Hi folks, trying to navigate obtaining a USDA import permit to buy seeds from rarepalmseeds.com. The links they have in their site that are supposed to take you to the appropriate USDA site is defunct. Does anyone know how to go about applying for said permit? Links helpful, thx!

2 hours ago, ExperimentalGrower said:

Hi folks, trying to navigate obtaining a USDA import permit to buy seeds from rarepalmseeds.com. The links they have in their site that are supposed to take you to the appropriate USDA site is defunct. Does anyone know how to go about applying for said permit? Links helpful, thx!

You'll probably want to start here: https://efile.aphis.usda.gov/s/

If I recall correctly, you'll want the PHQ-587 permit.  Last time I did it, I had to create a login on their new platform and then ended having to use my login for the old platform to complete my permit request anyway.  Seemed like they provided the link to move to the new platform but the site wasn't quite ready to use it at the time.  The good news is that my last permit was issued within a few hours of applying.

Wow the states make it even harder to import the only requirements you need in Australia is phytosanitary certificate to import but even with the correct paperwork they still inspect and of course still bill you for it I suppose they need to keep themselves in a job don’t get me wrong I fully respect our bio security laws but political madness gone wrong Australian seed import laws changed basically due to the wheat industry kharpa beetle was a threat good luck customs took the fun out imported seeds 

4 hours ago, happypalms said:

Wow the states make it even harder to import the only requirements you need in Australia is phytosanitary certificate to import but even with the correct paperwork they still inspect and of course still bill you for it I suppose they need to keep themselves in a job don’t get me wrong I fully respect our bio security laws but political madness gone wrong Australian seed import laws changed basically due to the wheat industry kharpa beetle was a threat good luck customs took the fun out imported seeds 

The permit process is an inconvenience, but at least the permit is provided free.  I purchase a phytosanitary certificate for my orders as well.  It's certainly cost prohibitive, but if the order is big enough it ends up coming out in the wash on a per seed basis.  In my own case, when the seeds arrive, the worst part is enduring the traffic through Orlando to pick the seeds up rather than paying for the ~50 miles from the USDA office to the house.

The 587 permit is more convenient now, processed completely online.  My first one required an appearance at the USDA office to confirm my identity. 

You usually get a 10 minute response time for permit requests as long as you've done everything correctly.

On 4/29/2024 at 5:13 PM, kinzyjr said:

You'll probably want to start here: https://efile.aphis.usda.gov/s/

If I recall correctly, you'll want the PHQ-587 permit.  

^ this is exactly correct information.

Once you've selected PHQ-587, you have to add "articles" which include the genus and the country of shipping origin (not the country of origin for the actual species.)

Here's a sample from my last permit for an RPS order.

You can also try a "small lot" seed permit which allows you to import without specifying the type of seed.

The problem with this however is the limitations, which are 50 seeds or 10grams per species (whichever is higher).

So if you're doing a bulk order from RPS, an "all eligible taxa" permit won't work and I don't believe RPS will even ship a bulk order without the proper permit.