APHIS Factsheet

Plant Protection and Quarantine August 2013

Receiving Foreign 

Plants, Food, and Other 

Agricultural Products 

in the Mail

The United States is free from many agricultural pests 

and diseases that cause severe damage elsewhere 

in the world. To keep those pests and diseases out of 

the United States, our country has laws that prohibit or 

restrict the entry of certain agricultural products from 

abroad, including meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, 

soil, seeds, herbal medicines, and some plant-based 

handicrafts, among other items. These restrictions 

help protect against serious threats—even one 

introduction of a new pest or disease here could harm 

our Nation’s agricultural and natural resources, causing 

millions of dollars in damage, expensive eradication 

efforts, lost trade revenue, and higher food prices. 

 Together, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 

enforce our country’s agricultural import regulations. 

You, too, have an important role to play in keeping 

the U.S. food supply safe, affordable, and abundant.

You Are the “Importer of Record”

Whether it’s a souvenir sent by a friend who’s 

vacationing abroad, food sent from family members 

living overseas, or seeds purchased for your 

garden through the Internet, the contents of that 

package could pose a risk to U.S. agriculture or the 

environment. As the package’s intended recipient, 

you are considered the official importer of record and 

are legally responsible for it—even if you didn’t know 

it was coming. The package may be seized and 

destroyed at the port of entry by DHS Customs and 

Border Protection (CBP) officers; you may also face 

steep fines under applicable USDA regulations. 

 To avoid such outcomes, here are some guidelines:

•	 Ask for advance notice. Tell friends and family 

members to let you know before they send any 

items to you in the United States so you can 

check with your nearest USDA Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) office to 

make sure those items are eligible for import. 

•	 Let U.S. merchants handle the importing. 

When purchasing online or through a catalog, 

choose items that ship from within the United 

States. That way, you do not have to take 

responsibility for the import process yourself. If 

you do purchase items that will ship from another 

country, check first with your nearest APHIS 

office for any restrictions that may apply.

•	 Don’t assume it’s legal. Just because something 

is available for purchase online, do not assume it 

is legal to import into the United States. Foreign 

shippers may not be aware of U.S. regulations or 

may not care about your liability as the importer.

•	 Watch out for look-alikes. Despite often seeming 

identical, many of the foreign foods and agricultural 

products found in U.S. retail markets are not the 

same as their counterparts in the marketplace 

abroad. Retail products may contain different 

ingredients to meet specific import regulations 

or may have undergone special treatments that 

would not be feasible for a person to apply to 

small amounts. As a result, even familiar items 

on store shelves in the United States may be 

ineligible for you to import yourself for personal use. 

Generally, it’s a good idea to buy such products 

at retail sites in the United States; if, however, 

you want to see about importing them directly by 

mail, contact your nearest APHIS office first.

•	 Stop repeat shipments. If your package arriving 

from family or friends is seized by CBP officers, 

make sure those same items do not get sent 

again. If you purchased the product from a foreign 

business, contact that vendor for your money 

back. Do not accept the vendor’s offer to replace 

the confiscated item or send you a substitute.

•	 Check the status. Import regulations change 

frequently in response to emerging pests and 

diseases around the world. Even though you 

may have legally imported an agricultural product 

through the mail in the past, do not assume the 

item is still eligible for entry. Contact your nearest 

APHIS office to determine the status of the 

product and the current procedures to import it.

•	 Know the difference: mail vs. hand-carry. 

Importing agricultural products through the mail 

is not the same as carrying them into the country 

with you through an airport or land border. Different 

procedures apply. Information for returning U.S. 

citizens or foreign nationals who plan to visit here 

is available on the APHIS International Travel 

Information page: www.aphis.usda.gov/travel.
Plants and Seeds for Planting

To keep plant pests and diseases out of the United 

States, live plants and seeds for planting are not 

allowed into the country without a phytosanitary 

certificate (including shipments from Canada). Issued 

by agriculture officials in the shipping country, a 

phytosanitary certificate verifies that the plants or 

seeds were inspected, are free from harmful pests and 

diseases, and meet applicable U.S. entry requirements. 

