Exporter 

The responsibilities of the exporter or shipper include the following:

 1. Apply for the inspection, sampling, testing, and certification of 

commodities offered for export. Certificates can be issued at the 

point of origin, at a port where the shipment will transit, or at the 

actual port of export. PPQ Form 572, Application for Inspection 

and Certification of Domestic Plants and Plant Products for 

Export, can be requested from the nearest Authorized 

Certification Official (ACO) office or downloaded from the 

following Web site address:

<http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/pim/exports/

certificates&forms.html>

For directions on completing PPQ Form 572, refer to Exporter 

Instructions to Complete PPQ Form 572 on page K-1-13.

 2. Contact an ACO far enough in advance of the shipping or loading 

dates to allow the ACO to determine the phytosanitary import 

requirements and conduct required sampling, inspecting, 

testing, etc. in advance of the shipping or loading dates and 

specified time limits.

Exporters must be aware of and plan for any time limit 

restrictions a foreign country may specify for the period between 

date of inspection or date of certificate issuance and shipping 

date. If a time limit is not specified by a country, the policy on 

time limits for inspections is is that inspections may not be 

conducted more than 30 days prior to issuance of the export 

certificate.

 3. Provide all necessary documentation, including, import permits 

(IP), bills of lading, manifests, shipping invoices, foreign export 

certificates, and inspection certificates. It is the exporter’s 

responsibility to provide official documents stating import 

requirements if they differ from those PPQ has. Official 

documents may be an IP, special authorization, or recent 

correspondence from the National Plant Protection Organization 

(NPPO) of the foreign country.

Important

All documentation provided must be legible. Requests containing illegible 

documentation will not be considered. If sending copies of foreign-language 

documents, both the foreign-language document and its English translation 

must be provided. If a document is in a language, other than English, the 

entire document must be translated. The name of the person providing the 

translation and his or her affiliation must be included on the translated 

document. ES cannot provide translation services.
Exporters are responsible for ensuring official documents are 

translated into English; PPQ does not provide translation 

services. Bilingual information is acceptable as long as one of the 

languages is English. 

 4. Make the commodity available for inspection, sampling, testing, 

etc. Shipments cannot be inspected on board aircraft or ships. 

Additionally, commodities loaded into maritime containers in 

bulk form cannot be inspected once the container has been 

loaded. It is the exporter’s responsibility to ensure the shipment 

is sampled and/or inspected prior to loading containers.

Ensure the commodity is accessible to the ACOs to verify, 

sample, and inspect the shipment. In addition, other shipping 

documents should be marked or stamped to prevent the 

shipment from being loaded before the inspection is conducted.

 5. Provide labor to open and close packages for inspection and 

provide adequate facilities to perform the inspection. Such 

facilities include supplies, equipment, and proper lighting 

required for an efficient inspection before certification.

 6. Provide for any required treatments, reconditioning, or other 

actions to meet the import requirements of the foreign country.

 7. Export only those commodities properly inspected and certified 

under an export certificate.

 8. Safeguard the certified shipment from infestation between the 

date the shipment was sampled and the actual shipping date, 

and ensure the certified shipment departs within the time limits 

specified by the importing country.

 9. Comply with U.S. export control regulations. The Federal 

government controls the exportation of U.S. goods to all foreign 

countries. The Department of Commerce is the authority for 

licensing most items for export. Other Federal agencies such as 

the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and the Federal Grain 

Inspection Service (FGIS) handle the certification for specific 

commodities. For further information, exporters may contact the 

Office of Export Control, Bureau of International Commerce, 

Department of Commerce at the following Web site address:

http://www.trade.gov/td/tic/

Important

Exporters frequently present letters of credit from their contacts in the foreign 

country to indicate that plant quarantine regulations have been changed. 

Letters of credit are strictly fiduciary documents. For the purposes of 

phytosanitary certification, letters of credit cannot be considered official 

notifications of changes or exceptions to plant quarantine regulations. Official 

communication must come from the plant protection organizations of foreign 

countries.
Protocol for Requesting Review of Certification Eligibility

If an exporter requests that PPQ review its policy on the eligibility of a 

noncertifiable commodity, follow the protocol in this chapter. This 

includes commodities ineligible for an export certificate but eligible for 

a PPQ 578 (exporters may want to remove any risk that their shipment 

will be rejected due to the lack of an export certificate).

The Protocol for Requesting Review of Certification Eligibility describes 

the procedures that must be followed if an exporter requests the 

eligibility of a commodity for certification be reviewed. Export Services 

(ES) cannot consider any request until all of the necessary 

information is provided.

Listed below is the information that ES must have to assist the 

exporter. Mandatory information is marked “Required.” Do not 

forward requests for assistance to ES until all information is available. 

