Guidance

Register for export health certificate (EHC) online: exporter guidance

Register and manage your access to EHC Online using Government Gateway and your Defra account.

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Animal and Plant Health Agency
• Published: 13 October 2020
• Last updated: 2 December 2024
  Show all updates

  1. 2 December 2024

     We have moved the content for certifiers to a new dedicated guidance collection, and renamed this guide so that it is focussed on exporters.

  2. 30 August 2024

     Certificates for EU trade downloaded from EHC Online no longer include a copy in the language of the final destination. Certifiers will get certificates in English and in the language of the border control post (BCP) where the export will enter the EU.

  3. 31 January 2024

     Export pre-checks by certifiers are no longer required for the export of pig meat to China using EHC 7006GB. After you submit your application for 7006GB, it will be received by APHA before being dispatched to your certifier. The guidance advising pre-checks were required has been removed.

  4. 8 September 2021

     New guidance on how to cancel and replace an export health certificate.

  5. 1 December 2020

     We've added links to a series of webinars about registering and applying for export health certificates using EHC Online, and updated the advice for certifiers about how to register for EHC Online.

  6. 13 November 2020

     Added extra information for certifiers who want to make changes to the editable PDF version of the export health certificate.

  7. 4 November 2020

     Added a guide for official vets and health inspectors certifying export health certificates using EHC online, and a guide for exporters on applying for an EHC for the EU.

  8. 13 October 2020

     First published.

Documents

EHC Online: register for Government Gateway and your Defra account

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EHC Online: manage access using your Defra account

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Details

Guidance for exporters in England, Scotland and Wales on registering for and managing access to EHC Online, the digital service for applying for and certifying export health certificates.

If you’re an Official Veterinarian (OV) or Food Competent Certifying Officer (FCCO) read the separate guidance for certifiers.

There is also separate guidance on how to apply for an export health certificate.

Find out how to:

• create a Government Gateway user ID and password and Defra account
• add and remove users on your Defra account
• add and remove related organisations on your Defra account

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If you need to export goods to the EU, or move goods into Northern Ireland, we’d like to hear about your experiences. If you’re happy for us to contact you, please fill in this short form. Your feedback will help us improve our services and guidance.

Webinars

Watch webinars on YouTube for help with registration and exporting using EHC online.

Exporter registration

This webinar is for exporters on how to register for EHC Online.

This webinar has taken place. You can watch the video of the session on YouTube:

Exporter registration

Poultry exports

This webinar is for exporters applying for an EHC to export poultry.

This webinar has taken place. You can watch the video of the session on YouTube:

Poultry exports

Fish exports

This webinar is for exporters applying for an EHC to export fish.

This webinar has taken place. You can watch the video of the session on YouTube:

Fish exports

Meat exports

This webinar is for exporters applying for an EHC to export meat.

This webinar has taken place. You can watch the video of the session on YouTube:

Meat exports

Dairy exports

This webinar is for exporters applying for an EHC to export dairy.

This webinar has taken place. You can watch the video of the session on YouTube:

Dairy exports

Equine exports

This webinar is for exporters applying for an EHC to export equine animals.

This webinar has taken place. You can watch the video of the session on YouTube:

Equines exports