Also, when you get a small lot permit, be advised:
You need a DHL or other international shipping account. One for the outgoing and one for the incoming postal charges.
The folks you are trying to get to ship to you must follow all the procedures to the letter. Below is the latest updates I have received regarding the import of small seed lots.
I got one stuck because I did not send the sticker to the shipper. It's the little stuff.
Some things are tricky. For example, SF is close to me, however it's only LA that I can get seed through. SF is bogged down. So, once you figure out where your inspection station is. PLEASE call them and talk to your person. Walk it though the talk zone. Otherwise, you'll find your seed in limbo because there is always some t that wasn't crossed.
Good Luck!
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Plant Protection and Quarantine
4700 River Road
Riverdale, Maryland 20737
Importers of plants and seeds for planting have five important responsibilities:
1. Before placing an order, the importer should obtain any required import permit or make
certain that existing permits are valid and provide for the entry of the desired material. See
Circular Q37-1, Suggestions to Applicants for Permits to Import Pant Material for Planting, for
information about applying for an import permit.
2. The importer should transmit appropriate instructions to the foreign shipper.
3. The importer should make advance arrangements for meeting all of U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) requirements.
4. The importer should supply labor and materials or arrange for this through a broker or agent,
when necessary.
5. The importer should make the necessary shipping arrangements that ensure permitted plants
and seeds are delivered for inspection to a USDA, Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) plant
inspection station. Movement of restricted plant material to and from the plant inspection station
is the responsibility of the consignee and/or broker.
WHAT TO TELL THE FOREIGN SHIPPER
The permittee should make sure that the foreign shipper uses the desired means of transportation
and approved packing material for exportation to the United States. The importer should remind
the exporter that the plant material must be free from soil, must not be established in growing
media except where exempted by the regulations in 7 CFR 319.37, must be within the size-age
limitations, and must be properly labeled, invoiced and accompanied by the original
phytosanitary certificate. If the Permit Unit has issued labels with a permit, the exporter must be
instructed in the proper use of the labels. Translations of these instructions are available in
French, German, and Spanish from our office. Plants for planting that require a permit must
enter the United States through ports with an Inspection Station.
Freedom from soil and growing media:
All plant material must be free from sand, soil, earth and growing media, except for those plants
approved to enter in growing media from APHIS-approved facilities (see 7 CFR 319.37-8(e) &
(f). Leaf mold and other decayed vegetable molds are considered soil. Plants arriving in or
contaminated with sand, soil, earth, or in a growing medium from an unapproved source, will be
refused entry.
Packing material:
Only approved packing material may be used. A complete list of approved packing materials
can be found in the regulations, Title 7 CFR 319.37-9. The commonly used approved packing
materials include ground peat, sphagnum moss, perlite, pulp-free coconut or other vegetable
fibers (excluding sugarcane and cotton), osmunda fiber, excelsior, wood or cork shavings,
sawdust, rock wool, ground cork, buckwheat hulls, polymer stabilized cellulose, and exfoliated
vermiculite.
Nursery stock which has been wrapped, coated, dipped, sprayed, or otherwise packaged in
plastic, wax or other impermeable material that prevents adequate inspection or treatment may be
refused entry.
Size-age limitations:
The size-age restrictions, found in 7 CFR 319.37-2 (b), are complex. For a summary, please see
the document “Size Age Limitations Chart” on the PPQ website at:
www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/permits/nursery.shtmlLabeling:
All plant material must be plainly and legibly labeled with scientific names (genus, species, and
if possible, variety). Plants or bundles of plants should be individually labeled. Lack of labeling
results in handling delays.
Invoices:
Plant Protection and Quarantine requires copies of invoices in addition to those required by CBP,
the broker, and the importer. For cargo importations: A copy must be filed at the time U.S.
Customs and Border Protection entry is made. In addition, a packing list must accompany each
container of material or a copy of the invoice must be enclosed within container No. 1 for
shipments having more than one container. For importations by mail: One copy of the invoice
must be enclosed within the parcel or within one of the parcels in the event of a lot shipment.
Certification:
Title 7 CFR 319.37-4 requires that plants for planting offered for importation must be
accompanied by an original phytosanitary certificate of inspection issued by the proper plant
quarantine official in the country of origin. Also, please note that certain plants, or plants from
certain countries, may require “additional declarations” on the phytosanitary certificate (see 7
CFR 319.37-5 for specifics).
For cargo importations: The original certificate must be attached to the CBP entry documents.
