1

Company Name:

Company Address:

TIN:  Phone Number:

Contact Email: Company Contact:

2

No

3

4

Signature

Title Date

5

(preferred)   OR

2) eFax : (612) 336‐3563

Once this application has been processed and an account has been created we will use the above contact information to get you the 

account numbers needed to make the quarterly payments as required.

Page 1 of 3

        Attach a copy of your current W‐9 and send along with this completed application.

Please return this application fully completed with all documentation attached to:

1)Email :  ABSHelpline@usda.gov 

This company is able to pay the User Fees due in US dollars.

This company is able to complete and return the required remittance each 

quarter as required by regulation? (Copy of remittance attached)

The below questions will help determine what type of AQI account is needed and will help make sure you understand some of the 

requirements of AQI User Fees.           

Yes

Does your company issue tickets or travel documents for international cruise ship 

passengers?

I have read the current regulation and exemptions and below information and 

understand how to apply them for this company.

Please complete the below as shown on your W9 / W8 and include a copy with this application

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture

Marketing and 

Regulatory Programs

Financial 

Management 

Division

Debt Management Team 

Minneapolis, MN 55403

APHIS ‐ Agriculture Quarantine Inspection (AQI)

New Account Application
FEES FOR INTERNATIONAL CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS

USER FEE RATES AND EFFECTIVE DATES

 Rate

$1.75

Quarter

1st Quarter

2nd Quarter

3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

EXEMPTIONS

(i)

(ii)

(iv)

(vii)

(viii)

The following exemptions can be found in Federal Regulation.  There are different exemptions that apply to each user fee type, and an 

exemption from one type does not automatically signify an exemption from the other type.  There also may be instances where there are 

exemptions that happen for some passengers and not others.

CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER EXEMPTIONS

 Crew members onboard for purposes related to the operation of the vessel

Airline employees, including “deadheading” crew members, who are traveling on official airline business

(iii) Diplomats, except for United States diplomats, who can show that their names appear on the accreditation listing maintained by 

the United States Department of State. In lieu of the accreditation listing, an individual diplomat may present appropriate proof of 

diplomatic status to include possession of a diplomatic passport or visa, or diplomatic identification card issued by a foreign 

government

Page 2 of 3

July, August, September October 31st

October, November, December January 31st

Passengers departing and returning to the United States without having touched a foreign port

Months Covered Due Date

January, February, March May 1st

April, May, June July 31st

QUARTERLY REPORTS

Quarterly activity reports must be submitted every quarter to USDA, APHIS. These activity reports must list the total number of 

international passengers quarter.  An activity report is also required if no activity has occurred during the quarter.

Please send your quarterly report by either email to ABShelpline@usda.gov (preferred) or fax by fax to (612) 336‐3563.

PAYMENT PROCEDURES

Passenger cruise  user fees must be received within 31 days following the end of each calendar quarter for which the fees were 

assessed. Our payment schedule is as follows:  

Passengers transiting the United States and not subject to inspection

Passengers moving from the United States Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/

Browse: Title 7 – Agriculture, click Go.  Browse Parts: 300‐399.  Scroll down to Part 354, Select 354.3.  Section (a) gives the definition and 

Section (e) pertains to the aircraft clearance fees and Section (f) refers to passenger user fees. 

APHIS user fee regulations require all companies issuing tickets or travel documents on or after December 28, 2015, to collect the APHIS 

international cruise ship passenger user fee for all passengers transported into the customs territory of the United States.  When APHIS 

user fees are collected from international passengers, they must be accounted for separately and held in trust until such time as they are 

voluntarily remitted.

Effective Date

Before November 30, 2022

Information on USDA APHIS User Fees 

BACKGROUND

The Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990, as amended by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990, authorized 

the USDA, APHIS, to establish user fees for agricultural quarantine and inspection services provided in connection with the arrival of 

international cruise passengers and commercial aircraft at a port in the customs territory of the United States, or the pre‐clearance or 

pre‐inspection at a site outside the customs territory of the United States.  APHIS is also authorized to assess interest, penalties, and 

administrative costs for late payment of user fees. 

The Code of Federal Regulations can be accessed at the following website: 

December 1, 2022 $1.68
PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS

AQI REMITTANCE ADVICE 

Make payable to “USDA APHIS”. Checks drawn from a foreign bank must say “Payable in US Dollars”. 

