Bringing seal products into Great Britain
When you can bring seal, walrus and sea lion products into Great Britain. How recognised authorities can get approval to export seal products to Great Britain for trade.
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
You must not bring seal products into Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) unless the products meet an exemption. Seal products are any items made from or including the blubber, pelts or tusks of:
- seals
- walruses
- sea lions
Northern Ireland follows the comparable EU regime for seal products under Article 5(4) and Annex 2 of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Exemptions to the ban on bringing seal products into Great Britain
There are 2 exemptions to the ban on seal products. You can bring seal products into Great Britain if the products are either:
- for trade, if the seal product is from a traditional hunt that is carried out by Inuit or other indigenous communities and contributes to their livelihood
- for personal use
Bringing seal products to Great Britain to sell
You can only bring seal products to Great Britain to sell them if they qualify under the Inuit and other indigenous communities’ exemption.
Seal products you bring to Great Britain to trade must have a seal catch certificate. This is an attestation document which proves the item is exempt under the Inuit and other indigenous communities exemption.
Great Britain must approve a recognised authority within a territory or country before they can provide a seal catch certificate. These recognised authorities must follow the rules of the Inuit and other indigenous communities’ exemption.
Seal products for trade must come from a traditional hunt that:
- is carried out by Inuit or other indigenous communities
- provides food and income to support livelihoods within the community
- considers the welfare of the animal
You must not bring seal products to Great Britain to trade from hunts that are carried out for commercial purposes. This is banned.
Countries and territories authorised to export seal products to Great Britain
The recognised authorities that can issue seal catch certificates and export seal products to Great Britain are the:
- Greenland Department for Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture
- Government of Northwest Territories of Canada
- Department of Environment, Government of Nunavut
How countries and territories can apply to become a recognised authority
Authorities in territories or countries that want to export seal products to Great Britain must apply to become a recognised authority. This will mean they can issue seal catch certificates that are recognised by Great Britain. To apply, they must write to the Secretary of State with evidence that proves they meet the requirements of a recognised authority.
These authorities can email ukassurance@defra.gov.uk to make a request or post it to:
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
2D Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR
Requirements of a recognised authority
A regional or national recognised authority for an approved country or territory must:
- check that seal products follow the rules of the exemption
- process and issue seal catch certificates to products that comply – these must be attached to the product when they are put on the market
Customs authorities in Great Britain will check these catch certificates.
The recognised authority must monitor seal products and their producers to check that they comply with the exemption and:
- archive seal catch certificates after 3 years
- suspend seal catch certificates if products do not comply with the exemption
To be a recognised authority, they must be audited by a third party.
Penalties
If recognised authorities export seal products to Great Britain for trade without a seal catch certificate, they can receive:
- a fine of up to £75,000
- a prison sentence
Personal use of seal products
You can also bring seal products into Great Britain if they are for personal use. You do not need a seal catch certificate for personal use.
You will not need to declare seal products at customs if you are:
- travelling with the seal products while wearing them or putting them in your luggage
- moving the seal products with your personal belongings when relocating to Great Britain
Post seal products to Great Britain
You can import seal products by post after you have travelled back to Great Britain.
When you arrive in Great Britain you must have:
- written notification of the future import – this must include your name, details of the product and the intention to import
- proof that you bought the product in the country you visited – this could be a sales invoice or receipt
You must get Border Force to endorse these documents when you arrive in Great Britain. It is your responsibility as the traveller to present this documentation.
Keep the endorsed documents to show that your items are eligible for exemption when they’re imported later.
What to do if customs take your item
Customs may take your item if they believe it is not for personal use. This is called a seizure of goods. Customs can take your item when you’re travelling with the item or posting the item.