A copy of the certificate may be attached to each container.
For importations by mail: A copy of the certificate must be attached to the outside of each
parcel, and the original certificate must be enclosed within the parcel or within one of the parcels
in the event of a lot shipment.
Means of importation:
The importer should provide instructions to the foreign shipper as to the means of importation.
Mail shipments, whether by letter mail, parcel post, air parcel post, or other classes of mail, do
not require a bonded carrier to transport the material to a USDA plant inspection station.
Importations made by air express, air freight, and other means do require a bonded carrier. Air
express and air freight (cargo) should not be confused with air mail and air parcel post. Also, see
the section below about baggage entries.
Mail shipments:
If you are importing plants and seeds by mail, please instruct your supplier to attach to your
parcel(s) the green-and-yellow labels provided with your permit. Green and yellow labels should
be used only for mail importations. Not all countries offer air parcel post; moreover, the
character of air parcel post service may vary by country. From some countries, air parcel post
moves by air only to the port of first arrival and thence by surface transportation to the
destination. Other countries provide air movement to the final destination; still other countries
provide both types of air parcel post service, allowing the shipper to select the type desired.
Information on air parcel post can best be obtained from the foreign shipper or your local post
office. Letter-rate airmail, sometimes used for seeds or valuable cuttings when air parcel post is
not available, carries material through to the destination by air.
Regardless of the address on the green-and-yellow mailing label, the plant materials for
propagation will be cleared at the first U.S. port of arrival which has a USDA plant inspection
station. Ports with inspection stations are JFK International Airport, Jamaica, New York;
Linden, New Jersey; Miami and Orlando, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; New Orleans, Louisiana;
Los Indios and Houston, Texas; Nogales, Arizona; San Diego, Los Angeles (Inglewood), and
San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; Honolulu, Hawaii; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and
Tamuning, Guam. Please remember that we do not have control over routing or in transit
handling of international mail. Air transport may result in delivery of the plants to any approved
port address.
After agricultural clearance at the USDA plant inspection station, mail shipments are returned to
the mails and go forward to the destination under the original postage. If the value of the
shipment is less than $1000.00, duty, if any, is collected at the post office of the destination. If
valued at $1000.00 or more, the shipment goes to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection port
closest to the destination post office where the importer must either make the formal entry
directly or employ a customs broker or agent. The importer is notified by CBP of the arrival of
the shipment and the port at which entry must be made.
Addressing mail shipments: When shipments are to be imported by mail, the permittee should
request a green-and-yellow mailing label for each parcel. Instructions for its use appear on the
reverse side of the label. Instructions in French, German, and Spanish will be supplied to a
permittee upon request. For mail shipments, it is especially important that the permittee's name,
address, telephone number, and permit number be enclosed with each parcel. Instruct your
supplier to place only the green and yellow label, and NOT your name or address, on the outside
of the parcel.
Shipments other than by mail:
Importations arriving by means other than mail require a CBP entry regardless of value. The
importer or importer's agent must arrange for delivery to a USDA plant inspection station, if
necessary, and onward to the final destination.
Shipments by Express Carrier:
1) You are required to meet all permit requirements regarding permit labels and your shipment
must be accompanied by a copy of the permit at the time of arrival into the United States. In
addition, you are encouraged to place inside the package a U.S. domestic shipping label from the
express carrier you use (e.g. FEDEX, DHL, UPS, etc..) with your shipping account number
included in the appropriate box. The additional shipping label will facilitate forwarding of
packages after the USDA Plant Inspection Station has cleared the shipment. The plant
inspection station personnel will fill out the rest of the information on the shipping label.
2) An invoice must accompany the shipment. (This is especially important if you are importing
more than one genus or species).
3) If applicable, the documentation required by the permit must include the correct scientific
name for the material.
4) If the plants or seeds you are importing by express carrier are perishable, you are encouraged
to schedule the arrival of your shipments at the USDA plant inspection station facility as early in
the week as possible to avoid delivery problems that may occur over weekends and holidays.
5) If a plant or seed shipment is refused entry at the USDA plant inspection station, you will be
asked to re-export or destroy the materials generally within 48 to 72 hours from the time you are
notified by PPQ.
Addressing cargo, express, or freight shipments:
Each case, box, or other container of a shipment shall be clearly and plainly marked to show the
general nature and quantity of the contents and the country where grown, bear distinguishing
marks, be individually numbered, and be addressed in the following way:
"U. S. Customs and Border Protection _____________________________________
(Name of port where material is authorized to clear quarantine)
For delivery to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Inspection Station. For account of
________________________________
Permit No. ___________
(Name and address of permittee)
From ____________________________________________________________."
