When taking plants purchased from Cece Farm (Thailand) out of Thailand, a phytosanitary certificate is required. It’s commonly known as “phyto”. I often hear that people have given up on buying plants in Thailand because they find this process troublesome. However, Cece Farm makes the process easy, so don’t give up!
This page explains "When taking Cece Farm plants out of Thailand". We are not sure about "bringing the product into the customer's country," so please do your own research regarding this.Obtaining “Phyto” in Thailand is easy!
This “Phyto” is really easy to obtain in Thailand. First, apply for a certificate on the official Thai government website called “E-Phyto”.
After that, in the case of Chiang Mai, you will need to go to the quarantine station located next to Chiang Mai Airport and give them the number issued at the time of application and have them check for “soil and insect removal.” If there are no problems, a phytosanitary certificate will be issued.
In the past, this application process was often troublesome as it had to be done by hand or required proof of where it was purchased, but now with the advent of E-Phyto, it has become much easier. By the way, this E-Phyto cannot be easily used unless you are a “business operator registered with the Thai government.” Of course, Cece Farm is a registered vendor, so even individual customers can use E-Phyto and easily obtain “Phyto”.
The customer must prepare three pieces of information: name, address, and country of destination.
Cece Farm is equipped with a dedicated plant washing area!
And for “removal of soil and insects”, Cece Farm is equipped with a “dedicated plant washing area”, so it is possible to completely wash away the soil stuck to the roots! In addition, although it is usually possible to wash away insects with just this step, we also provide a service that uses “insect removal chemicals” just in case. If you purchase plants from our store, the chemicals and washing facilities are of course free of charge. You can enjoy washing off the dirt yourself while drinking a cold iced coffee, or you can leave it to the staff to do it for you. Feel free to use either!
What are Phyto’s fees? Who is the acquisition agent?
First of all, the acquisition fee for Phyto is 100 THB per ticket. Rather than calculating one Phyto for each plant, roughly speaking, it will be one for each plant you want to take home. There doesn’t seem to be a strict rule, but if you put about 10 to 15 plants in one cardboard box, you can get one plant per box (100 THB). Since it is not 100 THB per plant, you can say that the fee is not that high. *The exact fee (number of tickets) will be known after quarantine. When there are multiple boxes, we often calculate one piece per box. Also, the address and name of the person to whom each Phyto is to be taken out must be the same.
Cece Farm also provides assistance in obtaining plant quarantine certificates. The agency fee is 1000THB per ticket. In addition, an acquisition fee of 100THB will be charged separately. The acquisition agency is a little expensive, so we recommend that you acquire it yourself.
We also accept bulk orders and business sales overseas.
If you would like to purchase Thai plants in bulk or in bulk, please contact Cece Farm.
Cece Farm has business alliances with many farms in Thailand, so we can obtain most of the Thai ornamental plants. If you want a plant that is not on this site, please contact us by email or message. Of course the prices are cheap.
How to get Phyto at the quarantine station
Now, I will explain the specific method of obtaining Phyto by yourself. Of course, Cece Farm will apply for “E-Phyto” free of charge, so don’t worry. Here is the flow of obtaining a certificate.
When shopping at Cece Farm, tell the staff that you want to obtain Phyto and ask them to apply for it (free of charge)
Go to Chiang Mai Airport and the “Plant Quarantine Station”
Give the number issued when applying for E-Phyto to the quarantine station staff and wait to be called.
- When it’s your turn, leave your plants and the staff will quarantine them.
- If there are no problems in quarantine, a certificate will be issued (fee: 100THB)
That’s the flow. The waiting time varies from a few minutes to several hours, depending on the time of year. There are many applicants during the season, so it might be a good idea to go early in the morning (8.30am). However, in my experience, I have never had to wait more than an hour. At most there are 2 or 3 people waiting, and more often than not there is no waiting at all. However, according to the quarantine station staff, it is possible to arrive in the morning and arrive in the afternoon, so please allow at least one extra day for your flight from Chiang Mai.
Once quarantined, the plants are finally packaged in cardboard boxes. Please note that once the package is in this state, it will no longer be possible to open it.
↓ The image below is the actual product after packaging. The document at the bottom of the box is Phyto.
We will arrange a ride service from Cece Farm to the quarantine station.
Cece Farm can also arrange ride-hailing services such as Grab and deliver directly from Cece Farm to the Plant Quarantine Station. As of the end of 2023, the fare from Cece Farm to Chiang Mai Plant Quarantine Station is between 350THB and 450THB. There are some differences depending on the driver and ride-hailing service, but this seems to be the average price. Also, since the Plant Quarantine Station is located close to Chiang Mai Airport, please consider that the fare to Chiang Mai city center will be between 350 and 450 THB. Of course, we will also arrange a ride for you when you return from Cece Farm, and if you wish, we can also arrange for a ride to nearby tourist spots such as Maesa Waterfall. Please feel free to consult our staff.
As is well known, taxis in Thailand have a bad reputation due to rampant taxis. However, if you arrange a ride service (very rarely a taxi) through Cece Farm, most of the drivers are acquaintances of ours, so you can use it with confidence. *As for fares, we always check the destination and fare before boarding and inform the customer.
Also, in Thailand it is customary to tip (50 to 100 THB for transportation from Cece Farm to the city center). If you prefer, you can negotiate a tip-included price upfront. Please consult our staff.
Also, depending on the type of plant, a separate permit, commonly known as “CITES”, may be required. I will explain the details later, but is it a CITES designated plant? can be easily identified on the official website. Our staff will also support you.
About Cites
“Cites” here refers to the list of plants and animals whose import and export are prohibited under the Washington Convention. For example, among the plants that Cece Farm handles, the representative plants listed are “cacti” and “orchids.” However, even if it is a cactus or orchid, if it is hybridized by a farm in Thailand, it is allowed to be exported. *Cites will be issued
It is difficult to draw the line in this area, and in fact there are many cases where it is difficult to make a determination unless you are the relevant employee. Therefore, if you would like a plant that is registered with Cites, please contact us via email before visiting the store.
The only Cites publishing office in Thailand is in Bangkok.
Also, there is no office in Chiang Mai that issues Cites. *In Thailand, it is located in Bangkok.
Therefore, when Cece Farm applies for Cites, it will be applied online and the documents will be issued approximately one week later (it may take longer if additional documents are requested). Therefore, there is no problem if you have plenty of time to stay, such as a week or more, but if you are traveling for a short period of time, please consider using a delivery company and receiving the package at your home at a later date. Of course, at Cece Farm, we take care of everything from applying for Cites to arranging the delivery of plants, but we can only guarantee delivery from within Thailand. Thank you for your understanding as we cannot guarantee any delays or accidents after the item leaves Thailand.
How to check the Cites list
I will explain how to check the Cites list. First of all, let’s look up the official scientific name. The pages of the plants we handle on this site basically use the scientific name as the page title, so you can just look up the plant using that name. However, there are some names that are only known by common names in Thailand.
When searching by scientific name, the most accurate way is to look at the PDF on the Cites official website. However, it is quite difficult to use, so we recommend using the website (also has an app) below.
The target plants of Cites are updated regularly, but since the above site is a private service, there may be some time lag. If you want to be sure of the latest information, please check the Cites list on the official website below.