Tillandsia (Air Plants) from Thailand: Why They Ship Well and What Buyers Abroad Ask Growers

Does Thailand grow tillandsia for export?

Thailand exports live bromeliads. No source counts how many are Tillandsia. Air plants are native to the Americas. There is no Tillandsia export line at Thai Customs. Each Thai grower is a separate supplier to check, not a known origin.

NC State Extension says Tillandsia are native to the southern USA, Mexico and South America. The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) 2024 country profile of Thailand lists bromeliads among the live plants traded.

other species traded include Dracaena, Sansevieria, Aglaonema, Plumeria, musas, and bromeliads.

Source: Country Profile Thailand, April 2024, AIPH, aiph.org.

AIPH does not record plants by species. Thai Customs splits HS 0602 into 8 digit lines: orchid seedlings, Hevea, fruit trees. No tillandsia line. Air plants go in the residual line 06029090 Other, with orchid plants. That line was worth 1,446,468,676 baht in 2025, which is not a tillandsia figure. A 2003 CITES Plants Committee paper names the Philippines, not Thailand, as the Asian origin of propagated xerographica.

Why do air plants ship well bare root?

Air plants take water through their leaves. Roots only hold on. No root ball, no soil to wash off. USDA has a rule of no growing media, and it asks nothing special of them.

In nature, the sole purpose of their roots is for attachment and they often grow on trees and rocks.

Source: Air Plants, Tillandsia, Illinois Extension, extension.illinois.edu.

NC State Extension notes that Tillandsia have holdfast roots, which cannot absorb enough water for the leaves. The USDA document for the genus is plain on growing media.

All plants for planting at the time of importation into the United States must be free of sand, soil, earth, and other growing media, unless meeting an exception to these conditions.

Source: Generally Admissible Herbaceous Plants for Planting, Genus Tillandsia, from Non-PCN Countries, USDA APHIS ACIR, acir.aphis.usda.gov.

Sphagnum moss is on the approved packing list. The plant must not be established or growing in it. Whole plants must be 18 inches (457 mm) or less from the soil line. Epiphytes may be established on coconut husks, coconut fiber, new clay pots, new wooden baskets, tree fern slabs, the last two with more conditions. For a plant mounted on anything else, ask the Plant Inspection Station before shipping.

Guide: which plants survive the flight from Thailand

Do air plants from Thailand need a USDA permit?

No USDA permit is required for up to 12 plants of a non-CITES species. For 13 or more plants the importer needs a PPQ 587 permit. Every box requires a Thai phytosanitary certificate. The three CITES species require a permit in any quantity.

Shipments of 12 or fewer plants for planting do not require a permit or a Green and Yellow Label (PPQ 508).

Source: Generally Admissible Herbaceous Plants for Planting, Genus Tillandsia, from Non-PCN Countries, USDA APHIS ACIR, acir.aphis.usda.gov.

Thailand is not on the APHIS list of countries with potato cyst nematode, so Non-PCN documents apply. The importer applies for a PPQ 587 in APHIS eFile. Only U.S. residents can apply, and it can take up to 2 months. The certificate must be original and issued no more than 15 days before shipment. USDA strongly prefers the genus, species or cultivar on the certificate, as well as the parents of a hybrid if known.

Guide: phytosanitary certificate in Thailand

Sources: USDA APHIS ACIR documents named in the table, acir.aphis.usda.gov.

Each container has a label with the genus and species. Plants of different species are kept in separate packaging. The packing list gives the scientific name to the lowest taxon. A line reading "assorted air plants" does not meet the requirements. Hawaii is separate: the generic Tillandsia document says plants are not admissible there.

Which tillandsia species are CITES-listed, and what does Appendix II mean for export from Thailand?

Three species are on Appendix II of CITES: harrisii, kammii, xerographica. The current Appendices are valid from 5 March 2026. On Appendix II the exporting country must issue an export permit or a certificate of artificial propagation for plants raised in cultivation before the box leaves the country.

Sources: Checklist of CITES Species, CITES Appendices, CITES Secretariat, cites.org; USDA APHIS ACIR.

The export of any specimen of a species included in Appendix II shall require the prior grant and presentation of an export permit.

Source: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, Article IV, CITES Secretariat, cites.org.

The Office of Plant Varieties Protection of the Department of Agriculture is responsible for issuing CITES permits in Thailand. They charge 100 THB per permit and the plant seller must show proof of origin. The plant grower must also confirm the export route with the Department of Agriculture.

