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Post by wollastoni on Mar 22, 2016 17:47:40 GMT
Anyone could update me on the legislation for private collectors to import insects in the USA ?
One US user of Collector's Secret is asking me : "Do I have to posses an importers license plus a 100$ per order customs fee in addition to the bid?"
My questions :
- Does this importers license and inspection fees apply to private collectors ?
- I guess this importers license applies only for parcels coming only from outside of USA. Do Canadian and EU parcels also required such importers license ? - the 100 USD fee per order custom is a reality or myth ? Especially for small parcel with one or two specimens - are insect exchanges concerned by this ?
US should be a liberal country... in terms of dead insect trading, it may be the most protectionist one. Have to check North Korea though 
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Post by Adam Cotton on Mar 22, 2016 21:59:15 GMT
I think the magic number may be 8. I understood from earlier posts on Insectnet that if there are less than 8 specimens in a parcel sent by post no import licence is required.
Adam.
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Post by Paul K on Mar 23, 2016 4:39:57 GMT
Friend of mine we have collected together in F.Guiana he waited 3 months to have released his specimens by USFWS from "inspection" and he has all his application and papers ready for them upon arrival.
My specimens has been almost confiscated as I spend one night at Miami airport for travel transfer and had no import permit to US ( traveling to Canada not US though ).
USA is the most ridiculous country as it comes to their insect laws.
Paul
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Post by jshuey on Mar 23, 2016 13:06:41 GMT
I have bugs mailed to me in the US on a regular basis. I have never had a problem - and they never go through a customs inspection. I am probably taking a chance here - and might loose a trade someday. They're just bugs, so no big deal.
As Paul notes, carrying bugs through airports is a different matter. But again - all you have to do is follow the rules, have all your paperwork in place and all is smooth. Calling ahead and notifying FWS of your exact arrival information is critical. That seems to insure that they never show up, and you just breeze through with an agricultural inspection (all they care about is do you have a copy of the paperwork that they can hand off to FWS, and that the insects are dead).
It's worth noting that FWS service feels that their job is to enforce global laws on wildlife trade. There are actually very few laws against collecting insects in the US (endangered species and state/national parks aside). Most people run into problems with Lacey Act and CITES regulations - and all the US laws say is that we will enforce other country's laws regarding wildlife. That means if you need a permit to collect species A in country X - you'd better have your paperwork in order.
john
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Post by exoticimports on Mar 24, 2016 12:16:55 GMT
That means if you need a permit to collect species A in country X - you'd better have your paperwork in order.
john
Easier said than done:
USFWS "How do I know this export paperwork isn't forged?"
another time: USFWS "Well, we're going to call and make sure you're ligit" I note the address on the USFWS international agency contact list ME "good luck. That building burned down four years ago and hasn't been replaced"
And on and on....
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Post by jshuey on Mar 25, 2016 13:01:51 GMT
That means if you need a permit to collect species A in country X - you'd better have your paperwork in order.
john
Easier said than done:
USFWS "How do I know this export paperwork isn't forged?"
another time: USFWS "Well, we're going to call and make sure you're ligit" I note the address on the USFWS international agency contact list ME "good luck. That building burned down four years ago and hasn't been replaced"
And on and on....
They do suggest that you contact them in advance of returning to the US, and that if possible, you fax them a copy of your permits. I know that is sometimes difficult - as in the permit is often picked up once you are in the host country (and it can be difficult to send copies from there).
It's worth noting that I am not a commercial importer - so I don't move into the US bugs more than a couple of times per year. But I have never experienced any of the problems others mention and over the years this includes perhaps 35 trips to Latin America. During the heart of the Belize work, we'd come back with perhaps 20,000+ dead insects on each trip (mostly beetles packed in alcohol). No problemo.
Like I said, when I jump through all the hoops, there is never a FWS staffer present to meet me at the airport..., and I breeze right through.
John
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Post by Paul K on Mar 25, 2016 13:26:39 GMT
John, what if you would go to let say any South American country for vacation and collect at the same time lets say 30 butterflies, no permit to collect there no export permit from that country ?
