APHIS Factsheet

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service October 2007

ePermits: Providing 

Online Access to 

Permit Applications

As part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 

(USDA) overall eGovernment initiative to transform 

and enhance the delivery of its programs, services, 

and information, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has implemented an electronic 

permitting system called ePermits. 

 The ePermits system is a Web-based tool that 

gives customers the ability to apply for a permit, check 

its status, and view it online. APHIS customers save 

a tremendous amount of time and effort by submitting applications and receiving permits via the ePermit 

system. The system also enables Federal regulatory 

officials to issue, track, and rapidly verify the validity of 

import permits, thus reducing the time and expense for 

processing and delivering permits. 

Current Release 

The ePermits system is a large initiative that has 

been in development for several years, and it is being 

implemented in multiple phases. Currently, ePermits 

customers can apply for the following Plant Protection 

and Quarantine (PPQ), Veterinary Services (VS), and 

Biotechnology and Regulatory Services (BRS) permits 

online:

 • PPQ Form 525—Application for Permit to 

 Receive Soil

 • PPQ Form 526—Application for Permit to 

 Move Live Plant Pests or Noxious Weeds 

 • PPQ Form 546—Agreement for post entry 

 Quarantine State Screening Notice

 • PPQ Form 585—Application for Permit to 

 Import Timber or Timber Products

 • PPQ Form 586—Application for Permit to 

 transit Plants and/or Plant Products through 

 the United States

 • PPQ Form 587—Application for Permit to 

 Import Plants or Plant Products

 • PPQ Form 588—Application for Permit to 

 Import Plants and Plant Products for 

 Experimental Purposes

 • PPQ Form 621—Application for Protected 

 Plant Permit to Engage in the Business of 

 Importing, Exporting, or Reexporting 

 Terrestrial Plants

 • VS 16-3—Application to Import or Transport 

 Controlled Material or Organisms or Vectors

 • VS 16-7—Additional Information for Cell 

 Cultures and Their Products (Supplement to VS 

 16-3)

 • VS Notification of On-Hold Shipment

 • Genetically Engineered Organisms

 • Biotechnology Notifications

 • Biotechnology Permits

 In addition to online applications, ePermits also 

features a payment engine that allows customers to 

pay permit application fees—when applicable—online 

using a credit card. The payment feature is designed 

and operated securely to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of applicant information. The system collects, maintains, uses, and disseminates information 

only as authorized by law and, as necessary, to carry 

out agency responsibilities. 

 Another feature of ePermits includes its ability to 

handle—via online communications—the State review 

process for PPQ and BRS-issued permits. Using 

the ePermits system, PPQ and BRS officials can 

send permit applications to applicable States for their 

review and comment. In some cases, for example if a 

State is experiencing a plant disease outbreak, State 

officials may review an application and request that 

APHIS place special conditions on a permit, such as 

restricting the importation of specific items from other 

States. Using ePermits to manage communications 

online helps expedite the State review process, which 

previously relied upon officials communicating by fax 

or overnight mail.

 The ePermits system also includes a feature that 

generates and prints shipment labels with barcodes. 

When scanning a barcode label created by ePermits, 

a Federal inspector can immediately confirm that the 

permit associated with that label is valid. Barcode 

labels improve turnaround time and reduce the chance 

that an inspector will reject a shipment because a 

permit cannot be verified.

More Advances Underway

As part of the continuing evolution of ePermits, 

additional services and functions will be added to 

accommodate APHIS customers and to improve the 

agency’s efficiency. In 2008, APHIS plans to offer 

ePermits users the ability to:

 • Upload biotechnology permits more efficiently 

 and quickly.

 • Submit reports required under biotechnology 

 notifications and permits, including planting 
United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, 

national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital 

status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, 

genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part 

of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance 

program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons 

with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) 

should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice 

and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, 

Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. , 

Washington , D.C. 20250–9410 , or call (800) 795–3272 (voice) or 

(202) 720–6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and 

employer. 

 reports, field termination reports, and planting 

 notices.

 APHIS also plans to use ePermits to enter and 

track information for biotechnology inspections, 

reported compliance incidents, and corrective actions. 

As a resource, the ePermits system will provide 

up-to-date information for BRS’ compliance and 

inspection officials.

 

User Registration

To comply with government-wide initiatives, ePermits 

users are required to complete a registration process 

called eAuthentication. USDA’s eAuthentication is 

a new system used by USDA agencies that enables 

individuals to obtain user-identification accounts and 

to access certain USDA Web applications and 

services through the Internet. 

 The eAuthentication system identifies and validates USDA customers before they can use participating USDA Web-based business applications. This 

system provides a unique user-identification code that 

a USDA Web user can present to any participating 

USDA Web site, therefore reducing the burden on customers to register for and maintain separate identities 

for every online system. To learn more about USDA’s 

eAuthentication, please visit 

http://www.eauth.egov.usda.gov

For More Information on ePermits

The ePermits system was developed in an effort to 

improve citizens’ knowledge of and access to USDA 

by enhancing service delivery and improving internal 

efficiency through technology-based solutions. You 

can learn more about ePermits at http://www.aphis.

usda.gov/permits.