Who regulates plant importation?

The United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) – Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) regulates the importation of plants and plant products.

Why?

PPQ maintains its import program to safeguard U.S. agriculture and natural resources from the risks associated with the entry, establishment, or spread of animal and plant pests and noxious weeds.

Do I need a permit to import plants?

Yes. Permits are required for the importation into the U.S. and transit through the U.S. of regulated plants and plant products for consumption or propagation.

Plant and plant product permits include plants for planting such as nursery stock, small lots of seed, and postentry; plant products such as fruits and vegetable, timber, cotton and cut flowers; protected plants and plant products such as orchids, and threatened and endangered plant species; transit permits to ship regulated articles into, through and out of the U.S.; and controlled import permits to import prohibited plant materials for research.

What Plant Material Requires a Permit?

Under the nursery stock quarantine (7CFR319.37-3), the following restricted articles (other than articles for food, analytical, medicinal, or manufacturing purposes) in any of the following categories may be imported or offered for importation into the United States only after issuance of a written permit by Plant Protection and Quarantine:

• Lots of 13 or more articles (other than seeds, bulbs, or sterile cultures of orchid plants) from any country or locality except Canada;
• Seeds of trees or shrubs from any country or locality except Canada;
• Articles subject to the special foreign inspection and certification requirements of §319.37-5,
• Articles subject to treatment and other requirements of §319.37-6;
• Articles subject to the postentry quarantine conditions of §319.37-7;
• Articles (except seeds) of Malus spp., Pyrus spp., Prunus spp., Cydonia spp., Chaenomeles spp. and Rubus spp., from Canada;
• Articles (except seeds) of Pinus spp. from Canada;
• Solanum tuberosum true seed from New Zealand and the X Region of Chile (that area of Chile between 39° and 44° South latitude—see §319.37-5(o));
• Articles (except seeds) of Fraxinus spp. from counties or municipal regional counties in Canada that are not regulated for emerald ash borer (EAB) but are within an EAB-regulated Province or Territory and are not prohibited under §319.37-2(a).

SOURCE: For more information CLICK HERE or Contact Permit Services: Telephone (301) 851-2046 or (877) 770-5990 (Toll-Free Automated System); Fax (301) 734-5786; Email: plantproducts.permits@aphis.usda.gov

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