Once all the required information is available, fax or send 

electronically all supporting documents at one time.

◆ Country to which the exporter wishes to export (required)

◆ Date the exporter wishes to ship

◆ Description of commodity and, if processed, a detailed 

description of the process. The description must include the 

following information: list of ingredients (as appropriate), origin 

of each ingredient, process applied to each ingredient (if 

appropriate) and the scientific name of each ingredient. All 

information will be held in strict confidence. (required) The 

process must be described in detail.

◆ How is commodity packaged (required)

◆ If necessary, the exporter may have to supply ES with a sample 

of his or her commodity.

◆ Intended use of commodity (required)

◆ Name of exporter with contact information (required)

◆ Official communication from the NPPO, if available (required)

Caution the exporter that it may take some time for ES to make a 

decision. In addition, our ability to make a decision will depend on the 

quality of the information the exporter provides. If appropriate, have 

the exporter contact ES directly. ES will make every effort to provide a 

decision once all necessary information has been provided.

EXAMPLE It is not sufficient to say that the commodity was “dried.” In this case, 

the exporter must state how the commodity was dried. If the exporter 

is unable to supply this information, do not forward the request to ES.
Contact ES at the following:

Phone: 301 734-8537

FAX: 301 734-7639

E-mail (general e-mail box): PPQExportServices@aphis.usda.gov

You may also send information directly to the ES staff officer covering 

the country in question.

When the 

Importing 

Country Does 

NOT Require a 

Certificate

If the exporter requests an export certificate for a commodity that is:

◆ Ineligible for certification, AND,

◆ Certification is not required by the importing country, AND,

◆ Reason for the request is because the exporter “just wants one” 

(not required by the importing country):

Explain PPQ’s policy regarding the eligibility requirements for 

providing certificates and that because the foreign country does not 

require a certificate, PPQ cannot review his or her request at this time. 

Do not forward the request to ES unless the exporter requires further 

clarification.

When the 

Importing 

Country 

Requires a 

Certificate

Follow the guidelines in this section if an exporter requests a 

certificate because:

◆ EXCERPT or official communication from the National Plant 

Protection Organization (NPPO) states that a certificate is 

required, AND,

◆ Commodity is ineligible for certification

Options for Certification of Canadian Produced Seed

To facilitate the United States’ trade of Canadian produced seed, the 

following options are available for certifying Canadian produced seed 

being reexported from the United States.

Option 1 Option 1 will provide the greatest assurance that a commodity meets 

an importing country’s requirements. Therefore, exporters must

provide the required documentation to allow certification under this 

option. Consignments not certified under Option 1 may be rejected 

and ES may not be able to assist the exporter.

 1. The seed will be certified using PPQ Form 577. Canada will be 

listed as the country of origin.

Important

This policy does not apply to seed reexported from Canada; the options below 

pertain only to seed grown in Canada.
Exporter

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 2. The exporter must present the ACO with the importing country’s 

phytosanitary requirements for Canadian produced seed. The 

requirements must be in the form of official communication from 

either the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) of the 

importing country or Canada.

 3. The official communication presented by the exporter may be 

used for certification purposes for 6 months from the date of the 

document, unless the document states otherwise. Exporters 

should obtain confirmation of a country’s import requirements 

each time they export because import requirements can change 

at any time.

 4. If the importing country requires one of the following 

phytosanitary actions the seed may be certified once the 

requirement(s) has been met. The phytosanitary action must be 

conducted in the United States. Phytosanitary actions taken in 

Canada cannot be listed on PPQ Form 577 nor used as the basis 

for issuing PPQ Form 577.

A. Laboratory analysis or testing: must be conducted by a 

United States authorized laboratory.

B. Treatment: must meet policy and procedures as stated in this 

manual.

 5. If the country requires phytosanitary actions/measures, other 

than those listed under point 4, the consignment cannot be 

certified.

 6. Consignment must be inspected.

 7. If an exporter presents import requirements and it is determined 

that the requirements cannot be met, the consignment cannot be 

certified under either Option 1 or Option 2.

Option 2 Option 2 can be used if the exporter cannot obtain the import 

requirements of the importing country. The exporter should be 

cautioned that the consignment may not meet the phytosanitary 

requirements of the importing country, may be rejected, and that ES 

may not be able to assist them if a shipment is held or rejected.

 1. The seed will be certified using PPQ Form 579. Canada will be 

listed as the country of origin.

 2. Additional declarations pertaining to phytosanitary actions are 

not permitted.

 3. Additional declaration that, “The shipment met the entry 

requirements of the United States.”

 4. Consignment must be inspected.
Exporter

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