At present we are only making shipments to the US of 12 plants or less at a time, that are not for commercial purposes. Shipments of less than 13 plants do not require an import permit.
Larger consignments require you to obtain an import permit from the US Department of Agriculture, and this may result in a requirement for a NZ Government certified phytosanitary health certificate. That requires an inspection of the plants by New Zealand Government officials, from a department called AgriQuality Ltd., that is currently costing us approximately US$300 per inspection, even if it only takes 10 minutes. We are trying to negotiate a more realistic charge from them, and if we succeed we will be able to undertake larger orders.
Shipments to the US are accompanied by an Exporter's Phytosanitary Certificate that meets the USDA requirements for tillandsia plants. The cost for this documentation is US$10 per shipment.
This information is provided in good faith, based on the information available to us. We cannot be responsible if regulations in your country have changed, and you should take our outline as a guide only, and check with your own agriculture officials before ordering.
last updated May 11, 2005