- ISPM 15 on imports
- Required
- Enforced since
- 2005
- Treatments
- HT, DH, SF accepted on imports; MB-marked WPM accepted if ISPM 15 compliant, but MB fumigation itself is no longer permitted inside the EU
- Plant protection authority
- Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management (BML) – plant health; AGES and Länder services carry out inspections
- Common pallet sizes
- 1200 × 800 mm (EUR/EPAL)
1200 × 1000 mm
800 × 600 mm (half pallet) - Main ports
- Landlocked: Vienna-Schwechat airport, Danube ports at Vienna, Linz and Enns, Sea cargo via Hamburg, Koper or Trieste
Overview
Austria follows the EU plant health rules, so wooden packaging arriving from outside the EU needs debarking, an ISPM 15 treatment and the IPPC mark according to Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 and Annex VII of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072. The legal contact is the federal agriculture ministry, listed as the national plant protection organisation on the IPPC site, while the practical work is split between federal bodies, the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) and the plant protection services of the provinces, who inspect consignments and register marking companies. Austria has no seaport, so much third-country freight enters through Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Koper or Trieste and is released under EU rules before onward road or rail carriage. Direct entries occur at Vienna-Schwechat airport and Danube river ports such as Vienna, Linz and Enns. Unmarked or infested wood is treated, destroyed or returned at the importer's cost. The pallet market is firmly based on the EUR/EPAL standard, 1200 × 800 mm, with strong adoption in food retail, and Austrian timber producers supply large volumes of new pallets and pallet blocks to central Europe. 1200 × 1000 mm pallets appear in industrial and chemicals traffic. Because the sawmill and wood-processing sector is large, many pallets are heat-treated and stamped as a matter of routine, which makes them ready for export outside the EU without further processing.
Key points
- Import checks by plant health inspectors at the border posts, airports and inland control points
- Intra-EU movements of WPM generally exempt from ISPM 15 marking (pinewood-nematode rules for Portuguese conifer WPM excepted)
- Austrian WPM marking is supervised nationally; EPAL pallet repair shops are widespread
- Non-compliant WPM may be treated, destroyed or returned at the importer's expense
Frequently asked questions
Does Austria require ISPM 15 for wooden pallets?
Yes, for pallets and crates arriving from outside the EU. They must be treated and IPPC-marked. Pallets moving within the EU are normally exempt.
Who checks wood packaging in Austria?
Plant health inspectors working under the agriculture ministry, with AGES and the provincial services involved in inspections and marker registration.
How do landlocked Austria's imports reach it?
Mostly via EU seaports like Hamburg or Koper, plus Vienna-Schwechat airport and Danube ports, with the EU rules applied at first entry.
Sources
Import rules change. Confirm current requirements with the national plant protection organization or your importer before shipping. This page is general information, not legal advice.