Plant Export Terminology Explained: What CITES, Phytosanitary Certificates and Import Permits Actually Mean
Plant Export Terminology Explained: What CITES, Phytosanitary Certificates and Import Permits Actually Mean
A box of plants can be packed, weighed and sitting on the loading dock, and still not fly, because one word on a form was never settled. Plant shipments carry more paperwork than almost anything else that leaves an airport, and the words on that paperwork are not interchangeable. A phytosanitary certificate is not an import permit. A CITES document is not a customs code. Mixing them up is the single most common reason a plant shipment sits at the border instead of moving through it.
Dragon Courier, a Bangkok-based courier and the number one exporter of live plants in Thailand, files this paperwork on every plant shipment it sends. Below is what each term actually means, in plain language, grouped by the point in the shipment where it matters. The full process, step by step, is covered in Dragon Courier's guide to exporting live plants from Thailand.
Paperwork that starts in Thailand
A phytosanitary certificate is the official document a national plant protection organization issues to confirm a plant shipment meets the destination country's pest and disease requirements before it leaves the country of origin. The International Plant Protection Convention sets the standard for what the document must contain (International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 12, ippc.int).
In Thailand that organization is the Department of Agriculture. The application goes through the e-Phyto system: register on the National Single Window at nsw.doa.go.th, file a P.Q.7 form, get the plants inspected (Criteria and procedure for the inspection and issuance of phytosanitary certificates for export, Department of Agriculture, thailand.go.th). The certificate that comes back travels with the shipment. Without it, most destination countries refuse the box outright. Dragon Courier arranges the certificate on every plant shipment, free of charge for the USA and the UK, so this side of the paperwork never lands on the customer.
The customs code that classifies what is actually inside the box is separate from any pest paperwork. Live plants fall under Chapter 6 of the Harmonized System, the international classification "goods (including seedling vegetables) of a kind commonly supplied by nursery gardeners or florists for planting or for ornamental use" (Harmonized System, trade.gov). Customs authorities on both ends use this code to route the shipment to the right inspection queue, separate from the pest and disease checks the phytosanitary certificate covers.
Rules that decide entry on the other side
An import permit is the destination country's own authorization, issued by its government, separate from anything Thailand signs off on. ISPM No. 5, the IPPC's glossary of phytosanitary terms, defines it as an:
> "official document authorizing importation of a commodity in accordance with specified phytosanitary import requirements"
Source: Glossary of Phytosanitary Terms, ISPM No. 5, ippc.int.
For the USA, most plants for planting need form PPQ 587, filed through the APHIS eFile portal. One application covers up to 500 articles or commodities under a single reference number. The portal itself warns that approval can run longer than the 30 days importers are told to plan for, sometimes closer to two months. Dragon Courier holds an import permit covering the plants on its list for every market it serves, and a customer sending through Dragon Courier does not file this form.
CITES sits alongside the import permit and only applies to species named on its lists, and only for the markets where Dragon Courier ships live plants. Appendix I covers species "threatened with extinction," where trade is authorized only in exceptional circumstances. Appendix II covers species not yet endangered but at risk if trade goes unregulated, the category holding almost every orchid in commercial trade. Appendix III is narrower still: species one country already protects and lists so other governments will cooperate on enforcement (The CITES Appendices, cites.org). An Appendix II shipment typically needs only Thailand's export permit. Appendix I adds an import authorization from the destination country's wildlife agency on top of it. Dragon Courier sends CITES documentation free of charge to major markets including the USA, and handles other destinations on request.
Some plants entering the USA are held back for post-entry quarantine even after customs clears the paperwork. APHIS's definition:
> "the inspection and quarantine growing period following admission of certain plants for planting at a port of entry, to verify whether or not the plants are infected or infested with quarantine pests"
Source: Postentry Quarantine, aphis.usda.gov.
The hold applies only to specific high-risk taxa named in the Plants for Planting Manual, not to every shipment, and where it applies the growing period generally runs two years under the regulation that sets it (7 CFR 319.37-23). Seeds are exempt.
Buying a plant from an overseas nursery online does not move this paperwork onto the seller. U.S. Customs and Border Protection ties import responsibility to the importer of record, the party that must ensure the entry is correct and settle any duties, taxes and fees owed on it (Importer Numbers, help.cbp.gov). A private buyer who orders directly and clears the shipment personally is the importer of record for that box. Dragon Courier's plant-export customers do not carry that role. Permits, certificates and the customs entry are handled as part of the service.
