Bonsai Plaza

[Glaucus]

Before Brexit the UK was part of the "Schengen" countries.
The Schengen area covers 26 countries ("Schengen States") without border controls between them.
See the map below for the current countries.

Schengen is not the same as the European Union. Norway and Switzerland were and are Schengen countries.
Ireland and the UK, as EU members, opted out of Schengen. UK was not part of Schengen, Ireland still is not.
Schengen refers to abolishing passport controls when people cross these borders.

Oh and sorry Iceland.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Schengen is not the same as the European Union. Norway and Switzerland were and are Schengen countries.
Ireland and the UK, as EU members, opted out of Schengen. UK was not part of Schengen, Ireland still is not.
Schengen refers to abolishing passport controls when people cross these borders.

Ok.. Thanks! I was confused by "Schengen"

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Bonsai Plaza does offer shipping to the UK on their website. I would just contact them instead of working hypotheticals here on bnut. Bonsai Plaza is run by a professional in the field. He will know the consequences & delivery times. He has held trees for me in the past because shipping was suboptimal.

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I have a good experience with him too, but quite recently there was a thread on a US guy ordering seeds from somewhere in Latvia or Lithuania I believe. They were destroyed by US customs.
The website I posted earlier said that January was the last month of easy shipping, after that things require a passport or documentation.
I personally believe it's not a seller's responsibility to check local laws and that the buyer should inform himself on what's allowed and what isn't, or just accept the risks.

Some governments treat plants like they're super illegal weapons. So I think a little bit of caution is wise. I can order a AK-47 from Poland, and they'll happily ship it for me - it's on their website! But that doesn't mean it'll arrive at my front door. At least, I hope.
I think plants work kind of the same way.. And to be honest, I've tried this myself (with plants, not guns) and EU phytosanitation and plant transport laws are insanely vague, even for transport within the EU.

 

[Glaucus]

Phytosanitation laws are designed purely with the agricultural industry in mind. There is literally zero attempt to provide rules for 'normal people'. Basically, hobbyists are not supposed to transport seeds or plants across state borders, at all. There is some reasoning behind this, because diseases that affect plants can do a lot of damage to the food supply.
But then again, there are many ways how these pests can get in that are not checked at all.
It is purely an economic calculation. While the EU is great for many things, one downside is that most laws are written by lobbyists & corporate lawyers. (But for many countries, the same is true.)