The mark is central
UK guidance explains that compliant wood packaging does not need a separate phytosanitary or treatment certificate: certification is provided by the ISPM 15 mark. A document cannot replace the required mark. This point concerns the wood packaging; it does not decide which certificates or declarations may be needed for the goods themselves.
Useful supporting records
Keep the purchase order, supplier identity, agreed pallet specification, delivery note and any treatment information supplied with the order. If your customer requests a certificate, establish exactly what they mean. They may be asking for supporting traceability, a contractual statement, or documents associated with their cargo rather than a legal substitute for the pallet mark.
Resolve the request before dispatch
Send the customer’s exact document wording to your supplier and forwarder. Agree who issues it, the shipment or batch it must refer to and when it will be available. Discovering a mismatch once a container is packed can be expensive. Never create a treatment statement using another supplier’s registration number or an old certificate from a different order.
Keep the file practical
A simple shipment folder can contain the specification, order acknowledgement, goods-in record, packing photos, delivery note and correspondence about special requirements. Use one internal shipment reference across those records. Clear traceability is more useful than collecting generic certificates that cannot be tied to the actual packaging dispatched.
Separate packaging certification from cargo documents
A commercial invoice, packing list, customer declaration and phytosanitary document for the goods can serve different purposes. Asking whether the pallet needs a certificate should not lead to the conclusion that the consignment needs no paperwork. The exporter and importer still need to settle the documents applicable to the goods and destination.
Ask the requesting party to name the document and explain what it must identify. Is it the order, the treatment provider, the particular packaging or the cargo? That single clarification avoids exchanging generic PDFs that do not answer the actual request.
What a supplier statement can usefully say
A statement tied to an order can help commercial traceability: which pallet specification was agreed, what quantity was supplied and what treatment and marking arrangements were included. It should not be presented as a way to override an absent or unacceptable official mark.
Keep evidence in proportion to the shipment. A packing photograph, delivery reference and agreed specification may be easier to reconcile later than a folder full of unrelated certificates. The aim is to identify the actual packaging and who supplied it.
An example of a well-defined document request
Instead of “send an ISPM certificate”, write: “For order reference X, please confirm the pallet specification, the treatment and marking included, and the provider identity relevant to the packaging delivered.” Separately ask your importer which consignment declarations it requires. This is an illustrative purchasing request, not a universal legal form.
If the pallet mark is damaged or missing, keep the stock out of the export pick while that is resolved. Do not wait until a freight collection is booked to find out whether the supporting document actually refers to the units you intend to load.
Sources & further reading
Forestry Commission: wood packaging material for import and export (opens in a new tab)References reviewed 7 October 2026. Confirm the current rules for your shipment with the relevant authority or freight adviser.