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Agricultural Quarantine and

Inspection (AQI) User Fees Explained

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APHIS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) carry out AQI program

activities to intercept and keep out foreign agricultural pests and diseases that could

affect U.S. agriculture, trade, and the environment. To sustain the program, APHIS

charges user fees for AQI services. The fees recover the costs of providing AQI

services and overhead and other indirect costs of administering the user fee

program.

AQI user fee regulations are listed in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 7,

Part 354.3, User Fees For Certain International Services.

AQI User Fees

AQI User Fee Category

Previous Fee (1, 2)

(Through November

30, 2022)

Current Fee (1, 3)

(Beginning December

1, 2022)

Commercial Vessel $825.00 $825.00

Commercial Truck $7.55 $7.29
AQI User Fee Category

Previous Fee (1, 2)

(Through November30,

2022)

Current Fee (1, 3)

(Beginning December1,

2022)

Commercial Truck

(Transponder) (4) $301.67 $291.60

Commercial Railroad Car $2.00 $2.00

Commercial Railroad Car

(Prepaid) (4) $40.00 $40.00

Commercial Aircraft $225.00 $225.00

International Air Passenger $3.96 $3.83

International Cruise (Sea)

Passenger

$1.75 $1.68

Treatment Monitoring $237.00 $237.00

(1) All fees in U.S. dollars

(2) As specified in 2015 Final Rule: Adjusts Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection

Program User Fees

(3) As specified in the November 1, 2022 Stakeholder Announcement and APHIS’

methodology for determining if a particular fee included a reserve component

(4) One annual payment for unlimited crossings within a calendar year

Commercial Vessels 

Commercial Trucks 

Commercial Railroad Cars 
Commercial Aircraft 

International Air Passengers 

International Cruise Passengers 

Treatment Monitoring 

Authority To Charge Fees
The Government charges user fees for goods or services above and beyond what is

normally available to the public.1,2 Section 2509(a) of the Food, Agriculture,

Conservation and Trade (FACT) Act of 1990 (21 U.S.C. 136a), as amended by the

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (Budget Reconciliation Act), authorizes

the Secretary of Agriculture to prescribe and collect user fees sufficient to cover the

costs of providing AQI services.

When Congress enacted the FACT Act, they intended to shift most of the AQI

program’s costs away from taxpayers and to the carriers, owners, and importers of

the goods whose entry into the United States creates a risk of introducing pests and

diseases. APHIS charges user fees to individuals or firms who use AQI program

services. We structure the fees to recover both APHIS and CBP's costs to carry out

AQI program activities. The U.S. Treasury maintains an AQI user fee account

containing all user fees collected for AQI program services, as well as associated late

payment penalties and interest charges. APHIS is responsible for distributing AQI

funds to APHIS and CBP.

1 User Fee Design Guide, GAO-08-386SP Federal User Fees, A Design Guide

2 Office of Management and Budget Circular A-25, User Charges

How We Calculate AQI User Fees

To calculate each user fee, APHIS uses an activity-based cost model. This cost

accounting method determines a fee by identifying the costs to provide a specific

service. This is a two-step process:

1. The program’s costs are allocated to a series of activities.

2. The costs assigned to those activities are allocated to the fee areas based on

the level of effort associated with each fee area.

For example, the costs associated with the cargo inspection activity (which include

the costs of providing the service, as well as the administrative and overhead costs

associated with providing the service) are allocated to the commercial vessel, truck,

railroad car, and aircraft fees based on the level of effort in each of those fee areas.

This cost allocation approach avoids cross-subsidization (for example, cargo

inspection costs do not get assigned to passengers or treatment users).
User fees require periodic adjustment to ensure they accurately reflect the cost of

providing AQI services. These periodic adjustments occur via the rulemaking process

in which APHIS publishes a proposed rule in the Federal Register to solicit public

comments on the proposed fee changes. Each comment is carefully evaluated by

subject matter experts and addressed in the final rule. When revising AQI user fees,

APHIS considers a number of alternatives and selects the changes resulting in the

smallest increase in user fee revenues while ensuring we safeguard against the

entry of pests and diseases and cover the costs of AQI services. This approach also

minimizes the use of appropriated funding and any impacts to U.S. output and

employment.

Contact Us

APHIS AQI User Fee Policy

For policy questions:

PPQ Pest Exclusion and Import Programs

Cost and Fee Analysis Division

Email: aqi.user.fees@usda.gov

Phone: 301-851-2338

Local APHIS AQI-Related Questions

Contact the APHIS plant health director in your State or Territory.

- Select a State - ▾

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APHIS Financial/Payment Information

For financial and remittance submission questions:
Accounts Receivable Team

AQI Accounts Receivable Team

Email: abshelpline@usda.gov

Phone: 612-336-3400

Alt-Phone: 877-777-2128

Fax: 612-336-3563

Credit Card Payments

www.pay.gov

Payment Mailing Address

USDA, APHIS, AQI

P.O. Box 979044

St. Louis, MO 63197

Physical Mailing Address (Overnight Mail)

USDA, APHIS, AQI

Attn: Gov’t Lockbox, P.O. Box 979044

1005 Convention Plaza | St. Louis, MO 63101

Credit Card Payments

www.pay.gov

CBP Policy Questions

For U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) policy questions:

Dianna Bowman
CBP Agriculture Programs and Trade Liaison

Email: dianna.bowman@cbp.dhs.gov

CBP Financial/Payment Information

For CBP financial or payment information and help desk:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Revenue Division

Email: CUFIUFHelp@cbp.dhs.gov

Phone: 317-381-5400

Helpful Links

CBP Revenue Division Help Desk Directory

CBP Website

Mailing Address

CBP-CUF & CBP-IUF, Attn: User Fee Team

6650 Telecom Dr., Suite 100

Indianapolis, IN 46278

Helpful Links

CBP Revenue Division Help Desk Directory

CBP Website

Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection (AQI) User Fees Explained Contacts