CSMS 50385642·Operational·December 14, 2021·View on csms.cbp.gov ↗

APHIS Will No Longer Accept Unoriginal Electronic Phytosanitary Certificates and PPQ203 Forms After December 31, 2021

Plain-English explanation

CSMS 50385642 is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Cargo Systems Messaging Service bulletin (operational), published on December 14, 2021. It carries the official CBP guidance brokers and importers must follow for the topic — "APHIS Will No Longer Accept Unoriginal Electronic Phytosanitary Certificates and PPQ203 Forms After December 31, 2021". CSMS messages are the operational layer between Commerce determinations and at-the-border collections: when Commerce publishes a new rate, scope ruling, or instruction, CBP turns it into a CSMS that ACE/ACS systems and brokers act on.

Message body

Full text as published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection

CSMS #50385642 - APHIS Will No Longer Accept Unoriginal Electronic Phytosanitary Certificates and PPQ203 Forms After December 31, 2021 U.S. Customs and Border Protection sent this bulletin at 12/14/2021 09:08 AM EST Cargo Systems Messaging Service CSMS #50385642 - APHIS Will No Longer Accept Unoriginal Electronic Phytosanitary Certificates and PPQ203 Forms After December 31, 2021 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), responded to the unprecedented challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic on trade by allowing importers of plant commodities to upload copies of phytosanitary certificates and forms. Starting January 1, 2022, APHIS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will accept only original phytosanitary certificates and forms for plant commodities. PPQ and CBP will continue to accept digital exchange of electronic phytosanitary certificates through the ePhyto system—a government-to-government sharing of electronic phytosanitary certificates. The APHIS Core message set supports the transmission of ePhytos. A paper certificate would not need to be presented for cargo clearance by U.S. officials if the certificate is an ePhyto with a proper declaration in the APHIS Core message set using the PG13/14 code AE1. Please review the list of participating ePhyto countries. Note: A trading partner that is marked “Yes” may choose to not send an ePhyto message set for a shipment. This could be due to limitations with the country’s system, outages, or other reasons. Acceptable phytosanitary certificates include: Certificates created through a participating country’s ePhyto system, or signed paper forms. Acceptable foreign site certificates of inspection and/or treatment include signed paper forms, signed copies of the master PPQ Form 203, and digitally signed electronic PPQ Form 203s. For more information about plant or plant product imports, email plantproducts.permits@usda.gov or call 1-877-770-5990. For questions about plant or plant product exports, contact your local export certification specialist or email ppqexportservices@usda.gov . PPQ is committed to facilitating the safe trade of agricultural products. We continue to closely monitor this evolving situation and will provide updates as needed. Be sure to regularly check the APHIS website for the latest information. ** Original APHIS Stakeholder Registry Message can be found here . Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page . You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com . This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Customs and Border Protection . Privacy Policy | GovDelivery is providing this information on behalf of U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and may not use the information for any other purposes. Powered by Privacy Policy | Cookie Statement | Help

Frequently asked questions

What is CSMS 50385642?

CSMS 50385642 is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Cargo Systems Messaging Service bulletin titled "APHIS Will No Longer Accept Unoriginal Electronic Phytosanitary Certificates and PPQ203 Forms After December 31, 2021". CSMS bulletins are the operational instructions CBP issues to brokers, importers, and ACE filers covering rate changes, system updates, scope guidance, and other day-to-day customs-operations changes.

When was CSMS 50385642 published?

CBP published CSMS 50385642 on December 14, 2021. The bulletin's instructions are typically operative as of the publication date unless the body specifies a different effective date.

Is the CBP CSMS the legally binding instruction?

Yes — for at-the-border filing and entry collection. CSMS messages translate Commerce's Federal Register determinations into operational CBP instructions that ACE/ACS systems and brokers execute. The Federal Register notice is the underlying legal authority; the CSMS is the operational implementation. Both should be read together when reconciling a rate or scope change.

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