APHIS Extends Unoriginal Electronic Document Acceptance

Posted by Kelsay Calvaruso on 1/17/22 5:00 PM

On January 1, 2022, in Cargo Systems Messaging Service (CSMS) #50564724, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that the temporary allowance of unoriginal copies of phytosanitary certificates and forms will be extended through March 31, 2022.

Beginning April 1, 2022, APHIS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will only accept original phytosanitary certificates and forms for plant commodities. Original copies submitted through the ePhyto government-to-government sharing system will be accepted. According to the CSMS, “A paper certificate would not need to be presented for cargo clearance by U.S. officials if the certificate is an ePhyto with a proper declaration in the APHIS Core message set using the PG13/14 code AE1.”

A list of ePhyto participating countries can be found here:

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/sa_export/ephyto-participating-countries

CSMS #50564724 can be found here:

https://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDHSCBP-3038e74?wgt_ref=USDHSCBP_WIDGET_2

Topics: CBP, APHIS, Coronavirus, COVID-19

Expeditors' Newsflash articles are compiled from a number of public sources that, to the best of Expeditors' knowledge, are true and correct. It is our intent to present only accurate information. However, in the event any information contained herein is erroneous, Expeditors International of  Washington, Inc. accepts no liability or responsibility.                                                                                           

Copyright © Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.  Expeditors' Newsflash articles may not be reproduced in any form without advanced written consent of an authorized officer of the copyright holder.     

Recommended for you