Import rules · European Union

Wood packaging import rules: Malta

Malta: ISPM 15 status for pallets and crates, approved treatments, the plant protection authority, common pallet sizes and main ports.

Last checked: 2026-10
ISPM 15 on imports
Required
Enforced since
2005
Treatments
HT, DH, SF accepted; MB-marked WPM accepted if ISPM 15 compliant, but MB fumigation is no longer permitted inside the EU
Plant protection authority
Food Safety and Security Authority (listed as Malta's NPPO on the IPPC; plant health inspections by the Plant Health Directorate)
Common pallet sizes
1200 × 800 mm (EUR/EPAL)
1200 × 1000 mm
Main ports
Malta Freeport (Birżebbuġa), Valletta (Grand Harbour), Marsaxlokk, Malta International Airport (air freight)

Overview

Malta applies the EU plant health regime. Wood packaging from outside the Union must be debarked, treated by an ISPM 15 method and marked, under Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 and Annex VII of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072; the obligation for third-country WPM began at EU level on 1 March 2005. The IPPC lists the Food Safety and Security Authority, in B'Kara, as the national plant protection organisation, and plant health officers carry out import checks at the entry points. Malta has an unusual traffic profile: Malta Freeport at Birżebbuġa is a large Mediterranean transshipment hub, yet most of that volume never enters the country. Only containers released for Maltese consumption, along with ro-ro and general cargo through the Grand Harbour at Valletta, become imports subject to WPM control, so inspectors deal with comparatively small numbers. Where unmarked or infested packaging is found, it may be treated, destroyed or sent back at the importer's expense. Because the market is small and imports from Italy and Sicily are intra-EU, there is no ISPM 15 requirement for those pallets. The local pallet market uses the 1200 × 800 mm EUR pallet in food retail and distribution, with 1200 × 1000 mm pallets coming in with containerised industrial goods. Much packaging is single-trip and disposed of locally.

Key points

  • Island state: nearly all goods arrive by sea, so inspection happens at Freeport and Grand Harbour
  • Intra-EU movements of WPM generally exempt from ISPM 15 marking
  • Transshipment containers at the Freeport that stay in the hub are not imports; those released into Malta are
  • Non-compliant WPM can be treated, destroyed or re-exported at the importer's cost

Frequently asked questions

Does Malta require ISPM 15 for wooden pallets?

Yes, for wood packaging arriving from outside the EU. Pallets from other EU countries, such as Italy, are generally exempt from the mark.

Which port inspections matter for Malta?

Containers released for Maltese consumption at Malta Freeport and cargo through the Grand Harbour at Valletta. Transshipment boxes that stay in the hub are not imports.

What happens to non-compliant pallets?

They can be treated, destroyed or sent back at the importer's expense.

Sources

  1. IPPC country page – Malta
  2. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 (EUR-Lex)
  3. IPPC – ISPMs index (ISPM 15)

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.