicity avian influenza viruses; WOAH 10.9 Infection with Newcastle disease virus.
Poultry meat: official requirements
HS 0207. Food: listed country and establishment for the exact product, health certificate, and cold-chain control.
European Union
- Products of animal origin and germinal products (which include hatching eggs) use a CHED-P.European Commission — TRACES modules · no update date shown
- Entry conditions, including the country lists and certificate models for poultry, hatching eggs and poultry products, are published per commodity.European Commission — EU entry conditions · no update date shown
Great Britain
- Poultry meat for human consumption follows the product conditions in the poultry-meat import information note.GOV.UK — Import of poultry meat for human consumption (IIN MPPM/12) · no update date shown
South Africa
- Apply for a veterinary import permit and obtain it before the animal or product is shipped.South African Government — Import animals and animal products · no update date shown
- Fresh meat imports need a veterinary import permit.South African Government — Import fresh meat · no update date shown
Saudi Arabia
- Food of animal origin is admitted only from countries and establishments on the SFDA lists for that product.SFDA — Product-first country and establishment lists · no update date shown
United Arab Emirates
- Poultry meat must come from slaughterhouses on the MOCCAE approved list for the country and meat type.MOCCAE — Approved slaughterhouses · no update date shown
International standards: WOAH 5.10 Model veterinary certificates for international trade; WOAH 10.4 Infection with high pathogenicity avian influenza viruses; WOAH 10.9 Infection with Newcastle disease virus.
Poultry machinery and equipment: official requirements
HS 8436.21 (incubators, brooders), 8436.29 (other poultry machinery). Customs classification, duty and product-safety rules. No machinery-specific veterinary rule was verified for this guide; ask the destination authority about used equipment.
- Classification basis for heading 8436 (incubators, brooders and other poultry-keeping machinery). National tariffs add their own subdivisions and duty rates.World Customs Organization — HS Nomenclature 2022 edition
- Not verified for this guide: national cleanliness or inspection rules for used poultry machinery. Ask the destination's customs or biosecurity authority before shipping used equipment.
International standard: WOAH 6.5 Biosecurity procedures in poultry production.
What this guide does not cover
- European Union: EUR-Lex legal texts could not be fetched for this check; the Commission pages above link to them.
- Great Britain: Northern Ireland follows different arrangements.
- United States: US import conditions for poultry meat and table eggs were not verified for this guide.
- South Africa: Trade-remedy duties on specific origins are set separately (ITAC).
- United Arab Emirates: Live birds, chicks and hatching eggs: requirements not verified — ask MOCCAE before ordering.
- Country import guides for China, France, Mexico, Uganda and the Philippines list their own authorities.
International standards (WOAH Terrestrial Code, 2024 edition)
WOAH standards guide how countries write their rules. They are recommendations, not import permits, and never replace the destination's own law.
- Chapter 5.10 — Model veterinary certificates for international trade The template many national certificates follow for live animals, hatching eggs and animal products.
- Chapter 6.5 — Biosecurity procedures in poultry production Farm, hatchery and vehicle hygiene — for example, vehicles entering an establishment should be cleaned and disinfected.
- Chapter 10.4 — Infection with high pathogenicity avian influenza viruses Separate trade recommendations per commodity; the basis for many zoning and certificate conditions.
- Chapter 10.9 — Infection with Newcastle disease virus Commodity-specific recommendations, such as birds showing no clinical sign of Newcastle disease on the day of shipment.
- Chapter 7.4 — Transport of animals by air Container design and handling for live animals in air freight.
- Chapter 7.3 — Transport of animals by land Competent handlers and vehicles cleaned before each journey — relevant to the airport-to-farm leg.
Common questions
- Do day-old chicks need an import permit?
- In the United States, South Africa and Saudi Arabia the pages checked require a permit before shipment. Great Britain requires a health certificate and an IPAFFS notification, plus a licence in some cases. The EU works through listed countries and establishments and a CHED-A in TRACES. Check the destination's page for your origin.
- Are hatching eggs treated like table eggs?
- No. Hatching eggs are germinal products with their own certificate models and source-flock conditions; table eggs are food and follow food-safety listing and egg marketing rules. Both may share the 4-digit customs heading 0407.
- Does poultry machinery need a veterinary certificate?
- No machinery-specific veterinary rule was verified for this guide. New equipment is mainly a customs classification and duty matter (heading 8436). For used equipment, ask the destination authority in writing whether cleaning or inspection certificates are required.
- Who issues the veterinary certificate?
- The competent veterinary authority of the exporting country, using the certificate model agreed with or published by the destination. WOAH chapter 5.10 is the international template many models follow.
- Can HatchMatch obtain the permit for me?
- No. The licensed importer applies for permits and registrations. HatchMatch coordinates sourcing and RFQs and can ask suppliers which certificates they can provide; it cannot guarantee a permit, clearance or delivery.
Find the right page for your role
Importer or distributor (meat, eggs) · Regulatory
- Which documents does a poultry-meat import need?
- Is this origin and plant eligible for my country?
Importer or distributor (meat, eggs) · Transactional
- How do I request a frozen chicken or table-egg programme?
Hatchery developer or investor · Informational
- How should a commercial hatchery be sized and zoned?
- Single-stage or multi-stage incubation?
Hatchery developer or investor · Regulatory
- What permits do hatching eggs and parent-stock chicks need?
- Which certificate travels with day-old chicks?
Integrator or farm operator · Informational
- How do I specify and source commercial day-old chicks or hatching eggs?
- How are chicks transported by air and road?
Integrator or farm operator · Informational
- What does a farm biosecurity plan cover?
Procurement consultant or EPC team · Transactional
- How do I get comparable quotes for hatchery or house equipment?
Procurement consultant or EPC team · Informational
- Which countries import and export each poultry product?
Send a brief
HatchMatch coordinates sourcing and RFQs. It does not own farms, hatcheries or stock and cannot guarantee permits, clearance, delivery or price. Briefs start at USD 250,000; buyers pay nothing, every brief is reviewed by a person before any supplier is approached, and your identity stays private.
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