Glossary—phytosanitary inspection certificate

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phytosanitary inspection certificate

In international trade, a certificate issued by the national agricultural agency (the USDA, APHIS, Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ), in the U.S.) confirming that a plant(s), seeds, or plant products are free of those insects and diseases which the destination country specifies. Such certificates are issued based either on direct examination by the PPQ (which is rare) or in exchange for another examination certificate issued by the state or country agricultural service. In certain instances, the USDA delegates the actual issuance of USDA phytosanitary certificates to a state or county agricultural agency. The blank forms, of which there are three versions depending upon the product/circumstance, are accountable by serial number, and are sold by the USDA (currently for $50 each), which includes both the form and the certification processing. The shipper or freight forwarder completes the form, inclusive of the shipment particulars, and then submits it to any USDA APHIS office, or a delegated state/county agricultural office, together with the underlying inspection document already issued by a state or county agricultural agency, which the USDA then retains. If the destination country has requested that phytosanitary certificates be issued only for shipments covered by an import license/import permit, the USDA will request a copy of the import permit/license as part of their processing to assure consistency; or, if no import license/permit is available, will note on the certificate that it was issued without reference to an import license.
Note: Although the term "phyto" relates to plant life, APHIS also uses their "phyto" sanitary certificate form for certain animal products, such as milk powder, even though such products are from animals, not plants. See also health certificate (used for live animals), sanitary inspection certificate (used with meat and animal products), EXCERPT.