Every year, millions of plants travel across the US-Canada border. The importing and exporting of plants, seeds, and blooms is a big business, whether you’re creating an eclectic garden in your home or managing a successful exotic plant company.
Exotic plants that are unavailable in North America or Europe may be purchased for personal use in South America, Thailand, or Vietnam. The New York Times claims that during plant exhibits like the yearly International Aroid Society Show and Sale in Miami, plant-obsessed individuals frequently arrive with moving trucks. Not to mention, people are bidding up to $2,700 (USD) on plants on eBay!
It may be helpful for nurseries and plant stores to offer a more diverse selection of goods, such as plants from abroad or just across the border, in order to compete. These business owners may find that importing plants and seeds is more cost-effective than cultivating their own on-site.
Whatever the reason, knowing which governmental bodies are involved when importing or exporting plants into Canada or the US will help you ensure that you are abiding by all rules.
Importing plants to the US
Make sure that plants you bring in from abroad comply with Customs and Border Protection’s entrance criteria. Depending on the plant type, different entry requirements will apply, but the following standards always apply:
- You do not require a permit if you import or bring back 12 or less plants without any specific restrictions. A permission, post-entry quarantine, treatment, or ESA or CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) documentation are just a few examples of special restrictions that may apply.
- A phytosanitary certificate from the country of origin certifying that the plants meet entry standards for the United States must be included with the plants.
- The best plants are bare-rooted (no growing media attached to the roots).
- Plants should be given a fundamental visual checkup. Look for insects or plant components that seem unwell.
- To keep plants from drying out, wrap them in wet newspaper or any similar material. A plastic bag can be used to contain the roots.
At the initial point of entry, CBP inspects no more than twelve plants. At the closest Plant Inspection Station, employees of APHIS will inspect thirteen or more plants. The plants will be denied entry if the officer discovers plant pests that could harm other plants or if they do not match the entry conditions. You must forfeit the plants as a result, and they will either be killed or sent back to their place of origin.
To find out whether propagative plant material is admissible, travelers are recommended to contact the nearest APHIS PPQ Plant Inspection Station (including live plants, bulbs, corms, cuttings, root crowns, seeds, etc.).
Call Permit Services at (301) 851-2046, toll-free at (877) 770-5990, or send an email to [email protected] for further information on the eligibility and entrance requirements for particular plants.
Whenever you bring in more than 12 plants:
You must complete Form PPQ 585 to get a permission to import wood or wood products.
A request seeking authorization to import plants or plant products, such as:
- horticulture plants (including seeds)
- Veggies and fruits
- the plant species linked to rice
- Broomcorn, Indian corn, or maize, and similar plants
- many goods connected to the Khapra Beetle
- Products and by-products of sugarcane
- blankets and cotton from abroad
- fresh flowers
An application for propagative plants that need post-entry quarantine is called PPQ 546.
A protected plant permit application, or PPQ 621, is required to carry out the business of importing, exporting, or re-exporting protected plants (CITES)
An application for a permit to transport soil, plant pests, and plant products across the US is known as PPQ 586.
If you have a permit, your package will include an ID/barcode that can be used to contact you if necessary during the importation procedure.
Keep in mind that the Department of Homeland Security will inspect your plants if you don’t have a permit, and they might not be the most careful inspectors!
US Import Requirements For Potted Plants
- Detailed information on the indoor plants
- On the invoice, a breakdown by plant type
- the number of each plant
- the plants’ weight
- nation of origin
- a unique value for every
- Phytosanitary Certificate issued by CFIA following plant inspection
Importing plants into Canada
The nation’s national plant protection agency, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, controls how plants come into and go out of the country.
Check the CFIA’s Horticulture Plant List to see if the plant you intend to import is on there first. This is a list of low-risk plants that can be imported as long as you adhere to the necessary conditions. Monsteras, philodendrons, and anthuriums, some of the most popular plants on the internet, are permitted, according to The Toronto Star.
The nation’s national plant protection agency, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, controls how plants come into and go out of the country. Patricia McAllister, a national manager with the CFIA, answered questions from The Star on what people should do to make sure their plants arrive in Canada safely.
What are the basic requirements?
An import authorization is necessary, same like in the United States. The CFIA’s web portal is where you may obtain one, and the seller of the plant must ensure that it has a phytosanitary certificate from the exporting nation.
According to McAllister, the International Plant Protection Convention essentially regulates all plant transportation.
Basically, the rule is to keep pests you already have and to refuse to accept pests from others. It actually is about using plant material to stop the spread of pests between nations.
