Obtaining Export Permits

19^th World Orchid Conference – 2008
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
CITES Export Information

Attention Commercial VENDORS

A CITES document must accompany most orchid shipments that enter or leave the United States.  You should be aware of the following if you are planning to sell orchids to foreign individuals or companies at the conference. 

• Due to limited resources, U.S. CITES Permits Office staff [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Management Authority (USFWS); http://www.fws.gov/permits/] at the WOC will not process new applications for export permits for U.S. vendors and will not issue export permits from established export master files at the conference.  Therefore, you must allow sufficient time prior to the conference to obtain export permits.  We will issue re-export certificates for plants that were imported specifically for the conference and purchased by foreign buyers, or which the foreign vendors wish to take back with them after the conference.

• To ensure that foreign buyers will have the necessary CITES export permits to accompany their plants out of the United States, U.S. vendors should obtain CITES export authorization well before the conference.  If you do not currently have a master file for export of artificially propagated plants or for plants that you imported prior to the WOC, you should obtain this authorization at least 6 months prior to the conference.  The expected number of single-use export permits needed for sales at the conference can then be issued to you prior to the beginning of the conference.

• If you already have a current and valid CITES export authorization (i.e., “master file”) or permits issued by USFWS, confirm that you will have a sufficient quantity of valid permits for the conference or for a period of time after the conference for any subsequent shipments you would make.

• If you need to establish a new master file or to renew or amend your current master file, please use form 3-200-33 for exporting U.S.-origin plants (http://forms.fws.gov/3-200-33.pdf) or form 3-200-32 for re-exporting previously imported plants (http://forms.fws.gov/3-200-32.pdf).

• If you need to request additional single-use CITES export permits from your master file, please use form 3-200-74 (http://forms.fws.gov/3-200-74.pdf - available online after June 2007) and submit it at least 3 months prior to the conference.

• At the Conference, in addition to the valid permits, you must have a copy of your USFWS list of approved species available for the USDA/APHIS/PPQ inspection and export certification of the plants.  If you do not have a copy of your approved list with you at the conference, you will not be able to export directly from the conference.

• For plants imported by foreign vendors for the conference, USFWS staff will be available to issue re-export certificates during the conference.  However, foreign vendors must provide copies of the APHIS-stamped cleared CITES documents from the country of origin to the USFWS staff prior to or on the first day of the conference.  Please note that re-export certificates will be issued only until 2:00 pm on the final day of the conference.

• All vendors must possess the USDA Protected Plant Permit (formerly the General Permit) and obtain Phytosanitary Export/Re-export Certificate(s) and USDA CITES Export/Re-Export validations for each CITES document prior to each international shipment.  Review CITES (Endangered Plant Species) Information and call the Miami Plant Inspection Station (305-526-2825) for more information.

• If you need more information on CITES permits issued by USFWS, please inquire by contacting USFWS at managementauthority@fws.gov.  Put the words, “WOC 2008 vendor” in the subject line of your emailed message.