What inspectors are actually checking
Bare-root describes a plant shipped with no soil, sand or other growing medium around its roots, typically wrapped in damp material to keep the roots from drying out in transit. The reason is regulatory, not cosmetic: soil is separately prohibited on imports into the USA and controlled under its own quarantine rule, "because it can readily provide a pathway for the introduction of a variety of dangerous organisms" that an inspection at the border might not catch (Plant Quarantine Programs, aphis.usda.gov). Dragon Courier ships plants bare-root, packed in new sphagnum moss, for every plant shipment it sends.
A quarantine pest is the specific risk all of the above paperwork exists to screen for. ISPM No. 5 again:
> "a pest of potential economic importance to the area endangered thereby and not yet present there, or present but not widely distributed and being officially controlled"
The phytosanitary certificate confirms the plant left Thailand without one. The import permit and, where it applies, post-entry quarantine confirm the destination country checked again after arrival.
Term | Who issues or enforces it | Where it bites in the shipment |
|---|---|---|
Phytosanitary certificate | Department of Agriculture, Thailand | Before export, attached to the box |
HS code (plant chapter) | Customs, both ends | Classification at every border crossing |
Import permit | Destination government | Entry clearance on arrival |
CITES (Appendix I, II, III) | Both governments, species-specific | Only when the species is listed |
Post-entry quarantine | APHIS (USA), specific taxa only | After clearance, a growing period |
Importer of record | Destination customs authority | Whoever is legally answerable for the entry |
Bare-root | Destination plant health rules | How the roots are packed |
Quarantine pest | National plant protection organizations | The risk every certificate above screens for |
How Dragon Courier handles it
Dragon Courier files the phytosanitary certificate and the CITES documents where a species requires them, free of charge for major markets including the USA and the UK. The import permit on file with Dragon Courier already covers the plants it ships to each market, so the customer does not apply for one directly. Every plant ships bare-root in fresh sphagnum moss, on a door to door temperature-controlled route, on the fastest available flight. If a shipment is held at customs, Dragon Courier works directly with agencies such as USDA and the plant seller in Thailand to move it through, and delays of this kind are rare because clearance is usually completed the same day the shipment is presented. Delivery generally takes two to four working days, depending on the market. Species not on the current import permit, or with country-specific restrictions, are worth checking with the team before booking. More common questions on plant shipping are answered on the FAQ page.
About Dragon Courier
Dragon Courier is a Bangkok-based international courier shipping from Thailand to over 200 destinations. The business started in tailoring 30 years ago and has run under the same management team for most of that time. Today that is more than 20,000 shipments a month, duty and tax included on the main markets.
Contacts and drop-off
The contents of the box and where it is going are enough to get a quote. Office +66 2656 9019, WhatsApp and LINE at +66 6-5937-0812, or info@dragoncourier.com.
Drop-off runs until 17:00, Monday to Saturday, at the Bangkok office on Sukhumvit Soi 4 (217/3 Crystal Garden Building, 3rd floor, Klongtoey 10110) or the Chiang Mai office on Viangbua Road. A pickup can be arranged in Bangkok and Pattaya for a date and time that suits.
What is a phytosanitary certificate and who issues it for a shipment leaving Thailand?
It is the document Thailand's Department of Agriculture issues before export, through the e-Phyto system, confirming the plants meet the destination country's pest and disease rules. Dragon Courier arranges it on every plant shipment it sends, free of charge for the USA and the UK.
What is the difference between a CITES permit and an import permit?
CITES only applies to species on its protected lists and covers trade risk to that species specifically. An import permit is broader: the destination country's general authorization for bringing plants in, required regardless of CITES status. A shipment can need one, both or neither depending on the species and the market.
Does buying a plant from an overseas seller make the buyer the importer of record?
Yes, for a private purchase cleared directly by the buyer. U.S. Customs and Border Protection holds the importer of record responsible for the entry and any duties owed on it. Dragon Courier's plant-export customers do not carry this role, since permits and the customs entry are handled as part of the service.
Does post-entry quarantine apply to every plant shipped to the USA?
No. It applies only to specific high-risk taxa named in APHIS's Plants for Planting Manual, not to plant shipments generally. Where it does apply, the growing period is generally two years under federal regulation, and seeds are exempt from the requirement entirely.
Why do plants ship bare-root instead of in soil?
Soil is separately prohibited on plant imports into markets such as the USA and regulated under its own quarantine rule, because it can carry pests and pathogens an inspection might miss. Dragon Courier ships plants bare-root, wrapped in fresh sphagnum moss, to meet this requirement on every market it serves.
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