Importing bare-rooted plants into the United States (Other rules for importing from Canada)
I wanted to import iris rhizomes (note: absolutely no soil) from Iris-Cayeux in France. The only info on the Internet was the US Depart. Of Agriculture – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS). The information is rather confusing and sometimes contradictory. I called one of the numbers listed and was told that I didn't need a permit if I was importing 12 or less rhizomes. The magical "12" was, also, noted on the USDA-APHIS website. I decided to make "extra" sure that this was correct and tried 3 other phone numbers, none of which worked. A real live person, Simone, answered 301-851-2046 (no extension needed) and explained the entire process. My take away was it was very iffy shipping without a permit. Forget "12 or fewer." Here is the short form of the process: First apply online to get a Level 2 "eAuthentication Account." After you receive your Level 2 clearance, you can fill out online the FREE PPQ 587 (importing plants) form, which can take up to 30 BUSINESS days to process. My permit was approved in 3 days. A second email told me the procedure to follow. First, print out the green and yellow mailing labels. The commercial garden will affix this mailing label to the outside of the package so it is mailed to a USDA Plant Inspection Station. The commercial grower will include in the package a copy of your permit, a list of the contents, a phytosanitary certificate which is provided by the grower, and a new label with your address + pre-paid postage. After the rhizomes are inspected, your address label and postage will be placed on the package for shipment from the Inspection Station to your address. So, yes, I need to mail these items to the commercial grower. I am anxious to see how this all pans out.

I had been thinking of doing the same, and I found out the same info. Please let us know how it goes. I decided not to do it.

I just got a shipment from Thailand today with plumeria and adeniums. Ten plants total and there were not any problems. No permit. I have done this a few times in the last 3-4 years. Maybe I have been lucky. Plants looked great. I always use EMS shipping for faster delivery even though it costs a little more. Well worth it.

Hi, I was very nervous about successfully importing iris rhizomes. I am very happy to report that my order of 30 iris rhizomes from iris-cayeux near Paris arrived a couple of weeks ago. Some of the rhizomes were doubles and even a couple of triples. $30 for shipping the box from the grower to Calif. So this is the entire process, which I have verified for accuracy:

Importing rhizomes falls under the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

First, these instructions seem very complicated. They aren't. The permitting process is FREE. And you may be very surprised at the cost of rhizomes and of shipping from Europe. Please read on. . .

The website has recently been greatly revamped and is much more user friendly, thank goodness. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aph...

The entire process is done online. You must apply for the free permit, PPQ587. Some of the literature says 12 or fewer items don't need a permit, but you would be wise to apply for it regardless of the number of plants you wish to import. Note: Exporting or importing between Canada and the US is a different process.

If you are REALLY curious, the 1400-page online manual is daunting.

PPQ 587 is the "Application for Permit to Import Plants or Plant Products." Search: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aph... . Fill out the short form and submit it. Next, you will establish an account which has some rather "unique" security questions.

After submitting your application and establishing your account, you will get via email approval for a permit along with a few pages explaining the next step. The sheets will require you to print out the GREEN and GOLD label. This label will have an address for shipment from the foreign grower to the US Plant Inspection Station (there are 14) which is closest to your home. It usually takes less than a week for the plant inspection station to check the box's contents and forward the box to you. Note: yes, there is a "Precertification" process but it applies to almost nothing.

Next, ask the grower to give you the approximate weight of the plant material and the box. Go to your local post office and get enough postage and some extra to cover the cost of shipping the box from the plant inspection station to your home.

Then mail these items to the grower:
1. A copy of your approved permit, which will go inside the box being shipped
2. The green and gold label with a note to the exporter to put the label on the exterior of the box when it is shipped. The box must go to the plant inspection station first before going to you.
3. A shipping label with your address, phone number, and email address (in case there is a problem). Place your postage stamps on this label. The plant inspection station will take this label out of the box when they inspect the contents. After the inspection, this new label will go on top of the green and gold label so the box can then be sent to your home. Again, tell the grower to put this label inside of the box being sent.

In addition to the above, the grower will place inside the box an inventory of the contents, the botanical name, and a phytosanitary certificate of inspection, which is issued by the national plant protection of the exporting country.

Once you understand this process, try it out. You may be surprised at the lower cost of high quality plants from elsewhere and the shipping from the grower to the US. Good luck!

Thank you very much @marysp for posting this info. I will save it for another day, when I want to import from other countries in the future.

An additional note: A couple of members of Facebook's Iris Lovers Group mentioned high fees (approaching $100) for getting the USDA permit to import. There are business that charge you to get the FREE permit. Their ads pop up on the Internet before the USDA site does. USDA was extremely (understatement!) difficult to understand the process. The website has very recently been greatly improved but it still requires a lot of mental processing. That is why I detailed the process step by step. Ultimately a very helpful agent explained the initial part of the import process. Yes, the permit is FREE. Try following my outline.

Some folks asked what the botanical name for iris was. Iris-cayeux put "Iris Barbata" on their inventory. Note: When filling out the permit application, you need to list which station you what the box sent to. Pick the one closest to your home: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aph...