APHIS permits, before your cargo is on the water

Plants, plant products, wood, seeds, soil and most things that were once alive need clearance from APHIS, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, on top of the customs entry. The permit has to exist before the shipment moves, not after it lands, and that single fact is the one that catches importers out. We handle the permit application, the Lacey Act declaration and the agency side of the entry, in Puerto Rico and at every US port.

What actually needs a permit

Live plants, cut flowers, seeds, bulbs, fruit and vegetables, timber and wood products, and soil or anything carrying it. Many processed plant products need one too, which surprises people: dried botanicals, some herbal preparations and certain packing materials all fall inside the net.

The commodity decides the permit. A PPQ import permit covers most plant material. Some goods need a controlled import permit instead, issued with conditions attached about where the shipment may enter and what happens to it after release. Getting that wrong does not slow a shipment down, it stops it.

The Lacey Act declaration, which is separate and often missed

Plant and plant-product imports also require a Lacey Act declaration naming the genus, the species and the country of harvest. It is filed with the entry, it applies to a long and periodically expanded list of products, and it is a straightforward filing that becomes an expensive one when it is discovered late.

Furniture, flooring, paper, musical instruments and packaging have all been caught by importers who did not think of themselves as importing plants. If your product contains wood, assume it is in scope until somebody checks.

Wood packaging: ISPM 15, and the thing nobody budgets for

Pallets, crates and dunnage made of solid wood must be heat treated or fumigated and stamped with the ISPM 15 mark. This applies to the packaging, not the goods, so it catches shipments of anything at all.

Unmarked or non-compliant wood packaging is not a paperwork problem. CBP and APHIS can order the entire shipment re-exported, and the cost of that falls on the importer, not on the supplier who chose the pallet.

Puerto Rico, where the agricultural side is heavier

The island imports a large share of its food, and agricultural inspection is a daily part of clearing freight here rather than an occasional event. We are based at the port in San Juan and we file this work constantly, which is the difference between an agency question answered this afternoon and one that waits for somebody to learn the process.

Local movement matters too: some permits carry conditions on the port of entry and on the destination. We read those conditions before the booking rather than after the container is on the water.

How we work it

Tell us the commodity, the botanical name where there is one, the origin and the intended port, and we will tell you which permits apply and how long they take. We file the permit application, file the agency data with the entry rather than after it, and answer the agency directly when they come back with a question.

If a permit will not arrive in time, we say so before the cargo ships. That is a cheaper conversation than a held container.

FAQ

How long does an APHIS permit take?

It depends entirely on the commodity and the permit type. Some are issued in a couple of weeks, others take considerably longer and carry conditions. Ask us before you book the freight, not after, because the permit cannot be backdated to cover a shipment already in transit.

My shipment is not plants. Do I still need APHIS?

Possibly, because of the pallet. Solid wood packaging must meet ISPM 15 regardless of what is inside it. Products containing wood, including furniture and flooring, also need a Lacey Act declaration.

What happens if the wood packaging is not compliant?

CBP can require the shipment to be re-exported, and the cost is the importer's. It is one of the few findings with no paperwork fix once the container has arrived.

Can you file the Lacey Act declaration with the entry?

Yes. It goes in with the entry data rather than afterwards, which is the point: a declaration filed late is a correction, and corrections attract attention.

Do you handle this in Puerto Rico specifically?

Daily. We are at the port in San Juan, and agricultural inspection is a routine part of clearing freight here rather than an exception.

Tell us what is in the container

Give us the commodity and the origin and we will tell you which permits apply and how long they take, before you book.

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