Mexican Border: U.S. Agricultural Quarantine Information Notice to Arriving Travelers

Plant Protection & Quarantine

February 2003

American agriculture is threatened by microscopic plant and animal pests and diseases. Travelers entering the United States may unknowingly carry these hitchhikers that could seriously damage American agriculture.
Because of these threats, travelers entering the United States are required to declare any meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, animals, and plant and animal products they are bringing with them. The declaration must cover all agricultural items in
baggage, hand luggage, and vehicles.

Failure to declare any of these items may cause delays and result in fines of up to $1,000 or more.

Any fruits, vegetables, meats, or birds taken from the United States to Mexico may not be allowed to reenter. Consult in advance with the local office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

Agricultural Items Originating in Mexico Permitted into the United States (after passing inspection)

Acorns
Avocados, without seed (not admitted into California, Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, or Guam)
Bananas
Blackberries (fruit)
Blueberries(fruit)
Cacao bean pod
Chestnuts
Dates
Eggs, boiled or cooked
Lemons
Lettuce
Limes, sour
Mint
Pineapple (prohibited into Hawaii)
Prickly pear fruit (tuna)
Prickly pear pad (nopales)
Radish
Rampion
Raspberries (fruit)
Rhubarb
Rosemary (above–ground parts)
Sage
Spinach
Strawberries
Vegetables—Most vegetables are permitted after inspection. For a detailed status of certain
vegetables, consult with your local APHIS/Plant Protection and Quaranine office or check
www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/manuals.
Watercress

Note that these are general lists. For complete details, go to www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/manuals.

Agricultural Items Originating in Mexico Not Permitted into the United States

Animal feed
Meats (including meat, pork, and raw poultry)
Plants—Some plants may enter with permit; consult with USDA/APHIS.
Seeds—Some seeds may enter with permit; consult with USDA/APHIS.
Soil
Straw
Sugarcane
Sweet potatoes
Wheat straw

Lists are subject to change. Confiscated items are carefully destroyed in special USDA facilities. For additional travelers’ information, visit the APHIS Web site at www.aphis.usda.gov or call 1-866-SAFGUARD for a recorded message. If you have questions, please write to USDA, APHIS, PPQ, Port Operations Staff, 4700 River Road, Unit 60, Riverdale, MD, 20737, consult the online manuals section of the Web site (www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/manuals), or call
301-734-8295.

Click here for a PDF of the current list of items approved for entry into the United States from Mexico, taken from PPQ's Fruits and Vegetables Manual.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Click here for printable version (PDF)