APHIS eFile

Guidance for Submitting a PPQ 546 Application for 

Postentry Quarantine Agreement

Version 1.0

March 2022
2

WELCOME!

USDA APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) has a new option to submit PPQ 546 

Applications for Postentry Quarantine Agreements. This user guide will take you through the 

process of applying and how to request and amendment or cancel an issued permit if needed.

If you have not logged into APHIS eFile yet, please refer to the APHIS eFile First Time User Guide. 

If you’ve already gone through the first-time user process and are an organization admin, refer to the 

APHIS eFile Organization Accounts User Guide.

For more APHIS eFile PPQ Form 546 support materials:

Check out our "How to" playlist on the APHIS YouTube Channel

Review this and other User Guides online on the APHIS eFile Training Page
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I AM THE APPLICANT

Before you apply for your PPQ 546 permit application, there are several things to note when applying in eFile.

eFile PPQ 546 Application:

• Each application has a unique application number, labeled with A - ########

Post Application Submission:

• You will receive email notifications once a permit or letter has been issued. You will also be able to access your permit or letter directly in eFile.

• You will still be able to access your permits in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) system.

• In eFile there are two different permit numbers:

1. System Generated Permit Record Number Example: P-00001234

• This number is the Record ID number that is autogenerated when a permit has been created. This is not a smart number, and does

not represent the year, permit type, or any additional information.

2. APHIS Permit Number Example: 546-20-201-00015

• This number will be on your permit and the number that CBP will reference when importing your articles into the U.S.

• The format of this number is: Permit Prefix-Calendar Year-Ordinal Day-Sequential Number

• The Permit Prefix indicates the type of permit.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Complete and Submit Your Application

Page 5

View Outcomes

Page 18

How to Access Your Labels

Page 19 

Cancel Permit

Page 25

Transfer Permit

Page 29

How to Request an Amendment

Page 30
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I AM THE APPLICANT

Step 1: Navigate to APHIS eFile and Sign In

Page 6

Step 2: Create a New Application

Page 7

Step 3: Determine if a Permit is Needed

Page 8

Step 4: Select Applicant/Permittee

Page 9

Step 5: Select Growing Location

Page 11

Step 6: Select Articles

Page 12

Step 7: Review and Accept Conditions

Page 13

Step 8: Upload Files

Page 14

Step 9: Certify and Submit

Page 15
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Step 1: Navigate to APHIS eFile and Sign In

A Navigate to https://efile.aphis.usda.gov/s/ in Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari (eFile is not supported by Internet 

Explorer).

Select Sign in | Sign Up using your eAuthentication username and password. If you are not eAuthenticated, select Create an 

Account and follow the steps to become eAuthenticated. You must be eAuthenticated to apply in APHIS eFile. 

B
7

Step 2: Create a New Application 

Under the Ready to Apply section, select the PPQ-546 Application.

Select Get Started to begin your application. 

A

B

A

B
8

Step 3: Determine if Permit is Needed

Determine if this is the correct application for you, and if so, select Proceed to the PPQ 546 Application.

 Please note if you have more than one account in APHIS eFile, use the drop-down to select your Sharing

Organization.

A

A
9

Step 4: Select Applicant/Permittee Responsible Party

Once you have created your new application, you will land on the Responsible Party section of the application. In this section you will 

identify the responsible parties involved in your import. 

Types of responsible parties include:

Applicant – The individual is who is applying for a PPQ permit.

Permittee – The individual who is the permit holder or responsible party and whose name will be on the permit. 
10

Step 4: Select Applicant/Permittee Responsible Party

My Details

Confirm that your information on your Contact Card is up to date. If you are a first-time user, you may need to 

provide additional contact information such as your business and/or mailing address and phone number.

 To update your contact information, select Edit, then update the information in the appropriate fields.

Answer the required question, “Will you be the Permittee?” to indicate whether you will be the permit holder.

 If you select No, you will need to provide the Permittee’s contact information in an additional section of the page.

A

B

A B
11

Step 5: Select Growing Location/s Articles

Growing Location Details

Under the Articles section of the application, select the Growing Locations’ State from the drop-down. You will only be 

able to select one growing location state per application. 

A

B

A

B

Then search and find your growing location 

and click Select as Growing Location. 

 If you do not see your growing location

listed select Create New Location.

Use the Add Another Growing Location 

button to add all your Growing Locations. 

C

C
12

Step 6: Select Articles Articles

Article Details

Select Add Article.

In the pop up, enter the article name, 

Country of Origin, Quantity, Growing Location,

and Requested Quantity of Increases.

Once you are done entering the commodity information, 

select Add. Continue to repeat the process until you 

have added all your commodities. 

Select Save and Next to continue.

A

A

B

B

C

C

D

D Note: If you see an Error message, that means the country and commodity combination is not in our 

database. Please contact plantsforplantingpermits@usda.gov to see if it can be added.
13

Step 7: Review and Accept Conditions Conditions

Conditions Details

Read through each of the conditions and use the associated checkboxes to acknowledge your acceptance. You 

must agree to all 13 conditions in order to continue with the application. 

