United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Veterinary Services National Center For Import And Export Import/Export Animals 4700 River Road, Unit 40 Riverdale, MD 20737-1231

GUIDELINES FOR IMPORTATION #1116 Including: environmental or water organisms, such as algae. Introduction: Microorganisms are potentially subject to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations and must be cleared by USDA inspectors at the port of arrival before entry into the United States is authorized.  A USDA permit is required for any microorganism that is known to cause infectious, contagious, or communicable diseases of livestock or poultry.  However, non-pathogenic bacteria, viruses, algae, or yeast (fungi) may be imported into the country without USDA veterinary restrictions. Import requirements for plant pathogens may be obtained by contacting Biological Assessment and Taxonomic Support,  USDA, APHIS, PPQ, 4700 River Road, Unit 133, Riverdale, MD  20737 ,  Area Code (301) 4734-5055, FAX (301) 734-8700. Procedures: A USDA veterinary import permit will not be required for specimens if the following is provided in the shipping documents: A detailed description of the microorganism (genus and species). A written declaration indicating that the microorganism is not considered to be pathogenic for livestock or poultry. This information should be supplied as statements on producer/shipper letterhead in a clear and concise manner and be available for review by the USDA Inspector at the Portof Arrival.  We recommend that a separate memo or letter be included with the shipping documents, such as U.S. Customs declaration and invoice.  Do not put documents INSIDE shipping containers. Please instruct your shippers to provide this information. If the above information is not supplied, the shipment may be subject to delays.  If the material to be imported cannot meet these criteria, then a USDA import permit may be required. Permit applications may be obtained several ways: On-line at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/permits/ By writing to: USDA, APHIS, VS National Center for Import and Export 4700 River Road, Unit 40 Riverdale, MD 20737 (301) 851-3300 telephone (301) 734-6402 fax

VS - Safeguarding Animal Health Phone (301) 851-3300, FAX (301) 734-6402

http://www.aphis.usda.gov An Equal Opportunity Employer