A phytosanitary certificate: what is it? It is a passport for plants. It demonstrates who grew the plant, where it is going, and where it came from, demonstrating that it complies with Canadian regulations. An official phytosanitary certificate can only be issued by a national plant protection organization. (The CFIA in Canada offers these certificates to those who are sending plants abroad. For next steps if you intend to export a plant, get in touch with your neighborhood CFIA office.)
What would happen if my plant lacked this documentation? Your plant might be destroyed or sent back to where it came from. Verify that the vendor is sending your plant with a phytosanitary certificate from their nation if you’re purchasing from a foreign supplier. The CFIA must issue an import permission before your plant leaves its country of origin.
What about endangered plants?
Environment Canada is in charge of managing endangered plants. As was previously indicated, some plants are subject to CITES limitations and require additional verification. Although other varieties of orchids are, monstera is not included on the CITES list.
What about bringing plants into Canada from the continental United States?
The Canadian government provides a personal exception that enables you to bring up to 50 houseplants into Canada from the US without a visa as long as they are for personal use. The CFIA website has a list of plants that are qualified. Tropical and semi-tropical plants that cannot grow outdoors in Canada and have been classified as low-risk are typically exempt.
What happens if my plant doesn’t have this paperwork?
Your plant might be destroyed or sent back to where it came from. Verify that the vendor is sending your plant with a phytosanitary certificate from their nation if you’re purchasing from a foreign supplier. The CFIA must issue an import permission before your plant leaves its country of origin.
Is it legal to transport cacti into Canada?
You want to bring a rare monstera from Thailand into the country, but aren’t sure if it will get past customs.
The nation’s national plant protection agency, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, controls how plants come into and go out of the country. The Star got advice from Patricia McAllister, a national manager with the CFIA, on what consumers should do to make sure their plants arrive in Canada without incident. Unless otherwise noted, responses have been shortened and paraphrased.
First, examine if your plant is included in the CFIA’s list of horticulture plants. This is a list of low-risk plants that can be imported as long as you adhere to the necessary conditions. Monsteras, philodendrons, and anthuriums, some of the hottest plants on the internet, are permitted.
The CFIA’s web portal is where you must apply for an import permission, and the seller of the plant must ensure that it has a phytosanitary certificate from the exporting nation. The plant needs to be free of detritus, including soil and other plant components. According to McAllister, the International Plant Protection Convention essentially regulates all plant transportation. The basic idea is to keep pests you already have and to refuse to accept pests from others. It actually is about using plant material to stop the spread of pests between nations.
It is a passport for plants. It provides information about the grower, the destination and the place of origin of the plant, as well as verification that it complies with Canadian regulations. An official phytosanitary certificate can only be issued by a national plant protection organization. (The CFIA in Canada offers these certificates to those who are sending plants abroad. For next steps if you intend to export a plant, get in touch with your neighborhood CFIA office.)
Your plant might be destroyed or sent back to where it came from. Verify that the vendor is sending your plant with a phytosanitary certificate from their nation if you’re purchasing from a foreign supplier. The CFIA must issue an import permission before your plant leaves its country of origin. When we conduct inspections at points of entry, you don’t want to pay for (your plant) only to have it removed, adds McAllister.
Environment Canada is in charge of managing endangered plants. CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) regulations apply to some plants, so in addition to the other papers, CITES documentation is required. Although other varieties of orchids are, monstera is not included on the CITES list.
Does Canada require an import license for plants?
No. Before the shipment leaves the nation of origin, a permit must be issued. Under the jurisdiction of the Plant Protection Act and Regulations, any imported plant or plant product that enters Canada without the appropriate documentation will be required to be destroyed or removed from the nation at the owner’s expense.
Can you cross the border with indoor plants?
To keep their plants from drying out while traveling, people can wrap them in wet newspaper or other similar material. A plastic bag can be used to contain the roots. When bringing 13 or more plants, travelers must get an import permission from APHIS and mail or ship the plants to the closest USDA Plant Inspection Station.
What things are prohibited from entering Canada?
Services and details
- weaponry and firearms. What is permitted, forbidden, and restricted as well as import and declaration requirements for firearms
- animals, plants, and food. Declare all edible plants, animals, and items that are related.
- ammunition, fireworks, and explosives.
- Vehicles.
- Cannabis.
- goods for consumers.
Can I import plants in pots into Canada?
Plant deliveries intended for planting must be free of prohibited pests. A shipment may be held while the CFIA assesses the risk if more pests that could warrant quarantine are discovered in the shipment.
Depending on the species and the nation or region of origin, extra regulations may apply to plants for planting. If necessary, these extra restrictions will be listed on the permit to import and in the relevant pest- or commodity-specific directive (s). The importer is responsible for making sure the shipment complies with all Canadian import regulations.