Once you have finished reading through and agreeing to the conditions, select Save and Next.

A

B

A

B
14

Step 8: Upload Files Documents

Document Details

You may add supporting documentation by selecting Add New File. This step is optional. 

Select Save and Next to move onto the next part of the application.

A

B

A

B
15

Step 9: Certify and Submit Review & Submit

Confirm Information and Accept Regulations

Read through each section to make sure the information entered is correct and then Confirm Information Accuracy & 

Accept Regulations by checking the two boxes.

Select Submit Application.

A

A

B

B
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Submission Confirmation

Congratulations! You have submitted your application. You will receive an email from APHIS eFile once your application has been 

processed. At that point you can view your application outcomes. You will also receive an email whenever a Permit or Letter is issued 

and when there are additional actions you need to take. 

Note: Check your junk mailbox if you don’t see an email from aphis.efile@usda.gov in your inbox.

Add the APHIS eFile emails 

aphis.efile@usda.gov and 

support@salesforce.com to 

your address book to prevent 

any automatic emails are not 

sent to junk.

Select Download 

Application PDF 

to save a PDF copy 

of your application.
17

VIEW OUTCOMES

Access Labels

Page 19

Pending APHIS Review

Page 22

Permits

Page 23

Letter of Denial 

Page 24
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View Outcomes

Your application has been processed and each application line item, or article-country combination, has been sorted to its 

appropriate outcome category. 

The different outcome categories include:

• Pending APHIS Review

• Permits

• Letter of Denial

The next pages review what each Outcome section means and any actions you can or should take.
19

How to Access Your Labels

• On your home page, select the My Activity tab.

• Next, search for your APHIS eFile application number in the search bar.

• Select the View Details button to access the application details page.

A

B

C

A

C

B
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How to Access Your Labels

• To access the labels from this page you will select View

Permit Details.

• You will have to scroll down on the page to see the Plant

Inspection Station locations listed with the ability to

download the labels for each location. From there you will

be able to both view and print your labels.

Note: You can only put one label per package. Be mindful 

that all commodities may not be allowed to be imported to all 

PIS stations. You must check your permit conditions to verify 

that you are selecting an allowable PIS station to ship to.

D

E

E

D
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How to Access Your Labels

Below you will see an example of the instruction page and labels that are generated after downloading the labels for your specific 

Plant Inspection Station location. You must follow these instructions when applying the label to your shipment. 
22

View Outcomes – Pending APHIS Review

Pending APHIS Review

Applications that require additional APHIS review will have a status of Pending APHIS Review. You do not need to take any 

actions on these applications. 
23

View Outcomes – Permits 

Permits

• Search for your permit using you’re P-##### on My Activity section and pull up your application details page. Once you are on

the permit page, select View Permit PDF to view the permit and its conditions.

A

v

A
24

View Outcomes – Letter of Denial

Letter of Denial

If your application is denied you will receive an email notification.

You may also view if your application has been approved or denied on the Application Details page under the files section. 
25

CANCEL PERMIT

Step 1: Navigate to My Activity Page and Search for your Permit

Page 26

Step 2: Select Cancel Permit, Add Cancellation Explanation, and Submit

Page 27
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Step 1: Navigate to My Activity page and search for your Permit

Navigate to My Activity Page.

Search for your permit by using the search bar or the filters on the left. 

A

A

B B

B

You can search for 

your permit number 

using P- or 5XXnumbers
27

Step 2: Select Cancel Permit, Add Cancellation Explanation, and Submit 

Select the dropdown arrow next to the Permit card and select Cancel Permit. 

Enter the reasoning behind your permit cancellation request in the Explanation field and select Submit.

A

A

B

B
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After Cancelling Your Permit

Your permit cancellation request will be reviewed by APHIS. Once it has been reviewed and approved by APHIS you will see a 

cancellation banner on the permit details page.
29

TRANSFER PERMIT

For guidance on how to transfer for your permit, reference the How to Transfer Your PPQ Permit user guide.
30

HOW TO REQUEST A PERMIT AMENDMENT

If you require an amendment, you can send an amendment request to plantproducts.permits@usda.gov. Please provide your 

permit number and the information you wish to amend.
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APPENDIX

System Setup

• Compatible browser – For the best user experience, please use

Google Chrome. Other available browsers include Firefox, Safari, and

Edge. eFile is NOT supported by Internet Explorer.

• Emails – Add the APHIS eFile email at aphis.efile@usda.gov and

support@salesforce.com to your address book so that any automatic

emails are not sent to junk

• Zoom –100%

Contact

If you require assistance with your applications, please contact:

PPQ Permit Services

(301) 851 2046

plantsforplantingpermits@usda.gov

If you require technical assistance, please contact:

Help Desk

help@usda.gov