United States Department of Agriculture
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Animal Imports Home

Animal and Animal Product Import Information

Last Modified: Nov 30, 2016
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USDA-APHIS is charged with several critical tasks relating to Imports and Exports, including:

  • facilitating international trade
  • monitoring the health of animals' presented at the border
  • regulating the import and export of animals, animal products, and biologics


APHIS' mission is to safeguard the health of our nation's agricultural resources. Our many animal health experts work closely with other federal agencies, states, foreign governments, industry and professional groups, and others to enhance international trade and cooperation while preventing the introduction of dangerous and costly pests and diseases.

Country Animal Disease Status: Find the USDA-recognized animal health status of particular countries and regions, organized by specific livestock or poultry diseases.

There are many different processes involved with importing animals and animal products into the United States. Click on the links below to learn more about these processes, including the guidelines and regulations, permits and certification, and associated user fees.

Live Animals:  If you have any questions, or require further information related to imports or export of live animals, birds or germplasm, please contact National Center for Import and Export at (301) 851-3300 option 2 or email VS.Live.Animal.Import.Export@aphis.usda.gov

Contact the Service Centers and Port of Entry directly. Port Information: This page provides the addresses and contact information for all ports in the U.S. designated for the import of animals.

Feed, Water and Rest Stations:  This page provides the addresses and contact information for all ficilities in the U.S. reguarding feed, water and rest stations of animals.

Find an Approved Establishment:  This database contains information on establishments approved by the USDA to: perform taxidermy on hunted trophies, mount trophies ,store and/or process restricted materials, display restricted materials (museums), and irradiate restricted materials.

Animal Product Manual:   Provides the background, procedures, and regulatory actions to enforce the regulations governing the import and export of animals, animal products, and animal by-products.

Disclaimer of Liability: In using the Animal Product Manual on this web site, the U.S. Government neither warrants nor assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information or procedure disclosed. The primary purpose of this manual is to serve as a regulatory tool for officers. It is only posted for public access as a reference. It is not the intention of Plant Protection and Quarantine to provide specific regulatory advice, but rather to provide the public with information to better understand the regulatory processes for regulating meat and other animal products and by-products. The changing disease status of other countries and constant flux of import regulations, make it impossible to validate every piece of information in this manual. All of the information available in this manual is within the public domain. Therefore, such information in the manual may be freely downloaded and reproduced.

  • Pets See our pet travel website.


Import Requirements

Stakeholder Import Alert: Change to VS policy for the Importation of Human and Veterinary Pharmacueticals approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

State requirements and regulations to import an animal or animal product into each U.S. state and territory

Stakeholder/Import Alert: Change to VS policy for the Importation of Lactose and Lactose Derivatives

Ruminant Hides from Mexico. (pdf 25kb)

Commercial Importation of Poultry and Poultry Products from Canada (pdf 16kb)

APHIS Regulations for Importing Shell Eggs (pdf 99kb)


International Trade

 

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