How to Fill In an EU Plant Passport: A Walkthrough

Key takeaways

• Registered professional operators must attach a plant passport to every batch of regulated plants moved to another operator, a protected zone, or another member state.
• The passport has four fields: A for the botanical name and quantity, B for the traceability code, C for country and operator number, D for PZ or replacement statements.
• Section B is the field inspectors check first, so use a simple batch scheme like IT-XXXX-2025-0147 and keep the mapping in your records.
• Add PZ marking and an additional declaration only when plants move into or within a protected zone such as Ireland.
• Re-label only when the batch is split, the data changes, the label is damaged, or the goods enter a protected zone; otherwise the supplier's passport stays valid.

If you are a registered professional operator shipping regulated plants within the EU, you must attach a plant passport to each batch, and this guide walks you through the whole process: getting your registration number in your member state, then filling in every field from elements A to D, plus protected zone and RUOP requirements, with a worked example for a Pistoia nursery shipping Viburnum to a protected zone.

What is an EU plant passport and who legally needs one?

An EU plant passport is an official label declaring that a batch of plants meets the plant-health rules of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031. It carries four elements, A to D: the member state and operator code, the botanical name, the registration number, and a traceability code or batch identifier. A protected-zone statement (PZ) is added when the plants enter a protected area.

When a registered professional operator must issue one

You must issue a passport if you are a registered professional operator moving plants for planting to another professional operator, to a protected zone, or out of your member state, including via third countries.

When you can move plants without a passport

Sales to final users inside your own area, and certain plants listed as exempt in the Regulation, need no passport. If a customer questions a document you issued, they can check it against the official register via FloraPass verification.

How do you get a plant passport registration number in your member state?

Applying through the Italian RUOP

In Italy you register as a professional operator through the RUOP (Registro Ufficiale degli Operatori Professionali), managed by the regional plant protection service. You apply to the Servizio Fitosanitario of your region, for example Toscana if you are a vivaro near Pistoia. The application identifies your sites, the genera you handle, and whether you ship into protected zones. Once approved, you receive your operator code, which must appear in section C of every plant passport you issue. If you are still working out whether your consignments need a passport at all, the guides at https://florapass.eu/guides cover the common cases.

Applying in the Netherlands and other member states

Every member state runs its own registration, so the process differs. Dutch growers register with the NVWA as a professional operator; other countries use their national plant protection organisation. The principle is the same: registered operator, official number, traceable batches.

What happens after approval

Your registration number is not a licence to print labels freely. You must keep traceability records linking each batch to its supplier and customer, and re-register if you move premises or change what you grow. That record-keeping is where manual spreadsheets break first.

What do the plant passport codes and symbols on the label mean?

A compliant plant passport label carries the EU flag, the words "Plant Passport" in the official languages, and four lettered fields. Field A is the botanical name, field B the traceability code (your operator registration number plus the batch), field C the country of origin, and field D the destination country or the word "PZ" for protected-zone movement. If any field is missing or unreadable, the passport is invalid and the batch is treated as unregistered stock.

The EU flag and the seven-digit format

The flag signals the passport is valid across the whole EU, not just domestically. Your operator code in field B follows the ISO country code plus a registration number issued by your member state, so an Italian nursery's code starts IT. A quick way to check a draft label against all required elements is the checklist at florapass.eu/guides/plant-passport-check.

PZ and protected-zone marking

The PZ marking replaces the destination country in field D and certifies the plants come from a protected zone or meet its requirements. Which pests trigger protected-zone status, and which species are covered, is set out in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072.

How do you fill in sections A, B, C and D of the passport?

The four sections follow the layout of the official label: A is the plant identity, B is the traceability code, C is the operator and country, D is the protected zone or replacement mark. Fill them in this order every time, and the label writes itself.

Section A: botanical name and quantity

Section A carries the botanical name (genus and species, plus cultivar if relevant), the plant name in common use, and the quantity. Write Viburnum tinus 'Eve Price', 20 potted plants. If the genus is listed in Annex XI of Regulation 2019/2072, add the species name in full; abbreviations are not accepted there.

Section B: traceability code (batch)

Section B is your traceability code, and it is the field inspectors check first. It must let you trace the batch back to the supplier or to your own production site. A simple scheme works: your operator code, the year, and a batch number, for example IT-XXXX-2025-0147. Keep the mapping between code and batch in your records so you can answer within 48 hours of an inspection request. FloraPass generates this code per batch automatically and stores the link to the shipment (https://florapass.eu/features/inspections).

Section C: country of origin and operator number

Section C shows the country of production as the two-letter ISO code (IT) and your operator registration number issued under your RUOP registration. This is the number that proves you are a registered professional operator, so it must match your registration exactly.

