How to Obtain a USDA APHIS Permit (VS Import Permit)

No, they are two separate agencies and two separate applications. FDA registers the facility and reviews the label; USDA APHIS reviews the product's animal disease risk and issues the import permit. Products with animal-origin ingredients often need both.

First, the APHIS VS Permitting Assistant tool is used to determine whether the product requires a permit; then an eAuthentication account is opened and the application is filed through APHIS eFile with VS Form 16-3. A veterinary health certificate from the country of origin and the details of a U.S. importer are added to the application.

No. According to APHIS’s own notice, new and renewal applications have been filed through APHIS eFile since May 31, 2022. Content describing ePermits is outdated.

Pet food and chew products with animal-derived ingredients are likely to require a permit. The definitive answer depends on the product type, animal source and degree of processing; we classify the product through the VS Permitting Assistant and confirm the result in writing.

The permit runs through the party importing into the U.S., and the application requires an Importer of Record. The importer of record is your own U.S. company or your U.S. buyer; we handle importer registration and the customs bond on its behalf.

The permit is required but not sufficient on its own. On the customs side, importer registration and a customs bond are needed, and food products also require Prior Notice. If these steps are missing, a shipment may be held even with a permit in place.

Timing depends on the product class and APHIS’s workload at the time; there is no guaranteed figure. In practice, the most common causes of delay are an incomplete product description in the application and a late veterinary certificate.

Yes. The USDA permit can be obtained on its own; FDA registration, label review, customs bond and shipping coordination can be added to the same package as needed.

No. The USDA APHIS permit (VS 16-3) is an import permit that allows an animal-derived product to enter the U.S. USDA Organic (NOP) is a certification for selling a product as organic, issued after inspection by independent bodies accredited by USDA. A non-organic pet food may need an APHIS permit but not an organic certificate; an organic olive oil needs an organic certificate but not an APHIS permit.

For pet food and animal-derived food, the most reliable order is: first the FDA registration of the production facility and the US Agent appointment, then packaging prepared to U.S. labeling rules, and finally the USDA APHIS permit application. Since the permit application asks for facility and product details, settling registration and labeling first keeps the file consistent from the start and reduces the risk of follow-up correspondence.

In the U.S., pet food labels are prepared according to FDA rules and the AAFCO model regulations adopted by most states. The label includes the product name, net quantity, guaranteed analysis (protein, fat, fiber, moisture), ingredient list, feeding directions and manufacturer or distributor information. We can run the label compliance review in the same package as the USDA permit and FDA registration.