Permit to Import
All plants for planting entering Canada from regions other than the continental U.S., as well as some plants entering Canada from the U.S., require a Permit to Import. To ensure that it is received prior to shipping, the Canadian importer must submit the application for the Permit to Import well in advance of the delivery date. In order to prevent the introduction of pests or the spread of biological barriers to pest control within Canada, the Permit to Import will detail how the substance must be packaged, transported, handled, regulated, and used. For further details on how to apply for, get, and use a permit to import under the Plant Protection Act, please see directive D-97-04.
Consult AIRS to determine whether a Permit to Import is necessary for plants coming from the U.S. mainland.
Phytosanitary Certificate
All plants coming into Canada must have a phytosanitary certificate. The NPPO of the exporting nation issues the phytosanitary certificate, which must include all of the plants in the consignment. The plants must be identified to at least the genus level using recognized scientific names. Certain plants must be identified to species or even cultivar before being planted (e.g.Berberisspp., plants regulated by the Convention on International Trade or Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). The packing list for the imported material should match the list of plants on the phytosanitary certificate.
Details must be included in the “Treatment” section of the Phytosanitary Certificate when treatment is necessary.
Phytosanitary Certificates must include any extra declarations that the CFIA requires. The extra declarations that are necessary in relation to soil-borne pests are described in Section 3.9. Other CFIA directives may contain additional declarations; see AIRS for details. The Permit to Import also lists the supplementary declarations that are necessary.
The package should arrive at its destination with a copy of the phytosanitary certificate. When submitting documents to the CFIA’s NISC for clearance, a copy of the duly signed Phytosanitary Certificate must be enclosed.
Only when the information needed to fill out the Phytosanitary Certificate requires more space than is provided on the certificate, can an official attachment be made. Any attachments containing phytosanitary information must include the issuing NPPO’s date, signature, and stamp in addition to bearing the Phytosanitary Certificate number. The Phytosanitary Certificate must specify in the relevant part that the data that belongs there is in the attachment, and it must cite the attachment by its serial number or other distinctive identifier.
Pest risk analysis
Each application for a permit to import filed to the permit office is examined by the CFIA. Each plant taxon listed on the permit application is classified as “Prohibited,” “Authorized,” or “Not Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis (NAPPRA)” as part of this evaluation procedure. Appendix 2 contains a list of plant materials that have been designated as NAPPRA. A Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) must be completed to establish whether or not a plant will be permitted for import if it is already on the NAPPRA list or is added to the list. Please be aware that importing a plant from a new source does not always necessitate a PRA.
When a plant is thought to be a potential entry point for a pest of quarantine concern into Canada, the NAPPRA category enables the CFIA to respond quickly. A plant taxon’s classification by the CFIA may be changed from “Authorized” to “Prohibited” or “NAPPRA” at its discretion. In certain circumstances, the CFIA has the authority to modify current permits to import in order to halt further imports of one or more plants until a PRA is finished. The CFIA will inform the applicant/importer of the plant’s NAPPRA classification and provide details on how to request a PRA, should the importer want to do so.
The PRA is used to assess potential mitigation strategies, identify the pest risk connected to the pathway, and decide if imports can be approved. In the end, the PRA aids the CFIA in deciding whether to forbid the importation of a specific plant taxon into Canada from a given country or whether phytosanitary measures are feasible to reduce the pest risk to a manageable level.
Creating a list of the organisms that are most likely to be connected to the pathway, determining which of these organisms are of regulatory concern, and assessing the potential effects on the economy and environment are all part of the PRA process. The development of the PRA takes into account the biology of the pest organisms, including their life cycles, geographic ranges, host ranges, habitats, and relationships with plants intended for planting. The commodity’s manufacturing methods, pest management techniques, routes of transportation, and planned end use are all crucial pieces of information.
If a Permit to Import is granted, it will state any specific phytosanitary precautions to be taken as well as any extra declarations that must be made. The shipment must adhere to all regulations, and this is the importer’s responsibility.
The following are a few examples of phytosanitary risk mitigation actions that can be taken at the source:
- prohibition
- visual examination
- testing and sampling for certain pests
- treatment at the outset
- area devoid of pests, according to government surveys (as per ISPMNo. 4 and ISPMNo. 6)
- site of production without pests (as per ISPMNo. 10)
- production using a systems approach in a facility that has been approved (as per ISPMNo. 36 and RSPMNo. 24)
- production carried out in the exporting nation under a clean stock scheme (as per ISPMNo. 36 and RSPMNo. 24)
- quarantine following arrival into Canada
- only in-vitro plants may be imported
- limited to seed imports
- the CFIA’s prior approval in the country of origin (e.g. Netherlands Dormant Bulbs and Perennials Preclearance Program)