(Name and address of foreign shipper)
Meeting U.S. Customs and Border Protection requirements for non parcel post importations:
Delays resulting in loss or deterioration of material may occur because importers do not make
arrangements in advance for a Customs broker or other agent to attend to CBP formalities in
connection with freight, air freight, express, or air express consignments. Such shipments are in
CBP custody and unless under an Immediate Transportation (IT) entry, cannot go forward until
all CBP requirements have been completed. PPQ Plant Health Safeguarding Specialists do not
have the authority to act as, or render the services of, a Customs Broker. Government employees
cannot employ a Customs Broker on behalf of an importer nor can they recommend one.
Arrangements with the broker or other agent should be made well in advance of the shipment’s
arrival. The expected date and time of arrival, the flight number or name of vessel, invoice
number and permit number, type of Customs entry, and forwarding instructions should be
provided to the customs broker or agent. The broker or agent can arrange for transportation,
labor, and materials if needed. Contact the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and
Border Protection for more information.
Baggage entries:
The importation of most plant material (except certain bulbs and flower seeds) by baggage may
prove more costly than entry by mail. The importer may have to arrange for a bonded carrier (if
available at the port of arrival) to transport the material to the nearest USDA plant inspection
station. Also, upon completion of PPQ handling, the importer or broker will have to arrange to
pay forwarding costs.
Ports with USDA Plant Inspection Stations:
Material may be offered for agricultural clearance at mainland destinations: New York, New
York (including John F. Kennedy International Airport and Linden, New Jersey); Miami and
Orlando, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Los Indios and Houston, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana;
Nogales, Arizona; Los Angeles (Inglewood), San Diego, and San Francisco, California; Seattle,
Washington; Honolulu, Hawaii and Tamuning, Guam; and San Juan for destinations in Puerto
Rico and the American Virgin Islands.
Please note that USDA plant inspection stations are generally open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays.
If your permit does not specify entry of your plants at the desired USDA plant inspection station,
please apply in writing for a permit revision. When applying, remember that uninspected and
untreated material may not move long distances overland for clearance but must be inspected and
treated (if necessary) at the authorized inspection station as the first port of arrival.
Examples: European or African material arriving by air usually enters at John F. Kennedy
International Airport in New York, Seattle, Washington, Los Angeles, or San Francisco. South
American material arriving by air may clear at Los Angeles, Miami, or New York (including
John F. Kennedy International Airport). The same material coming by sea would enter at New
York and clear at Linden, New Jersey. Asian material coming by sea via the Suez Canal and
African and European material arriving by sea usually clears at Linden, NJ. Most Mexican
material entering by surface transportation clears at Brownsville, TX. By air, Mexican material
may clear at Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, Seattle, or New York depending upon the time
and method of dispatch from origin.
Labor, supplies, and handling:
The importer must make arrangements and pay all costs for the labor, supplies, and special
handling required to clear a shipment. Labor is usually required for shipments imported other
than by mail, for the unpacking and repacking of plant material and to move containers into and
out of the USDA plant inspection station. Costs vary with the size of the shipment and the
amount of work that may be involved. Supplies such as lumber, material for reconditioning, etc.,
may be necessary depending upon the condition of the shipment.
Treatments:
The Plant Protection Act gives the USDA, APHIS, PPQ the responsibility for protecting the
United States from the introduction and dissemination of injurious arthropod plant pests,
pathogens, and noxious weeds. Please be advised that approved methods used to control such
organisms are not always available to eliminate pest risk and some treatments are phytotoxic.
Improve your chances of avoiding such problems by communicating to the exporter the necessity
for them to ship pest-free, healthy plant material using a timely means of conveyance.
Treatments used by PPQ to control pest infestations on imported plants and seeds are those
which are the most effective for the pest concerned and believed to be least likely to cause injury
to the plants involved. All treatments are applied at the risk of the importer. The importer should
carefully consider other measures communicated in the Emergency Action Notification (PPQ
523). These measures typically include the right to return the plant material to origin or destroy
the plant material under official supervision.
Perishable plant materials undergo much stress and are often weakened by adverse shipping
conditions. Communicating to your supplier the importance of providing pest and disease free
plants and seeds will help to reduce the chance of additional stress to the plants that may caused
by treatments needed to keep foreign pests and diseases from entering the United States.