Follow the federal rules for importing your bird, or prepare to suffer its loss.
If you fancy pet birds, especially parrots, you may be considering an import. Several tropical nations carry out an active trade in birds favored by collectors in the U.S. and elsewhere. However, the federal government enforces some rather strict laws and regulations regarding the importation of live animals. If you don't follow the procedures laid out by the federal Department of Agriculture, your parrot may be put into quarantine or destroyed.
Instructions
1. Apply for the necessary permits. You will need a U.S. Department of Agriculture import permit (Form VS 17-129, linked below in Resources), which will be issued to you on completion of the quarantine reservation. In addition, you will need U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permits. Under the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992, in order to import a parrot or other protected species into the U.S., you must have lived outside the U.S. continuously for at least one year. You are limited to the import of two birds per year. Contact the USDA at 800-358-2104 for further information; if you are overseas, dial 703-358-2104.
2. Gather a health certificate from the bird's country of origin. The health certificate must be in English, dated within 30 days of transporting the bird, must be signed by a government veterinarian of the country of origin, and must certify that the bird is free of all communicable diseases. The USDA also bans birds that have been vaccinated against avian flu; the certificate must certify that this vaccination has not been carried out.
3. Reserve a 30-day quarantine period at an Animal Import Center by contacting a USDA veterinarian in New York, Miami or Los Angeles. The contact information is provided at the USDA website listed below under References. Pay the reservation fee. The facility will then issue the import permit, for which you have already applied. Keep the permit with you at all times when transporting the bird.
4. Arrive at a designated quarantine port where you made the reservation. The USDA does not permit non-U.S. birds to arrive at any other port of entry. You may not arrive at a different U.S. port of entry and then transit to the quarantine port.
5. Retrieve your bird and verify that it has passed the quarantine. Obtain the necessary permit from your state or locality, if necessary. All states have their own regulations on the importation of birds and some, such as Hawaii, ban the import of exotic or tropical birds altogether. Check with your state's animal welfare agency or veterinary office for the necessary procedure and permits.
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