U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Traveling Abroad with

Your Pet Bird

The Wild Bird Conservation Act (Act), a

significant step in international

conservation efforts to protect exotic

birds subject to trade, became effective

on October 23, 1992.

The Act focuses on bird species listed in

the Appendices to the Convention on

International Trade in Endangered

Species (CITES). Since most exotic pet

birds (including parrots, cockatoos, and

macaws but excepting budgerigars and

cockatiels) are species listed under

CITES, most are affected by the Act.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

(Service) recently issued regulations

implementing the Act that provide for

permits to allow foreign travel with your

pet bird (domestic travel and sales are

not affected). If you plan to take your pet

bird with you on foreign travel, or your

residence has been outside the United

States for a year and you plan to travel to

the United States with a pet bird, you

will need to have a permit before you

travel. These new regulations are in

addition to any other existing

requirements of CITES, the

Endangered Species Act, and other

applicable statutes. If you are unsure

whether these regulations apply to you,

contact the Service’s Division of

Management Authority at the address

provided.

Leaving the United States with Your Pet

Bird

To ensure that you will be allowed to

bring your pet bird back into the United

States from travel abroad, you will need

to take the following steps before you

leave:

1. Obtain a valid permit from the Division

of Management Authority. Applications

for permits must be received in that

office at least 60 days in advance of

anticipated travel.

2. Have your permit validated by a Fish

and Wildlife Service Wildlife Inspector

before you leave the United States.

(Instructions will be provided on the

permit.)

3. Take a copy of your validated permit

with you. This copy must be presented

when you re-enter the United States with

your pet.

4. Find out whether the country(ies) you

plan to visit have additional import and

export requirements and restrictions. At

a minimum, a re-export certificate

from the country(ies) visited will be

required. The Division of Management

Authority can provide you with a contact

address, phone or fax number for CITES

permits offices in other countries.

There are no restrictions on the length of

time you may travel abroad or on the

number of birds you may take with you.

Traveling to the United States with Your

Pet Bird

If your pet bird was acquired outside the

United States or exported abroad from

the United States without a CITES

permit, and you have resided outside the

United States constantly for 1 year, you

may import a maximum of two pet birds

per person, per year, if all applicable

requirements have been met prior to

their arrival in the United States.

Following are the steps you need to take

before you leave for the United States:

1. Obtain a valid permit from the Division

of Management Authority. Applications

for permits must be received in that

office at least 60 days in advance of

anticipated travel.

2. Obtain documented evidence that you

have resided outside the United States

continuously for a minimum of 1 year.

3. Obtain documented evidence that each

bird was acquired legally.

4. Obtain all other necessary permits

from the country(ies) of export, including

a CITES permit.

Note: The Act restricts the number of

pet birds individuals may import into the

United States annually. However, if your

bird is one of the following species you do

not need a WBCA permit to import your

pet .
Approved Captive-Bred Species

Order Falconiiformes:

Buteo buteo (European buzzard)

Order Columbiformes:

Columba livia(Rock dove)

Order Psittaciformes:

Agapornis personata (Masked lovebird)

Agapornis roseicollis (Peach-faced

lovebird)

Aratinga jandaya (Jendaya conure)

Barnardius barnardi (Mallee ringneck

parrot)

Bolborhynchus lineola (Lineolated

parakeet-blue form)

Bolborhynchus lineola (Lineolated

parakeet-yellow form)

Bolborhynchus lineola (Lineolated

parakeet-white form)

Cyanoramphus auriceps (Yellowfronted parakeet)

Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae (Redfronted parakeet)

Forpus coelestis (Pacific parrotlet-lutino

form)

Forpus coelestis (Pacific parrotletyellow form)

Forpus coelestis (Pacific parrotlet-blue

form)

Forpus coelestis (Pacific parrotletcinnamon form)

Melopsittacus undulatus (Budgerigar)

Neophema bourkii (Bourke’s parrot)

Neophema chrysostoma (Blue-winged

parrot)

Neophema elegans (Elegant parrot)

Neophema pulchella* (Turquoise

parrot)

Neophema splendida* (Scarlet-chested

parrot)

Nymphicus hollandicus (Cockatiel)

Platycercus adelaide (Adelaide rosella)

Platycercus adscitus (Pale-headed

rosella)

Platycercus elegans (Crimson rosella)

Platycercus eximius (Eastern rosella)

Platycercus icterotis (Western (stanley)

rosella)

Platycercus venustus (Northern

rosella)

Polytelis alexandrae (Princess parrot)

Polytelis anthopeplus (Regent parrot)

Polytelis swainsonii (Superb parrot)

Psephotus chrysopterygius* (Goldenshouldered parakeet)

Psephotus haematonotus (Red-rumped

parakeet)

Psephotus varius (Mulga parakeet)

Psittacula eupatria (Alexandrine

parakeet-blue form)

Psittacula eupatria (Alexandrine

parakeet-lutino form)

Psittacula krameri manillensis (Indian

ringneck parakeet)

Purpureicephalus spurius (Red-capped

parrot)

Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus (Scalybreasted lorikeet)

Order Passeriformes:

Aegintha temporalis (Red-browed finch)

Aidemosyne modesta (Cherry finch)

Chloebia gouldiae (Gouldian finch)

Emblema guttata (Diamond sparrow)

Emblema picta (Painted finch)

Lonchura castaneothorax (Chestnutbreasted finch)

Lonchura domestica (Society

(Bengalese) finch)

Lonchura pectoralis (Pictorella finch)

Neochmia ruficauda (Star finch)

Poephila acuticauda (Long-tailed

grassfinch)

Poephila bichenovii (Double-barred

finch)

Poephila cincta (Parson finch)

Poephila guttata (Zebra finch)

Poephila personata (Masked finch)

Serinus canaria (common canary)

Applications and Additional Information

Permit applications (Form 3-200) and any

other information you may need are

available from the Division of

Management Authority (telephone

703.358.2104 or Fax 703.358.2281).

Warning: The Department of

Agriculture has disease quarantine

requirements for birds entering the

United States. You can obtain information

about quarantine requirements by

contacting the Department of

Agriculture at 301.734.8364.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

International Affairs

Division of Management Authority

4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 700

Arlington, VA 22203

703/358-2104 or 800/358-2104

Fax 703/358-2281

e-mail: managementauthority@fws.gov

http://international.fws.gov

http://permits.fws.gov

October 1999