Just my curiosity as I will never travel again via USA anyway
Paul
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Post by jshuey on Mar 25, 2016 15:25:24 GMT
Hi Paul,
I think that essentially everything I do would be the same - only in place of my permits, I'd document that the country in question has no collecting regulations(and I'd send that info to the appropriate FWS person in advance just like I would my permits). One thing I forgot to mention, is that I always call the appropriate office before I send my information to them. That way it goes to a specific person at that office. I use a fax to send it to them, and I keep the fax receipt as part of my records that I sent it in advance (to that specific agent).
I'd have copies of all this plus my import form (form 3-177) in hand when I came through the airport. Like I said - FWS is really never there to greet me, so I get routed through the agricultural inspection line, they look at the bugs to make sure that they are dead (usually an X-ray and a 30-second glance is all they do), I hand them copies of my paperwork to pass on to FWS (this often confuses them, so I'm guessing that they typically just throw most of this away - but occasionally they seem to realize that these are required forms). AS long as I manage to catch my next flight, I don't care what they do with it!
John
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Post by Paul K on Mar 25, 2016 16:10:28 GMT
John , you misunderstood me .
You need permit to collect , but you don't have one cause you just went there for vacation not to collect but being there you found some nice specimens and you want to bring them with you.
Paul
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Post by jshuey on Mar 25, 2016 16:26:31 GMT
John , you misunderstood me . You need permit to collect , but you don't have one cause you just went there for vacation not to collect but being there you found some nice specimens and you want to bring them with you. Paul
Indeed - I misunderstood you.
I would wonder what my son might do, if a few dead insects were found in his luggage by accident? But generally - they don't let me take an insect net with us on vacation because of the odds of such accidents happening!
j
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wolf
Aurelian
Posts: 132
Country: Norway
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Post by wolf on Mar 26, 2016 9:50:42 GMT
When i was in Peru i had with me butterflies back, we landed in New York and had a 10h wait there before we flew back to EU. I had checked off in the declaration that i had insects with me and everything the security guy asked me was if the insects where dead or alive. I told him they were dead and he said it was all ok and let us through. He didn't ask to inspect or anything.
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jck
New Aurelian
Posts: 5 
Country: U.S.A.
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Post by jck on May 17, 2016 2:12:07 GMT
Hey guys, I am new to this forum and this topic is exactly what I was looking for. I just recently started collecting and my soft spot is Ornithoptera. Over the last 8 months of so, I have accumulated about 30. My dilemma is that I just found out that I could get in big trouble for this! I was unaware about all the paperwork, permits, etc. I reside in the US, and ordered all of these from Ebay without a second thought! Yes, very naive of me. So, at this point I have a wall of protected butterflies in my apartment and am freaking out on what to do. Do I turn them in and face huge fines?, do I keep my mouth shut and just enjoy them? I am not sure how these sellers on ebay are getting away with selling these, but now I am not exactly sure what to do. Any advise would be great. Thank you.
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Post by wollastoni on May 17, 2016 7:23:37 GMT
I would contact the USFW authorities and explain them, it seems the best thing to do.
Print them the ebay bills and item descriptions.
They may fine you but at least you won't have your home raided by agents who will find CITES specimens without permits... which could mean big troubles.
Then you should better purchase your Ornithoptera to serious dealers with permits or collect non-protected genera, they are millions of them, and most of them are more interesting than the Ornithoptera genus.
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Post by Paul K on May 17, 2016 12:18:09 GMT
I maybe wrong but the CITES permits are only needed for insects traded from country to country.
If you are buying a specimen in the same country no permits required, therefore if you already have the specimen in your possession I would not worry too much.
For example if I buy birdwings in Canada within country no dealer supply CITES permits as it is not required .
BTW you are very lucky that US customs did not check your orders , not one but thirty ?!
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Post by wollastoni on May 17, 2016 12:24:20 GMT
Not sure about this Paul... You must be sure that this specimen has been correctly imported to Canada in the origin. Anyway jck, you should contact USFW to be sure. Better safe than sorry. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ICF advertising :
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