Traveling to U.S. Mainland From Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

Last Modified: March 30, 2024

APHIS prohibits or restricts the movement of many agricultural products from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands into the U.S. mainland. These include most fresh fruits and vegetables and certain plants, such as flowers.

That’s because these items could harbor a dangerous stowaway—an invasive pest or disease. Just one piece of fruit or a single plant that is carrying an invasive pest or disease could lead to millions of dollars in damage to agriculture and the environment, expensive eradication efforts, lost trade revenue, and higher food prices.

What To Expect at the Airport

You must present all food, plants, and other agricultural items to the USDA inspector at the airport before you leave Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands. If your items are generally allowed, the inspector will examine them to make sure they are free from pests and disease before you begin your trip to the U.S. mainland.

Hear more about the process to check for and inspect agricultural items:

Common items from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands NOT ALLOWED into the U.S. Mainland

Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs

Fruits (fresh)—All fruits are prohibited except those listed below.
Vegetables (fresh)—All vegetables are prohibited except those listed below.
Pigeon peas (fresh)
Sweet potato

Cut Flowers

Citrus leaves (fresh)
Cotton and cotton cuttings

Plants and Seeds for Planting

Cactus
Citrus and citrus or rue family flowering plants
Plants in soil

Animals and Animal Products

Use the Veterinary Services (VS) Permitting Assistant to understand import requirements for animals and animal products. This self-guided tool has the most updated and comprehensive information, based on the type of animal or commodity you want to bring in and the intended use.

Please note that commodities intended for "personal use" mean those in passenger baggage or passenger vehicles. Commodities sent by mail are regulated as "commercial" use.

Miscellaneous

Handicrafts made from palm fronds
Insects (live)
Seed cotton and cottonseed
Seeds or nuts (pulpy)
Snails (land)
Soil
Sugarcane

Agricultural items from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands ALLOWED into the U.S. Mainland

Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs

Allium spp. (includes onion, garlic, and chives)
Amaranth, Amaranthus spp. (leaf, stem)
Anise
Annona spp. (pawpaw/sugar apple leaf)
Arracacia xanthorrhiza (Central and South American root vegetable)
Arrowroot
Artichoke, Jerusalem
Asparagus
Avocado
Balsam apple
Bamboo shoots
Banana (fruit, leaf without stalk or midrib)
Basil
Bay leaves, laurel
Beans, shelled (faba, lima, string)
Beans, in pods (faba, lima, string)—Geographic restrictions apply. For more information, please contact us via the telephone numbers listed below.
Beet
Bitter melon
Brassica oleracea (includes broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, collard, cauliflower, and kale)
Breadfruit, Artocarpus spp.
Breadnut
Cacao bean pod
Cannonball fruit
Cantaloupe
Carrot
Cassava
Celery
Chamomile, Anthemis spp.
Coconut (without husk)
Coffee—Travelers are permitted to bring unlimited quantities of roasted coffee or green (unroasted) coffee beans without restriction through any continental U.S. port of entry.
Chayote
Chervil
Chickory
Chinese waternut
Chives
Chrysanthemum spp. (leaf, stem)

Cilantro
Citrus, fresh fruit (grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime)
Collard
Corn (on the cob only)
Cornsalad, Vallerianella spp.
Cucumber (includes Angola cucumber, Sicania odorata)
Cyperus corm
Dandelion greens (leaf, stem)
Dasheen, Colocasia, Caladium spp., and Xanthosoma spp.
Eggplant
Endive
Ethrog (fruit)
False coriander
Fennel
Garlic
Genip
Ginger root
Gourd
Guava (leaf)
Herbs (dried or cured)
Honeydew melon
Horseradish, Armoracia spp.
Indigo, Indigofera spp.
Jackfruit
Kale
Kudzu (if not seed, tuberous roots, or stems with node; must not be capable of propagation)
Lambsquarter
Mint, Mentha spp.
Mushrooms
Mustard greens
Onion
Oregano, Origanum spp. (leaf, stem)
Okra - Geographic restrictions apply. For more information, contact us via the telephone numbers listed below.
Lemongrass, Cymbopogon citratus
Leren
Lettuce
Lily bulb, edible
Lotus root
Maguey
Mangosteen
Marjoram, Origanum spp. (leaf, stem)

Palm heart
Papaya
Parsley
Parsnip
Pepper
Peas, Pisum sativum (in pod or shelled)
Pineapple
Plantain (fruit, leaf without stalk or midrib)
Pokeweed greens (leaf, stem)
Potato
Pumpkin
Purslane
Radish
Rhubarb
Rosemary (leaf)
Rutabaga
St. John’s bread
Salsify
Savoy
Sorrel, Rumex spp.
Spinach
Squash
Stinking-toe (pod)
Strawberry
Sweet potato (leaf only)
Swiss chard
Tamarind bean pods
Taro, Colocasia and Caladium spp.
Tarragon
Thyme
Tomato
Truffle
Turnip
Vegetable marrow
Water chestnut
Watercress
Watermelon
Yam, Dioscorea spp.
Yautia (tanier), Xanthosoma spp.

Note: Commercially canned and thoroughly cooked foods are generally permitted. All permissible agricultural products are subject to inspection.

Cut Flowers

Flowers (fresh, cut, or dried)

Plants and Seeds for Planting

Plant cuttings and plants without soil

Animals and Animal Products

Please note that commodities intended for "personal use" mean those in passenger baggage or passenger vehicles. Commodities sent by mail are regulated as "commercial" use.

Pet Birds

Entry requirements vary depending on the origin of the bird. Visit Pet Travel for details on the entry requirements for pet birds.

Miscellaneous

Insects (dried or preserved)
Snail shells (if empty and thoroughly cleaned)

Need More Information?

Contact your local USDA or U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) office for the most up-to-date information.

USDA Offices (for travelers from Puerto Rico)

Aguada: 787-986-7240
Aguadilla: 787-931–7900
Carolina: 787-710-7282
Ponce: 787-709-4957
San Juan: 787-919-0585

CBP Offices (for travelers from U.S. Virgin Islands)

St. Croix: 340-778-1696
St. Thomas: 340-774-4554