The US Plant Import Checklist

Everything you need to legally import a rare plant into the United States, on one page. No account, no discount code attached, no upsell. We wrote it because we answer these questions by email every week.

The full explanation — with every claim linked to its APHIS source — is in the permit guide. This page is the short version you can work through in ten minutes.

Step 1 — Find out whether you need a permit at all

APHIS lists four categories of plant import that do not require a PPQ 587 permit. The one that covers most collectors is "shipments of 12 or fewer plants, only if no specific restriction applies." (APHIS, How To Buy Plants and Seeds Online)

The qualifier is doing the work. Check your own species before relying on it:

  • Check ACIR. Enter the plant and the country of origin at acir.aphis.usda.gov. This is the authoritative source and it takes about ninety seconds.
  • Check NAPPRA. If the genus is on the prohibited articles list for your country of origin, no quantity is small enough.
  • Check the special-requirement categories — plants in growing media, artificially dwarfed plants, post-entry quarantine species, and anything CITES-listed.

Our own check, 25 August 2026: none of the genera we carry — Anthurium, Philodendron, Monstera, Rhaphidophora, Hoya, Aglaonema, Scindapsus, Syngonium, Alocasia, Epipremnum, Homalomena, Amydrium, Piper, Spathiphyllum, Calathea, Thaumatophyllum — appear on the NAPPRA list, and Indonesia is not a restricted origin. We re-check quarterly. Verify your own species anyway.

Step 2 — Get the permit anyway

It is free, it is not per-shipment, and it removes any argument at the border. Apply through APHIS eFile.

  • Create a USDA account at ePermits.aphis.usda.gov — choose Customer as your user type. Do the identity verification on a laptop, not a phone.
  • Start a PPQ 587. Write down the application reference number.
  • Commodity type: Plants for Planting. Intended use: Plants for Propagation. Plant parts: All Plant Parts Except Seeds.
  • Country of origin: add every country you might ever order from. It costs nothing now and saves an amendment later.
  • Add plants generously — whole genera where the system allows it. Amending later is more work than over-listing now.
  • Submit, then wait. 7 CFR 319.37-5(b) says apply at least 30 days before arrival. Apply before you shop.
  • If your permit issues PPQ Form 508 green-and-yellow labels, send them to your seller. They go on the outside of the box.

Step 3 — Check the shipment carries the four documents

  • A phytosanitary certificate from the exporting country's plant protection agency. Not optional, and not something a seller can print themselves.
  • An invoice with scientific names and quantities. Not "3 plants" — Anthurium warocqueanum, 1. If you are relying on the 12-or-fewer exemption, this is the document an officer counts.
  • Correct exterior labelling, including your permit number if you hold one.
  • No soil. Roots washed clean, wrapped in moist sphagnum. Growing media is a restricted category — a potted international shipment is a destroyed shipment.

Step 4 — Know where the box actually goes

APHIS runs 16 plant inspection stations. Most imported plant material for propagation clears through one: an inspector opens the box, checks the paperwork against the contents, and examines the plants for pests. That step is real, it takes time, and it is why an international plant order takes weeks rather than days.

Step 5 — Be ready for what arrives

A correctly shipped plant lands bare-root, dormant and unimpressive. That is normal. The arrival guide covers the first hour, the first week and the first month, including what normal decline looks like and what does not.

What we handle, and what you handle

Ours: every plant leaves Indonesia with a government-issued phytosanitary certificate, invoiced with full scientific names and quantities, root-washed, soil-free. Free worldwide shipping is already in the price — we never add freight at checkout.

Yours: deciding whether your order needs a permit, obtaining one if it does, and sending us your PPQ 508 labels if your permit requires them. Email us your permit number before we ship and we will put it on the box.

Not sure which side of the 12-plant line your order sits on? Ask us before you order. We would rather answer that than process a refund.

Browse the catalogue →  ·  Read the full guides →

Last reviewed 25 August 2026. Import requirements change without a rulemaking. Every claim above links to its source — check the source if you are reading this long after that date.