Orchid Flasks From Thailand to the USA: No Import Permit, One Certificate and the CITES Fine Print

Do orchid flasks need a USDA import permit?

There is no USDA permit required. On APHIS's 'Plants and Seeds That Do Not Require a Permit' list are sterile orchid plant cultures. So no PPQ 587 (most plants for planting require this). The exemption is older than 2018 and still valid in 2026.

(a)(1) Plants for planting may be imported or offered for importation into the United States only after issuance of a written permit by the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs, except as provided in the Plants for Planting Manual.

Source: 7 CFR 319.37-5(a)(1), Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, current text.

This exemption comes from 7 CFR 319.37-5(a)(1): plants for planting need a written permit, except as provided in the Plants for Planting Manual. The Manual lists 'Sterile cultures of orchid plants'. So does the APHIS page for online plant buyers, last modified 23 April 2026. The same exemption was in the 2017 text, 7 CFR 319.37-3. In 2018 APHIS moved the exemptions into the Manual and did not remove them.

Permit-exempt plants still enter only after oral authorization from the plant inspector at the port of entry (7 CFR 319.37-5(e)). APHIS tells the buyer that no permit is needed. There is some confusion online because another APHIS page lists orchids among protected, regulated plants. Many seller pages tell US buyers to apply for PPQ 587, nothing about flasks.

Sources: USDA APHIS; Electronic Code of Federal Regulations; CITES Secretariat; US International Trade Commission.

Do orchid flasks need a CITES permit?

No CITES permit required for most orchids. Orchids are CITES Appendix II, annotation #4. It excludes seedling or tissue cultures obtained in vitro, transported in sterile containers. For 9 CITES Appendix I orchid taxa including all Paphiopedilum and Phragmipedium, flasks are excluded only if seedlings are artificially propagated.

b) seedling or tissue cultures obtained in vitro transported in sterile containers;

Source: CITES Appendices I, II and III, valid from 5 March 2026, Orchidaceae, annotation #4, CITES Secretariat.

The words are not in the CITES text valid from 5 March 2026. CITES has updated their text, but older texts and seller pages may quote 'in solid or liquid media'. US law still uses the words in its definition of 'flasked' in 50 CFR 23.5. Same 2 conditions in both: seedlings from lab culture, travel in sterile container.

A US Fish and Wildlife import/export licence is not needed. It is for businesses importing wildlife. 50 CFR 10.12: "wildlife" means any wild animal. "Plants" have a separate definition in the same section.

What about slipper orchid flasks?

Seedling or tissue cultures obtained in vitro and transported in sterile containers are not subject to the provisions of the Convention only if the specimens meet the definition of 'artificially propagated' agreed by the Conference of the Parties.

Source: CITES Appendices I, II and III, valid from 5 March 2026, footnote P4, CITES Secretariat.

The orchids on CITES Appendix I are: Aerangis ellisii, Cattleya jongheana, Cattleya lobata, Dendrobium cruentum, Mexipedium xerophyticum, Paphiopedilum, Peristeria elata, Phragmipedium, Renanthera imschootiana. Their flasks are exempt under 50 CFR 23.92(c)(2) as flasked seedlings of Appendix I orchids that qualify as artificially propagated. Under 50 CFR 23.64 that means plants grown under controlled conditions from propagules exempt from CITES or from cultivated parental stock.

Check where the parent plants of the flask came from. Flasks sown from wild-collected plants do not qualify. Research by the Thai Department of Agriculture shows the risk of new species being declared as hybrids. Please ask the grower for information about the parent plants before paying.

What does the phytosanitary certificate have to say?

The plant protection organization in Thailand is the Department of Agriculture. The certificate must be issued no more than 15 days before the plants leave Thailand. It must state the genus of the plants. Orchid cultures are not on the list of plants exempt from having a phytosanitary certificate. This is in accordance with USDA APHIS 7 CFR 319.37-6(a).

