1.The official veterinarian shall complete animal health certificates for consignments of aquatic animals and products of animal origin from aquatic animals in accordance with the following requirements:
(a)the animal health certificate must bear the signature of the official veterinarian and the official stamp; the colour of the signature and the colour of stamp, other of an than embossed or watermarked stamp, must be different to the colour of the printing;
(b)where the animal health certificate contains multiple or alternative statements, the statements which are not relevant must be crossed out, initialled and stamped by the official veterinarian, or completely removed from the animal health certificate;
(c)the animal health certificate must consist of one of the following:
a single sheet of paper;
several sheets of paper where all sheets are indivisible and constitute an integrated whole;
a sequence of pages with each page numbered so as to indicate that it is a particular page in a finite sequence;
(d)where the animal health certificate consists of a sequence of pages as referred to in point (c)(iii), of this paragraph, each page must bear the unique code referred to in Article 89(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, the signature of the official veterinarian and the official stamp;
(e)in the case of animal health certificates for movements of consignments within the Union, the animal health certificate must accompany the consignment until it reaches the place of destination in the Union;
(f)in the case of animal health certificates for the entry into the Union of consignments, the animal health certificate must be presented to the competent authority of the border control post of entry into the Union where the consignment is subjected to official controls;
(g)the animal health certificate must be issued before the consignment to which it relates leaves the control of the competent authority issuing the animal health certificate;
(h)in the case of animal health certificates for the entry into the Union of consignments, the animal health certificate must be drawn up in the official language, or in one of the official languages, of the Member State of the border control post of entry into the Union.
2.By way of derogation from paragraph 1(h), a Member State may consent to animal health certificates being drawn up in another official language of the Union, and accompanied, if necessary, by an authenticated translation.
3.Points (a) to (e) of paragraph 1 shall not apply to electronic certificates issued in accordance with the requirements of Article 39(1) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1715.
4.Points (b), (c) and (d) of paragraph 1 shall not apply to animal health certificates issued in paper and completed in, and printed from, TRACES.