The Fish & Wildlife Import Permit and When You Might Need It

Importing goods into the United States that are regulated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service may require you to obtain an Import Permit from Fish & Wildlife. Getting the permit isn't difficult or terribly expensive, but understanding some of the hows and whys will make your personal experience go a little more smoothly. In this article, I will cover a few of the circumstances when you do need a permit, when you might not, and what to do if you do need it.

Generally speaking, an Import Permit is not needed for common, domesticated animal products such as cow, sheep and goat products, rabbit furs and skins, and a number of other unregulated animal-derived products and materials. This would also include avian products like domestic goose down, but you can find a full listing on Fish & Wildlife's website, which you can link to later in the article.

Additionally, personal shipments of regulated goods can be exempt from the permit requirement, but this area is a little grayer. If you make an online purchase of a high-end pair of Italian crocodile leather shoes, or 2 or 3 ostrich leather handbags from Australia, chances are good that Fish & Wildlife will not require you to have an Import Permit, if they are coming to you as an individual. However, if you order a large quantity of either, at their discretion, Fish & Wildlife may take a closer look. If they feel that your order has a commercial quantity, they could ask you to provide the permit, even if they're for your personal use.

Those are a couple of circumstances when Fish & Wildlife might not require you to carry the Import Permit. Let's take a look at those times when you will need to have that permit, and what you need to do to get it.

Any business-to-business importation of Fish & Wildlife regulated goods will require you to obtain the Import Permit. This is important to note. Even if your import is for your own personal use, if that is not clearly noted on your commercial invoice or if you wish to use your company as the Importer Of Record, Fish & Wildlife will ask you for the permit. If it is a business transaction, get the permit ahead of time, or be prepared to provide it at the time of import to the States, regardless of quantity. Now let's look at how to obtain the permit should you find that you need to provide it.

Getting the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Import Permit can be done in a number of ways. You can access an online application at their website, www.fws.gov, or contact your local office directly. Contact information for your local office can be found on their website as well. The application is easy to complete and the application fee runs about 100 dollars. The permit is good for a year so it will need to be renewed annually if you are a business that intends to import regulated goods often.

Be aware that the application takes a few weeks to process, so if you know you are going to be importing the goods, try to get your application processed prior to the importation. If you can't, or get caught unawares, one of the nice things about Fish & Wildlife is that, again at their discretion, they will allow you to provide a copy of the application and proof of payment as documentation, in lieu of the actual Import Permit. Still, the permit itself will be better documentation if you can provide it. Also, if you routinely use a particular freight carrier or have a broker, ask them to keep your documentation on file for future shipments. This will help to ensure timely processing going forward.

Be aware that some Fish & Wildlife goods do require additional documentation from the shipper, not least of which is the Convention On International Trade in Endangered Species declaration paperwork for animal products or materials that are derived from animals listed on the CITES Convention. I will address that in an upcoming article.

Lastly, please work closely with your vendor to ensure that the commercial invoice that they provide has some key details, such as the quantity of each item, the value for each, the common name for the animal as well as the scientific name, and good contact information for both you and your vendor.