 If a prospective shipper is unwilling to obtain a 

phytosanitary certificate or tells you that one is not 

needed for your purchase, you should cancel your 

order: those plants or seeds from that shipper are 

illegal for import into the United States. The only 

exception is for small amounts of seed that are allowed 

to enter the United States under a USDA Small Lots 

of Seed (SLOS) permit instead of a phytosanitary 

certificate. Information about SLOS permits and how 

to apply for them is available on the APHIS Web site 

at www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-health/small-lot-seeds. 

 In addition to a phytosanitary certificate, 

some plants and seeds may require further 

paperwork, treatment, or inspection. Please 

contact APHIS for more information.

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Many fresh fruits and vegetables are prohibited 

entry into the United States. While some foreign 

fruits and vegetables are available in U.S. retail 

markets, they often cannot be imported directly by 

individuals for personal consumption. Commercial 

fruit and vegetable importers meet specific APHIS 

requirements for handling, packing, inspecting, and 

treating their shipments to safeguard against the 

introduction of potentially devastating agricultural 

pests and diseases. For example, a single mango 

infested with fruit fly larvae mailed to you from 

overseas, then thrown into the garbage here, 

could lead to a fruit fly outbreak that might cost the 

United States millions of dollars to eradicate.

Plant Products, Insects, and Soil

Many dried or processed plant products—such 

as citrus peel, rice straw, lentils, some natural 

handicrafts, and certain herbs for medicine—also 

have special entry requirements, depending on 

the country from which they ship. Soil, imported 

as a growing medium for plants or for any other 

reason, is restricted entry because of the many soilborne pests and diseases it may contain. Similarly, 

items that are otherwise not covered by agricultural 

regulations but are contaminated with soil (for 

example, dirty boots, tools, or muddy recreational 

gear) may be refused or destroyed by CBP officers at 

the port of entry. In addition, the importation of live 

insects and snails in all life stages, including eggs, is 

allowed only after receiving a permit from APHIS.

Meat, Animals, and Animal Byproducts

Meat, animals, animal waste, and products derived 

from animals can bring deadly foreign diseases into 

the United States, including foot-and-mouth disease, 

exotic Newcastle disease, hog cholera, and avian 

influenza. Outbreaks of these diseases not only sicken 

animals, but also cause significant economic losses. 

For example, an outbreak of exotic Newcastle disease 

in California and other western States in 2002–2003 

cost the Federal and State governments more than 

$170 million to eradicate. Some poultry owners 

lost not only their birds, but also their livelihood. 

 As with fruits and vegetables, some processed 

animal products (such as meat, preserved eggs, 

extracts, and bouillon) may be found in U.S. markets 

but still be ineligible for import by individuals. U.S. 

merchants, in cooperation with their foreign suppliers, 

follow APHIS requirements to handle, pack, and 

treat their shipments in ways that address disease 

risk. Purchasing these items in the United States, 

rather than trying to import them yourself, will 

generally save you time and trouble. If you want to 

import animal products directly through the mail, 

check with APHIS on eligibility and restrictions. 

Contact Us

To see whether a specific agricultural item is allowed 

to enter the United States through the mail, or to report 

the possibility that something has entered illegally, 

first contact your nearest APHIS State Plant Health 

Director (for plants, plant products, insects, and 

soil) or your APHIS Area Veterinarian-in-Charge 

(for animals, meat, and other animal products). A 

complete directory is available on the APHIS Web 

site at www.aphis.usda.gov/planthealth/sphd and 

www.aphis.usda.gov/animal-health/state-offices. 

 If you have more questions about importing plants, 

plant products, insects, or soil, please call APHIS’ 

Plant Protection and Quarantine Permit Unit at 

(877) 770-5990 or email permits@aphis.usda.gov.

 For further questions about importing meat, 

animals, and animal byproducts, call APHIS’ Veterinary 

Services National Import Export Services at (301) 

851-3300 or email AskNIES.Products@aphis.usda.gov.

 More information on APHIS’ role in protecting 

U.S. plant and animal health is available on 

our Web site at www.aphis.usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture