Import permits for horses and for horse specimens for diagnostic purposes; reservation fees for space at quarantine facilities maintained by APHIS.
9 C.F.R. § 93.304
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01(a) Application for permit; reservation required. (1)(i) For horses from or transiting regions listed in § 93.301(c)(1) of the regulations, horses intended for quarantine at a Federal quarantine or privately owned quarantine facility, and horse test specimens for diagnostic screening purposes, intended for importation from any part of the world, the importer shall first apply for and obtain from APHIS an import permit. The application shall specify the name and address of the importer; the species, breed, number or quantity of horses or horse test specimens to be imported; the purpose of the importation; individual horse identification which includes a description of the horse, name, age, markings, if any, registration number, if any, and tattoo or eartag; the region of origin; the name and address of the exporter; the port of embarkation in the foreign region; the mode of transportation, route of travel, and the port of entry in the United States; the proposed date of arrival of the horses or horse test specimens to be imported; and the name of the person to whom the horses or horse test specimens will be delivered and the location of the place in the United States to which delivery will be made from the port of entry. Additional information may be required in the form of certificates concerning specific diseases to which the horses are susceptible, as well as vaccinations or other precautionary treatments to which the horses or horse test specimens have been subjected, or other attestation regarding the health of the animals. Notice of any such requirements will be given to the applicant in each case.
(ii) Horses intended for importation under § 93.301(f)(1) of this part must meet the permit requirements of paragraph (a)(1)(i) of this section. Additionally, for horses intended for importation under § 93.301(f)(1) of this part, the horse's owner or importer must include the following information with the application for permit that is required by paragraph (a)(1)(i) of this section:
(A) That the application is being made for a horse that will remain in the United States for no more than 90 days;
(B) The names, dates, and locations of the events in which the horse will compete while in the United States;
(C) The names and locations of the premises on which the horse will be kept while in the United States, and the dates the horse will be kept on each premises; and
(D) The methods and routes by which the horse will be transported while in the United States.
(iii) Horses intended for importation under § 93.301(f)(2) must meet the permit requirements of paragraph (a)(1)(i) of this section. Additionally, for horses intended for importation under § 93.301(f)(2), the horse's owner or importer must include the following information with the application for permit that is required by paragraph (a)(1)(i) of this section:
(A) The individual identifying information required in paragraph (a)(1)(i) of this section for all horses to be imported.
(B) The permanent electronic identification of each horse to be imported, if applicable. In the event that a horse has permanent electronic identification, the horse must be accompanied by a compatible reader.
(C) Photographs (head and lateral views) that are sufficient to identify each horse on an electronic medium approved by APHIS.
(D) The proposed total length of stay in the United States.
(E) A description of the shows or events in which the horse will perform while in the United States.
(F) The names, dates, and locations of the venues in which the horse will perform while in the United States.
(G) The names and locations of the premises on which the horse will be kept while in the United States, and the dates the horse will be kept on each premises.
(H) The methods and routes by which the horse will be transported while in the United States.
(I) A written plan for handling sick or injured horses that includes:
(1) The name, address, and phone number of each accredited veterinarian who will provide veterinary services in the United States;
(2) The name, address, and phone number of medical facilities to be used to diagnose or treat sick or injured horses while in the United States; and
(3) A plan to return sick or injured horses to performance condition.
(J) An application for a trust fund or escrow account agreement with APHIS in accordance with § 93.301(f)(12).
(iv) Approval of an application for a permit to import a horse under § 93.301(f) of this part is contingent upon a determination by the Administrator that sufficient APHIS personnel are available to provide the services required. If more than one application for an import permit is received, APHIS personnel will be assigned in the order that applications that otherwise meet the requirements of this section are received.
