Guides
Taking British garden plants to a Burgundy home
Moving plants from Great Britain to a Burgundy garden? Identify each plant and check certificates, entry conditions and transport arrangements.
Contents
The removal company can take your furniture, but what about the rose given by a relative or plants you have grown for years? When moving from Great Britain to a Burgundy home, putting them in the car does not turn them into ordinary personal belongings. Plant-health requirements also concern plants carried for private use.
A family connection does not change the product
The European Commission explains that plants entering the EU generally require a phytosanitary certificate, subject to defined exceptions. Certain high-risk plants may be prohibited. A small quantity or the absence of any intention to sell is therefore not a sufficient basis for assuming unrestricted movement.
Identify what you want to take: species, number, form of the plant material and known origin. Retain labels or other references. “A few garden plants” is too vague for a useful answer. If you do not know the name, have the plant identified before arranging transport rather than expecting the border process to resolve the uncertainty.
A fruit exemption is not permission for every related plant
The Commission lists certain fruits exempt from certification. That does not mean every plant with the same familiar name can travel freely. Fruit intended for eating, a rooted plant and a cutting are different items. Give the authority an accurate description instead of choosing the category that appears easiest.
French Customs explains the controls on plants arriving from the UK. Establish the procedure before departure, including entry arrangements and presentation of documents. A booked crossing is not evidence that the necessary formalities can be completed at the last minute.
Ask the authority a defined question
DEFRA’s August 2026 guidance for personal plants for planting describes an additional step: registration with the relevant British plant-health authority, then inspection of the premises and plants to meet nursery growing conditions. Certification depends on a successful outcome. Some inspections must happen in a particular growing season, well before export. Check the requirements for your actual plants before booking their journey; an application is not an assurance that certification will follow.
Prepare a short enquiry with the plant list, departure location in Great Britain, French destination, proposed transport and intended period. First ask whether import is possible; then ask about the documents, inspections and conditions. These are separate questions. A certificate should not be treated as automatic permission for every species.
If using a removal firm, obtain its specific answer about plants. Acceptance of household furniture does not establish acceptance of plant material. Clarify who prepares the file, who presents the documents and what transport conditions apply. Sending a plant by post should not be assumed to remove the requirements either.
Compare transport with other practical choices
For a plant with particular significance, separate sentimental value from the cost and feasibility of moving it. Options may include leaving it with someone in the UK, seeking a comparable plant from a French professional or investigating a compliant transport route. Taking a cutting is not an assumed paperwork-free shortcut: it is still living plant material.
You can make this decision separately from moving the rest of the house. That prevents a pot being added to the load simply because everyone thought somebody else had checked. Keep the official response relating to your list and revisit it if the species, route or arrangements change.
Think about the receiving garden as well
At the Burgundy property viewing, observe exposure, potential planting space and the maintenance possible while you are absent. Ask a local professional about suitability rather than assuming that a plant thriving in your British garden will suit every Côte-d’Or location. Permission to transport something and its suitability for the new garden are different decisions.
The moving-to-Burgundy guide covers the wider preparations. For the garden features of a property you are considering, contact Shawez Ali, agent immobilier. The aim is to preserve what matters to you while making an informed decision about the plants themselves, the border formalities and the place where you hope they will grow.