(a) Phytosanitary certificates. Any plants for planting offered for importation into the United States must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate, except as described in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section. The phytosanitary certificate must identify the genus of the plants for planting it accompanies.

Source: 7 CFR 319.37-6(a), Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, current text.

There are a few exceptions, and a flask is not one of them. APHIS also asks for an invoice or packing list with the scientific names and quantities of plants. Please write the scientific names on the plant list.

A Thai Department of Agriculture report on slipper orchids says flask export only requires a phytosanitary certificate, no CITES permit is required. The Thai application does not ask for the species name. For the USA, they ask for the genus: for a mixed lot the phytosanitary certificate lists every genus in the box.

Guide: phytosanitary certificate in Thailand

What keeps a flask a flask under the rules?

The seedlings are grown in vitro, in a lab culture. They travel in a sterile container. They are growing in agar or similar medium. The US bans growing media on imported plants, and agar is one of the few exceptions.

Agar is not soil. Agar is a gel used to grow plants in vitro. The general rule says plants for planting arrive free of sand, soil, earth and other growing media, and APHIS allows plants growing solely in agar as an exception.

There is no official definition of sterile for a flask, nor does any text say what happens if it is opened, thinned, then closed again. The CITES annotation describes how seedlings are transported. A flask that is cracked, leaking or visibly contaminated on arrival is a question for the inspector. Ship it sealed as it left the lab. Deflasked and potted, the seedlings are ordinary orchid plants and plant rules apply.

Is there US duty on orchid flasks from Thailand?

Yes, on the 2026 schedule. Orchid plants are under HTS 0602.90.20.00 and are duty free at the general rate. Goods of Thailand are under Chapter 99 heading 9903.05.77 and attract an additional 12.5% duty. There is no Thai exemption for orchids in the schedule.

The duty provided in the applicable subheading + 12.5%

Source: Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, Chapter 99, heading 9903.05.77, Revision 20 (2026), US International Trade Commission.

No US Customs ruling names an orchid flask. The closest is NY I88912 of 26 November 2002: a hybrid dendrobium orchid in a closed cylindrical glass jar from Thailand, a cutting in agar, under 0602.90.2000, rate of duty free. The ruling is older than the Chapter 99 heading. The schedule changes often, so the rate is the one on the entry date. On a duty paid shipment the sender pays and the buyer pays nothing at delivery.

How Dragon Courier handles a flask order to the USA

We are the importer of record in the USA, we pay all customs costs including duty and tax. We provide a phytosanitary certificate free of charge on all USA shipments. Transit 2-5 working days.

Before booking we check the genus against our list of plants we can send to USA, please inquire for a copy of our plant list. The grower packs the plants and knows best how they should be packed. We also provide packaging. Plants go on the fastest flight with door to door temperature control.

USA plant rates, duty paid, are 1,591 THB for 1kg and 5,120 THB for 5kg, and the declared value per shipment is capped at 1,000 USD. Big flask orders may be sent as multiple shipments. Live plants are not insured and claims about the condition or appearance of plants are not accepted.

Guides: sending plants from Thailand to US buyers, orchid export from Thailand

About Dragon Courier

Dragon Courier is a family owned courier company based in Bangkok, Thailand. We have been in the logistics industry for over 30 years and send over 20,000 packages a month to more than 200 destinations. We are the number one exporter of live plants in Thailand. Our main plant markets are: USA, Canada, Europe, UK, Singapore, Hong Kong.

Contacts and drop-off

Please message Justin on LINE or WhatsApp +66 6-5937-0812 or email info@dragoncourier.com. The office is on +66 2656 9019. Please drop off until 5pm Monday to Saturday: Bangkok office Sukhumvit Soi 4 (217/3 Crystal Garden Building, 3rd floor, Klongtoey 10110), Chiang Mai office Viangbua Road. We can pick up at your nursery or lab, please provide the date and time that suits.

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