ADVISORY: Until further notice, there is a temporary ban on the importation of pet birds from Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Peoples' Republic of China, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and Vietnam.  The USDA defines pet birds as those that are imported for personal pleasure of their individual owners and are not intended for resale. Document and Quarantine Requirements: USDA import permit (VS Form17-129) Current Health Certificate issued by a full-time salaried veterinarian of the agency responsible for animal health of the national government in the exporting country of origin 30-day Quarantine in an USDA Animal Import Center Fish and Wildlife Services Certification (if necessary) How to Obtain an USDA Import Permit and Reserve Space at a Quarantine Center All non-U.S. origin pet birds imported into the United States (except from Canada) are required to be quarantined for 30 days in a USDA animal import quarantine facility at the owner's expense. A reservation at the facility must be made in advance by contacting the USDA port veterinarian at one of the special ports-of-entry listed below. A cost estimate for the quarantine will be provided at that time. Once the reservation is made and payment is received in full for all quarantine services, the animal import quarantine facility will issue a USDA import permit (VS Form17-129). This permit must accompany the bird while in transit.   USDA Quarantine Centers and Ports of Entry All non-U.S. origin pet birds must enter the country and undergo quarantine at one of the following import quarantine facilities. These are the only ports of entry available for importing non-U.S. origin pet birds.   New York, New York 230-59 Rockaway Blvd. Suite 101 Jamaica, NY 11413 Telephone (718) 553-1727 Fax (718) 553-7543       Miami Animal Import Center USDA-APHIS-VS 6300 NW 36 Street Miami, FL 33122 Telephone (305) 526-2926   Fax (305) 526-2929       Los Angeles, California Los Angeles International Airport 11850 South La Cienega Blvd.. Hawthorne, CA 90250 Telephone (310) 725-1970 Fax (310) 725-9119   Exporting Country Veterinary Health Certificate Requirements A veterinary health certificate is required for all pet birds imported into the United States. The certificate must: be issued and signed by a full-time salaried veterinarian of the agency responsible for animal health of the national government in the exporting country of origin be dated within 30 days of the time the bird is shipped to the United States must state that the bird has been examined and show no evidence of communicable diseases of poultry state that the bird is being exported in accordance with the laws of that country be in English, if not, a complete written English translation must be provided accompany the bird while in transit.   Fish and Wildlife Service Permit Information In the United States, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) regulates the importation of birds protected by the Convention on International trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 (WBCA). These regulations are part of international conservation effort to protect exotic wild birds subject to trade. Most exotic pet birds including parrots, parakeets, macaws, lories, and cockatoos are affected by CITES and the WBCA. However, the budgerigar, cockatiel, and rose-ringed parakeet are exempt.   According to the WBCA, in order to import a pet bird of non-U.S. origin into the United States, you must have continuously resided outside of the United States for at least one year. In addition, the WBCA limits the number of pet birds that can be imported to two birds per person, per year. All required WBCA and CITES permits must accompany the bird while in transit.   Please visit the FWS web site at: http://permits.fws.gov/ to obtain more information and the permit application. If you have questions you can contact the FWS at (800) 358-2104. Overseas calls should be placed to (703) 358-2104.   How to Contact Us If you need additional information about importing pet birds into the United States, please contact the USDA, APHIS, Veterinary Services National Center for Import and Export 4700 River Road, Unit 39 Riverdale, MD 20737 (301) 734-8364 telephone (301) 734-6402 fax