Approved Establishment Program: Ensuring Imported Animal 

Trophies Do Not Introduce Foreign Animal Diseases

As part of its mission to protect American agriculture, the 

United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA)

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 

works to keep foreign animal diseases out of the United 

States. This work is wide-ranging, and includes a few 

things people may not think of as threats. Animal trophies 

– whether for display at a museum or personal use – can 

potentially carry pests and diseases found in their country 

of origin. However, proper processing will destroy any 

disease agents.

The Role of Approved Establishments

To ensure the safe importation of trophies, APHIS 

developed the Approved Establishment program. The 

Approved Establishment program ensures these materials 

are appropriately handled and treated to prevent the 

introduction of foreign animal diseases.

Unless accompanied by an APHIS import permit or a 

foreign government certificate that shows specific 

processing is complete, animal trophies and other animal 

hides or feathers from certain regions of the world must be 

sent directly to an Approved Establishment for processing

or sent to an Approved Warehouse for short term storage 

before processing at an Approved Establishment.

Approved Establishments are private taxidermy facilities 

that carry out the specific types of processing needed to 

kill any potential foreign animal disease agents. USDA 

annually inspects and approves all Approved 

Establishments. There are also Approved Warehouses that 

can store these types of trophies and materials prior to 

processing. When leaving the Approved Warehouse, the 

trophies must go directly to an Approved Establishment 

for processing.

Approved Establishments use processing techniques, 

which are specific to the animal materials and the diseases 

of concern, to inactivate or remove any potential disease 

Animal and Plant

Health Inspection 

Service

August 2018

Unfinished animal trophies, hides 

and feathers that come from 

areas of the world with the 

following foreign animal diseases 

must undergo special processing 

to protect against introducing 

those diseases into the U.S.:

• highly pathogenic avian 

influenza (for bird/poultry 

items)

• virulent Newcastle disease 

(for bird/poultry items)

• foot-and-mouth disease (for 

split-hooved animal items)

• African swine fever (for 

swine items)

The following items may enter 

without a permit or foreign 

certificate and do not need to go 

to an approved establishment:

• finished/mounted trophies

• cleaned and dried bones, 

antlers, horns and hooves 

being used as trophies

• flint dried or hard dried hides 

from countries without 

African swine fever

• trophy/display materials from 

rabbits, rodents, fish, 

shellfish and non-human 

primates

These items may still fall under

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or 

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention import restrictions.

WHAT NEEDS TO GO TO AN 

APPROVED ESTABLISHMENT?
2

causing agents. After the processing is complete, they will release the materials back to the 

hunter or importer.

How the Approved Establishment Program Works

The Approved Establishment program requires cooperation between importers (hunters and 

brokers), the Approved Establishments, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and USDA. 

To import an animal trophy or materials through this program, follow these steps:

1. Before heading overseas, know what country the animal/material will be originating from

and check to see if it will require processing at an Approved Establishment. You can find 

information about the animal health status of the country of origin and how that affects 

your import on our website 

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/approved_establishments.

2. If you have questions, contact the APHIS animal import team at 

AskNIES.Products@aphis.usda.gov.

3. If it requires processing at an Approved Establishment, find one that handles the species 

you are seeking to import. USDA maintains a database of Approved Establishments and 

Warehouses, which is sortable by state and item type:

https://vsapps.aphis.usda.gov/vsps/public/AESearch.do?method=unspecified.

4. While you are overseas, package your trophy securely and ship it back to the U.S., along 

with any required documents/paperwork.

5. The shipment must be sent directly to your chosen Approved Establishment or Approved 

Warehouse.

6. Before the trophy arrives, notify CBP at the port of entry for your trophy/materials. A list 

of contacts is available at: https://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports.

7. CBP officers will inspect the shipment, check the paperwork and authorize the movement 

of the material to an Approved Establishment or Warehouse of your choosing.

8. The Approved Establishment receives the shipment directly from the port, or from an

Approved Warehouse, and completes the required processing.

9. The trophy/materials are released back to the hunter or importer.

USDA does not charge hunters or importers for using the Approved Establishment program. 

However, as privately owned businesses, the Approved Establishments and Approved 

Warehouses will charge you for their services. There may also be costs involved if you choose to 

use a broker or logistics provider to ease the process.

Keep in mind, there may also be separate import restrictions from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (FWS) and/or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Please check with 

those Agencies before importing any trophies or materials.

FWS – www.fws.gov or 800-358-2104 

CDC – www.cdc.gov or 404-718-2077

For More Information

For questions about the Approved Establishment Program, contact:

USDA APHIS Animal Product Import Staff

301-851-3300, option 1

ASKNIES.Products@aphis.usda.gov
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To learn more about becoming an Approved Establishment, contact your local Veterinary 

Services service center to begin the process

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/downloads/nies_contacts/directory.pdf

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/approved_establishments