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I got my Import Permit today!

  • Thread starter swords
  • Start date
I got my packet from the USDA containing my green and yellow plant quarentine stickers. I guess my main concern is how long are the plants sitting at JFK airport waiting to be inspected even with all the right paperwork?
Are plant losses high during this time or is it only a matter of hours before they are sent off to their final destination?
 
O the joys of importing!

hmm well they may or may not go through JFK depending on what's listed on your permit and where the plants are coming from.

To answer your question:

Usually they clear in a day or two. Although packages have been known to vanish for days or indeffinately. You will find a great variation in quality from over seas companies as far as the plants themselves and the way they are packed and shipped. Naturally plants take a pretty good beating since they must be stripped pretty clean of any soil etc. Depending on all the variables involved losses can be anywhere from 0% to 100%.
T
 
sword
Tony is right my import came in from L.A. Calf. and took about 14 days to get here. sat over the weekend in mail due to a holiday. yes they do take a beating. they are placed in Benomyl & Malathion a 0.1% & 0.2% concentration for 5 min. to kill any germs or what ever else could get on the plants. you can fax,e-mail,or mail a copy of your permit into who ever your supplier is. fax is the fastest. that was my first import. my second one is this week. some places don't even require and import permint depents who you go threw.
 
Thanks Tony & George,
My permit says:
Import permit for plants and plant products (PPQ form 597)

My green and yellow stickers say:
Deliver to USDA animal and plant health inspection service
plant protection & quarentine programs

Then there is a faint address stamp of:
Plant inspection Service Station Bldg. 77
JFK Intnl Airport

Perhaps that is just a general address stamp on all these green & yellows that everyone has and the plants get inspected at whatever port they enter the country at?

One thing I'm curious of after "reading" the info (talk about papers with "lawyer language"! ) is there any Cites permits I need to apply for? I know that suppliers send them with the orders but do I need more permits than this one permit to import artificially propagated apendix 1 & 2 plants? It appears that you do not if they are confirmed as artificially propagated or invitro.
 
It should say on the permit paper under ports of entry. It might say various or list a bunch. Technically speaking it needs to go to a port of entry that is listed on your permit but will most likely go to whichever is the closest port. All international mail travels through one of the major coastal airports. The package is delivered to customs who then deliver it to the USDA office at the airport. They inspect it and then notify customs to come get it when it clears/doesn't clear. Customs returns it to the mailing service USPS/DHL etc etc.. If it cleared it is shipped on to the importer. If not then it is sent back, destroyed, sent to a rescue location.. depending on exactly why it was not cleared.

CITES permits are handled by the exporter. Your permit is good for importing CITES 2 and 3 plants. Import permits for CITES 1 plants are near impossible to get. There are some exceptions also. Plants still in sterile tissue culture don't require CITES permits. CITES 1 plants that are artificially propagated for resale use are classed as CITES 2 plants.. hence nurseries are able to bring them in without special import permits.
As a hobbyist importing a few plants for personal use you only need the import permit. If however you plan to sell any then you need a General Import permit as well to import any plants.
T
 
Ah thanks a ton Tony! You put it in good non-lawyer language!  

I'll get the bussiness import/general import permit if I'm actually able to get the store open because I see that specific permit costs money!
wink.gif
 
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