The USA requires a USDA import permit and a CITES export permit from Thailand. CITES plants enter through a designated port only. An importer in the business of importing CITES plants must have a PPQ 621 Protected Plant Permit, which is valid for two years and costs 70 dollars. Each shipment must have its own CITES permit. Seeds, in vitro cultures and cut flowers of artificially propagated plants fall outside CITES under annotation #4. Live plants are covered.

In the USA a hybrid is treated like the CITES species in its lineage. Ask the grower for the parents before assuming a named hybrid is outside CITES.

In CITES Plants Committee papers of 2003 the Netherlands Scientific Authority said most Guatemalan xerographica declared artificially propagated should count as wild plants.

No positive advice can be given at the moment. No import permits should be issued for artificially propagated (A) Tillandsia xerographica from any country for the time being.

Source: PC13 Inf. 5, CITES Plants Committee, 13th meeting, August 2003, cites.org.

What should a buyer ask a Thai grower before ordering?

Ask for the species on each line, number per species, propagation record for CITES species, size of biggest plant, date of certificate. A grower who cannot answer is a risk.

Sources: USDA APHIS ACIR, acir.aphis.usda.gov; CITES Convention and PC13 Inf. 5, cites.org.

The buyer is responsible for obtaining the plant permits.

Buyers are responsible for ensuring sellers follow all shipping and labeling requirements listed in the permit.

Source: How To Buy Plants and Seeds Online, USDA APHIS, aphis.usda.gov.

Guides: sending plants from Thailand to US buyers, importing plants from Thailand: rules by country

What duty do air plants from Thailand pay in the USA?

The air plants are in the 0602 tariff class, the broker picks the 0602.90.40 herbaceous perennials rate which is 3.5 percent, or 0602.90.90 at 4.8 percent. Either way add the 12.5 percent Section 301 tariff on products of Thailand since 24 July 2026.

Sources: Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, Revision 21 (2026), hts.usitc.gov, USITC.

the Trade Representative has determined to impose 12.5 percent tariffs on products of Thailand

Source: Notice of Actions in Section 301 Investigations, Office of the United States Trade Representative, federalregister.gov.

NC State Extension calls tillandsias herbaceous perennial epiphytes, which points to 0602.90.40. CBP ruling HQ 950475 from 1991 put a tillandsia set in 0602, in subheadings that no longer exist. There is no ruling on the current subheading, so the broker classifies it. Since the CBP rule of 24 June 2026, goods of 800 dollars or less go through formal or informal entry by any mode except the international postal network.

Guide: US de minimis suspended, what it means for a parcel from Thailand

How Dragon Courier ships tillandsia from Thailand

Dragon Courier ships live plants from Thailand to the USA on its own Delivery Duty Paid plant service. We can send CITES plants to major markets such as the USA. We provide the phytosanitary certificate and CITES documents free of charge for the USA. We have an import permit for each market: please contact our team for a copy of the plants on our permit.

Plants go bare root with new sphagnum moss. Each plant has different requirements, so we recommend that the plant seller packs. We collect with an air conditioned van made for plants, with temperature control door to door. If customs holds the box we work with USDA and the plant seller in Thailand to get an urgent release.

Source: Dragon Plant Export Rate, valid 10 June 2026, inclusive of fuel surcharge.

Transit to the USA is 2 to 5 working days. The plant rate has a declared value limit of USD 1,000 per shipment to the USA. The shipper alone is responsible for declaration, value and compliance.

Claims and delays on live plants: terms and conditions. Guides: plant export from Thailand, plant export from Thailand in 2026, the numbers, shipping to the USA

About Dragon Courier

Dragon Courier is a family owned courier in Thailand with British heritage and more than 30 years of experience in logistics. It sends more than 20,000 shipments a month to over 200 destinations.

Contacts and drop-off

We need the plant names, the number of plants, the weight and the destination to work out the shipping cost. Call the office on +66 2656 9019, message Justin on LINE or WhatsApp +66 6-5937-0812, or email info@dragoncourier.com.

You can drop off until 5pm Monday to Saturday at our Bangkok office, which is located on Sukhumvit Soi 4 (217/3 Crystal Garden Building, 3rd floor, Klongtoey 10110). We can pick up on a date and time that suits you.

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