Section D: protected zone or replacement statement

Section D is usually blank for ordinary movement. It carries the PZ mark only when the plant moves into or within a protected zone, or the replacement statement when you re-label someone else's stock.

Worked example: Viburnum tinus from Pistoia to Ireland

A Vivai Bellavista-style shipment of 200 Viburnum tinus to an Irish garden centre needs: A: Viburnum tinus, 200 plants; B: IT-XXXX-2025-0147; C: IT, your operator number; D: PZ, because Ireland is a protected zone for relevant pests. The same batch going to a German wholesaler would leave D blank.

What are the extra rules for plant passports in Italy's protected zones and in Ireland?

Ireland as a protected zone for specific pests

Ireland holds protected-zone status for several quarantine pests, including Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (pine wood nematode) and certain Cronartium and Melampsora rusts. If you ship host plants there, the usual passport is not enough: the movement must be accompanied by a passport that also certifies the protected-zone requirement.

Additional declarations and the PZ field

You signal this on the label by adding "PZ" after the operator registration number in section B, plus an additional declaration in section D naming the relevant protected-zone requirement. A worked label line looks like: "PZ / IT-00123 / Vivai Bellavista, Pistoia" with a declaration such as "PZ requirement met under Commission Implementing Regulation 2019/2072, Annex VI." The label layout itself is unchanged; see our guide to the plant passport label for the full A-D structure.

Italian growers registered through the RUOP system can verify their operator status via the Ministry of Agriculture before adding PZ entries, since the declaration is a legal statement tied to your registration.

How do you issue, print and replace a plant passport label?

Issuing at the right moment in the batch workflow

Issue the passport when the batch is assembled for dispatch, not when the plants are still in production. If plants move between your own sites under the same RUOP code, no new passport is needed; a new one is required whenever goods leave to another operator. Print the label at the same time you prepare the availability list or delivery note, so the traceability code on the label matches the shipment.

Re-labelling and replacing damaged or incorrect labels

If a label is damaged or unreadable, print a replacement with the same data; the batch keeps its original passport information. If the data itself is wrong (wrong botanical name, missing PZ marking), you must cancel and reissue with corrected details. Keep a record of both actions, since the replacement is part of your traceability file. In FloraPass, reprinting or reissuing a passport takes a couple of clicks and the correction stays linked to the original batch.

When can you replace a plant passport with a supplier's label?

If a batch already carries a valid passport, you often don't need to issue a new one. Under the EU plant health rules, the original passport stays valid when you keep the batch intact, store it separately from non-passported plants, and pass it on with the same traceability code. You must re-label only if the batch is split, the plant species or size changes materially, the passport is damaged or illegible, or you move goods into a protected zone that requires a PZ-marked passport. Irish growers can check the Department of Agriculture's summary of these requirements in DAFM's plant passport guidance. When in doubt, re-issue: a duplicate label costs less than a failed trace-back.

How do tools like FloraPass, Fitoware and Plant Pass compare for issuing passports?

Criteria: label formats, register, batch workflow, pricing

Judge any tool on four things: does it print a compliant four-element label with PZ marking, does it store your RUOP code and registration details, does it track batches and dispatches, and what does it cost a nursery with 5-50 staff.

Tool	Label A-D + PZ	Batch workflow	Pricing model
FloraPass	Yes	Availability lists, shipment dispatch	€79/month flat, unlimited passports
Fitoware	Yes	Nursery management suite	Quote-based
Plant Pass	Yes	Mobile-first issuing	Subscription, see site

FloraPass skips the demo and sales call: you sign up and start printing. Fitoware and Atlas Core Cloud suit growers who want a broader management system, not just passports.

Where FloraPass falls short

FloraPass is passport-and-compliance only. If you want stock control, CRM, or accounting in the same tool, you will still need separate software. Qualità CE support is newer than the passport workflow, so test it against your own document templates before committing.

FAQ

Do I need a plant passport registration number for each nursery site I run?

Your registration application lists every site where you handle regulated plants, and the operator code you receive covers them all. You do not get a separate number per site, but you must keep the register current: if you open, close, or move premises, or change the genera you handle, you update or re-register with your national plant protection service.

Does a plant passport expire?

The passport has no printed expiry date. It stays valid as long as the batch remains intact, is stored separately from non-passported stock, and moves on with the same traceability code. You must cancel and reissue if the data is wrong, print a replacement if the label is damaged, and re-label when the batch is split or enters a protected zone.

When can you replace a plant passport with a supplier's label?

The original passport stays valid when you keep the batch intact, store it separately from non-passported plants, and pass it on with the same traceability code. You must re-label only if the batch is split, the species or size changes materially, the passport is damaged or illegible, or the goods move into a protected zone requiring a PZ-marked passport.