Non-Compliant Seeds: What You Need To Know

Last Modified: April 23, 2026
woman looking up information on a tablet while potting plants

Non-compliant seeds are those imported into the United States that do not meet legal import requirements, whether purchased intentionally or received unsolicited. These seeds can carry harmful pests or diseases that threaten U.S. agriculture and natural resources. 

Examples of Non-Compliant Seeds

  • Seeds bought online from sellers outside the United States who did not list the country of origin or gave false information
  • Unsolicited seeds sent in addition to or in lieu of your original order or with no connection to any purchase

View Examples

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five packets of seeds small package of seeds package of seeds misdeclared package of seeds mail package label mail package label packet of seeds next to a greeting card
five packets of seeds small package of seeds package of seeds misdeclared package of seeds mail package label mail package label packet of seeds next to a greeting card

Examples of non-compliant seed packages

Example of a non-compliant seed package

Close-up of a non-compliant seed package

Example of a misdeclared package containing seeds

Example of a misdeclared package containing seeds

Example of a misdeclared package containing seeds

Non-compliant seeds received with a greeting card

If You Received Non-Compliant Seeds

  • Do not plant the seeds.
  • Report them immediately.
  • Keep seeds and packaging intact for inspection.

Already planted the non-compliant seeds? Please still report them! Our plant health experts can advise you on next steps based on the type of seed and potential risks.

  1. Contact your State Plant Health Director for guidance.
  2. Provide as much information as possible:
    • Your name and contact information 
    • Date received 
    • Carrier (such as USPS or FedEx) and tracking number 
    • Whether seeds were ordered (include vendor/website) or unsolicited 
    • Photos of seeds, shipping labels, and packaging 
    • Invoice  
  3. Seal seeds in a bag and place them in the freezer until contacted. Keep packaging and documents until someone from your State Plant Health Director’s office contacts you.

APHIS and State agriculture officials will examine seeds for harmful weeds, pests, or plant diseases.

Check U.S. import rules before buying seeds or plants online. 

Many seeds and plants need an import permit and a phytosanitary certificate. This certificate attests the seeds are free of pests and diseases. Most imported seeds and plants also need inspection when they arrive in the United States.

Use the resources below to buy seeds online safely and legally.

How To Buy Plants and Seeds Online 

Verify Requirements in the Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements Database

Frequently Asked Questions

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Non-compliant seeds have the potential to introduce damaging pests or diseases that could harm U.S. agriculture and natural resources. Thankfully, APHIS is not aware of any incidents of seeds that have resulted in new pests or disease outbreaks. 

While seeds may not be harmful to people or pets, they can carry plant diseases that threaten U.S. crops and ecosystems. Some seeds are banned entirely because they can spread harmful weeds or pests.

To find out more about seed import requirements, visit How To Buy Plants and Seeds Online and use the Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements (ACIR) database to understand the specific regulations for plant products you wish to import.

No. By engaging recipients, we learned a larger portion of the shipments may not be "unsolicited" as initially thought. Instead, we estimate that about one‑third of seed shipments were intentionally ordered from websites that appear to be U.S.‑based but are actually operated overseas and ship seeds internationally.

To prevent the misleading sales of non-compliant seeds, APHIS has contacted counterparts in foreign countries with information on foreign-managed websites and sent letters directly to websites informing them of non-compliance with regulations and requirements for importing seeds. Some have complied with requests to suspend sales until they can comply. 

APHIS works with State agriculture departments to collect seeds that people report. Experts check the seeds to see if they could harm U.S. plants or the environment. They look for invasive weeds, pests, or plant diseases. No serious threats have been found in the non-compliant seeds APHIS received from the public.

APHIS observed a significant decrease in the number of seed importations since the initial incident in 2020. This decline is due in part to new trade rules that removed duty-free exemptions for low-value shipments, making it harder for sellers to ship seeds cheaply. Some online sellers have stopped shipping seeds to the United States or removed seeds from their websites entirely after learning they were not compliant with U.S. import rules.

Need help with a different importing issue?

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