(2) An application for permit to import horses from regions listed in § 93.301(c)(1) or horses intended for quarantine at a privately owned quarantine facility, may also be denied because of: Communicable disease conditions in the area or region of origin, or in a region where the shipment has been or will be held or through which the shipment has been or will be transported; deficiencies in the regulatory programs for the control or eradication of animal diseases and the unavailability of veterinary services in the above mentioned regions; the importer's failure to provide satisfactory evidence concerning the origin, history, and health status of the horses; the lack of satisfactory information necessary to determine that the importation will not be likely to transmit any communicable disease to livestock or poultry of the United States; or any other circumstances which the Administrator believes require such denial to prevent the dissemination of any communicable disease of livestock or poultry into the United States.
(3)(i) The importer or importer's agent shall pay or ensure payment of a reservation fee for each lot of horses to be quarantined in a facility maintained by USDA. For horses, the reservation fee shall be 100 percent of the cost of providing care, feed, and handling during quarantine, as estimated by the quarantine facility's veterinarian in charge.
(ii) At the time the importer or the importer's agent requests a reservation of quarantine space, the importer or importer's agent shall pay the reservation fee by check or U.S. money order or ensure payment of the reservation fee by an irrevocable letter of credit from a commercial bank (the effective date on such letter of credit shall run to 30 days after the date the horses are scheduled to be released from quarantine); except that anyone who issues a check to the Department for a reservation fee which is returned because of insufficient funds shall be denied any further request for reservation of a quarantine space until the outstanding amount is paid.
(iii) Any reservation fee paid by check or U.S. money order shall be applied against the expenses incurred for services received by the importer or importer's agent in connection with the quarantine for which the reservation was made. Any part of the reservation fee which remains unused after being applied against the expenses incurred for services received by the importer or the importer's agent in connection with the quarantine for which the reservation was made, shall be returned to the individual who paid the reservation fee. If the reservation fee is ensured by a letter of credit, the Department will draw against the letter of credit unless payment for services received by the importer or importer's agent in connection with the quarantine is otherwise made at least 3 days prior to the expiration date of the letter of credit.
(iv) Any reservation fee shall be forfeited if the importer or the importer's agent fails to present for entry, within 24 hours following the designated time of arrival, the horse for which the reservation was made: Except that a reservation fee shall not be forfeited if the Administrator determines that services, other than provided by carriers, necessary for the importation of the horses within the required period are unavailable because of unforeseen circumstances as determined by the Administrator (such as the closing of an airport due to inclement weather or the unavailability of the reserved space due to the extension of another quarantine).
(v) If the reservation fee was ensured by a letter of credit and the fee is to be forfeited under paragraph (a)(3)(iv) of this section, the Department will draw against the letter of credit unless the reservation fee is otherwise paid at least 3 days prior to the expiration date of the letter of credit.
(vi) If a reservation is canceled, the importer or the importer's agent will be charged a fee according to the following schedule:
(vii) If the reservation fee was ensured by a letter of credit, the Department will draw the amount of the cancellation fee against the letter of credit unless the cancellation fee is otherwise paid at least 3 days prior to the expiration date of the letter of credit.
(b) Permit. (1) When a permit is issued, the original and two copies will be sent to the importer. It shall be the responsibility of the importer to forward the original permit and one copy to the shipper in the region of origin, and it shall also be the responsibility of the importer to ensure that the shipper presents the copy of the permit to the carrier and makes the necessary arrangements for the original permit to accompany the shipment to the specified U.S. port of entry for presentation to the collector of customs.
(2) Horses and horse test specimens for which a permit is required under paragraph (a) of this section will be received at the port of entry specified on the permit within the time prescribed in the permit, which shall not exceed 14 days from the first day that the permit is effective.
(3) Horses and horse test specimens for which a permit is required under paragraph (a) of this section will not be eligible for entry if:
(i) A permit has not been issued for the importation of the horse or horse test specimen;
(ii) If the horse or horse test specimen is unaccompanied by the permit issued for its importation;
(iii) If the horse or horse test specimen is shipped from any port other than the one designated in the permit;
(iv) If the horse or horse test specimen arrives in the United States at any port other than the one designated in the permit;
(v) If the horse or horse test specimen offered for entry differs from that described in the permit; or
(vi) If the horse or horse test specimen is not handled as outlined in the application for the permit and as specified in the permit issued.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-9.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026