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Long-timers may recall that a few years ago I had a shipment of briar held up on St Louis while the USDA sat on it. The problem? The plateaux still has bark on it, and it's wood - a natural material that is coming in from outside the US. In the interest of making us all safe from invading insects and pests, the USDA and APHIS started checking inbound packages regularly, and mine drew the short straw. Possibly due to the fact that it was 200 blocks of wood, big, heavy, and from Algeria. The briar was actually scheduled for destruction (read as 'incineration') so I had to act quickly and get an import permit. I got one, faxed it down, and managed to save my briar.

Since then I've moved, and I need to update my address, but had a hell of a time finding the right forms again. I finally did find them, and I figured I'd put a link to them here so that other folks don't have to go through the 90 minutes of searching that I did this morning.

The page where you can download your permit application is here:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/permits/ppq_epermits.shtml

You want form PPQ 585 "Application for permit to import timber or timber products".

It's the luck of the draw with things like this. You might never get your briar seized by APHIS, but if you do, you really want to be ready with an import permit. Technically, you should send a copy of your permit to your cutter so that they can put a copy in an envelope affixed to the package, just to smooth the process.


EDIT:
By the way, don't bother with the electronic procedures. It's exceedingly stupid. Government idiocy in action, basically. Just download the PDF form and fax it in. You'll get a permit faxed back in a couple days.

WOW! That never even occurred to me. Good heads up, Kurt.

I just remembered that this post was here.

To echo Kurt's original post, I found the process of obtaining a permit quite easy. I actually did it all online (with the exception of an obnoxious trip to a local USDA office branch to show someone my ID), and once I submitted the request I had a permit with 24 hours.

I had no trouble with customs on my recent order from Yazid, but had there been any, it would have been reassuring to have the permit in hand and ready to go.

Small orders, less than a dozen blocks, don't seem to need the permits. I have ordered from abroad without permits and without a hitch. I addressed this question about USDA permits to the European supplier, Jaume Hom, and he said he had never had a problem with small orders. He just mails them as "free samples." Also, I used the U.S. Customs look-up, and there are no U.S. Customs duties or fees on briar wood...
...But I would definitely get the USDA permit before placing a large order, to be safe.

If you buy it from a US middleman expect to pay about twice the price.

I was wondering why your briar order was in St. Louis? If you're in Rhode Island, and your briar is coming from the Mediterranean area...? All the stuff I've gotten from Europe entered the U.S. in New York, and then came more or less direct from there?

Mike Messer wrote:I was wondering why your briar order was in St. Louis? If you're in Rhode Island, and your briar is coming from the Mediterranean area...? All the stuff I've gotten from Europe entered the U.S. in New York, and then came more or less direct from there?

I've got no idea. I suspect because that's where the USDA field office for UPS was - but I really don't know.

Could be USDA, or could be a contractual thing with the shipper. They get $X amount for shipping into an area, or some other benni from the city/state to promote jobs in an area.

Wow thanks Kurt..

I am in Chicago, 20 minutes form the Chicago pipe show venue. Here USPS, UPS, Fedex, and DHL seem to stop every package coming into this area from abroad. I have been worried about this every time I buy briar. I have had no issues to date, but with $2000 orders, I dont want to take any chances. Lol. Thank you!!!

I applied as soon as I read this..

does this cost any thing? Import permits for wood products

giospro wrote:does this cost any thing? Import permits for wood products

It was free for me.

That's because you are special, David

I've always preferred "dim witted." More honest that way.

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