Mail your payment to:  For Overnight Payments:

USDA, APHIS, AQI  US Bank

PO BOX 979044  Attn: Government Lockbox 979044

St. Louis, MO 63197‐9000  1005 Convention Plaza

St. Louis, Mo 63101

Contact Phone Number: 315‐425‐1818

Payments can be made at www.pay.gov.

Processed through Remittance Express by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. 

You will need the following information to remit a payment via ACH, if not using pay.gov:       

ABA:  051036706

Name on Account: USDA, MRP, APHIS 

Account Number:  540021

Processed through the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. 

You will need the following information to remit a payment via ACH, if not using pay.gov:       

ABA:  021030004

Name on Account: USDA, APHIS 

Account Number:  12403400

LATE PAYMENTS

AUDITS

Yearly audits are conducted to make sure all User Fees are paid as required by Federal Regulation.  If during this audit it is determined  

that a company has not paid as required there will be interest and penalty added to the amounts owing going back to when they were

first due.

PROGRAM CONTACT

Page 3 of 3

Wire Transfers

DO NOT USE THE BANK SWIFT CODE for any Wire Transfers.  This may cause your payment to be rejected.

International Wire Transfers

Must be sent through a US correspondent bank (i.e. third party or intermediary bank) before going to the Federal Reserve Bank of 

New York. The US correspondent bank information should be in bold.

As directed by regulation 31 USC, Section 3717, interest and penalties will be assessed on delinquent debts. The Department of Treasury 

establishes the rate of interest to be charged. An additional 6% per annum penalty will be charged for payments more than 90 days past 

due and additional administrative charges may be assessed to cover the cost of collecting this debt .

If you have any further questions on AQI User Fees please contact us at ABSHelpline@usda.gov.

The remittance advice included on your payment(s) is crucial to ensuring the proper posting of your payment. For AQI payments, please 

include your account number and the quarter and year for which you are paying (ex. Acct 3214567 Qtr 1 Yr 2017).

Check or Money Order

Debit Card, Credit Card, PayPal or ACH

For step‐by‐step Pay.gov instructions please ask your Debt Management Specialist at: ABShelpline@usda.gov.

Bank ACH

The procedures below are for payments to USDA APHIS FOR AQI User Fees.  Payments are accepted via Check, Money Order, ACH, Wire 

Transfer, PayPal, Debit Card, Credit Card, or IPAC.

Any fees associated with the financial transaction chosen (ie bank funds transfer, credit card, etc) are the responsibility of the remitter. 

Please check with your financial institution for fee considerations.  
Company Name

Address

Company Contact

Telephone Number

AQI User Fee Type

APHIS Account 

Number Amount Due

Aircraft Landing x =

 Aircraft Passenger * x =

 Cruise Ship Passenger * x =

Treatment x =

AQI User Fee Type

APHIS Account 

Number

Aircraft Landing 

Aircraft Passenger

Cruise Ship Passenger

Treatment 

Additional information to disclose:

 AQI Reporting Quarters

Quarter

1st Quarter

2nd Quarter

3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

Signature: Date:

Payments can be made by check, money order, credit card, bank ACH or wire transfer.

Please see the next page for more information how to make the quarterly payment of your AQI User Fees.

If you have any further questions on AQI User Fees please contact us at ABSHelpline@usda.gov.

* Companies are not authorized to keep any overpayments of fees collected from customers. If you find that you have over collected the fees your choices are to

refund the customers the overages or to submit the overages to us in your payment.

April, May, June July 31st

July, August, September October 31st

October, November, December January 31st

Months Covered Due Date

January, February, March May 1st

$237.00

Total US Dollars Remitted:

If you are reporting NO ACTIVITY for the above quarter complete the line for all AQI User Fees you had no activity for.

I certify our company 

had no activity

I certify that our company had activity 

but is exempt according to the 

exemptions in 7CFR354.3

$225.00

$3.83

$1.68

You can complete and return this remittance as required to do so by Federal Regulations by:

1) Email : ABSHelpline@usda.gov (preferred) OR 

2) eFax : (612) 336-3563

If you are reporting ACTIVITY for the above quarter complete the line for all AQI User Fees you had activity for.

Count of AQI User 

Fees for the Quarter

AQI User Fee 

Amount

E-Mail Address

Calendar Quarter & Year

United States Department of 

Agriculture

Marketing and Regulatory 

Programs

Financial 

Management 

Division

Debt Management Team 

Minneapolis, Mn 55403

APHIS - AQI - Quarterly Remittance Worksheet