On December 14, 2021, in Cargo Systems Messaging Service (CSMS) #50385642, 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 end on December 31, 2021. Unoriginal copies were allowed to be uploaded in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Beginning January 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 #50385642 can be found here:
https://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDHSCBP-300d2ea?wgt_ref=USDHSCBP_WIDGET_2
