Update on APHIS' Phased Implementation of ePermits System for Imports, Etc.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a news release announcing that on July 3, 2006, the ePermits system was expanded to include online applications for permits issued by Veterinary Services' (VS) National Center for Import and Export.
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APHIS first launched ePermits on April 3, 2006. (See ITT's Online Archives or 04/07/06 news, 06040705, for earlier BP summary APHIS' planned phased implementation of the ePermits system.)
(According to APHIS, ePermits is a Web-based tool that gives customers the ability to apply for a permit, check its status, view it online, and receive copies of permits through the internet. In addition to online applications, ePermits features a payment engine that allows customers to pay permit application fees by credit card, when applicable, as part of the online process. ePermits also enables Federal regulatory officials to issue, track, and rapidly verify the validity of import permits, thus reducing data-entry, processing, and delivery time and expense.)
Details of APHIS' Four Planned ePermits Releases
APHIS has issued additional details concerning its phased implementation of ePermits. In addition to the April and July 2006 releases, APHIS has planned two future releases. Details of the four releases are as follows:
April 3, 2006. In the initial launch of ePermits, APHIS added the following Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) forms to the online system:
PPQ 526 (Application for Permit to Move Live Plant Pests or Noxious Weeds),
PPQ 585 (Application for Permit to Import Timber or Timber Products),
PPQ 587 (Application for Permit to Import Plants or Plant Products),
PPQ 588 (Application for Permit to Import Plants and Plant Products for Experimental Purposes), and
PPQ 621 (Application for Protected Plant Permit to Engage in the Business of Importing, Exporting, or Reexporting Terrestrial Plants).
In addition, APHIS added Biotechnology and Regulatory Services (BRS) notifications to the ePermits system.
July 3, 2006. APHIS' July 3, 2006 release entailed adding certain VS permits to ePermits. Specifically, the following permits are now available through ePermits:
VS 16-3 (Application to Import or Transport Controlled Material or Organisms or Vectors),
VS 16-7 (Additional Information for Cell Cultures and their Products (Supplement to VS 16-3),
VS Notification of on-hold shipment
Late 2006. Expected in late 2006, ePermits will feature these additional permit applications:
PPQ Form 525 (Application for Permit to Receive Soil)
PPQ Form 546 (Agreement for Postentry Quarantine State Screening Notice)
PPQ 586 (Application for Permit to Transit Plants and/or Plant Products through the U.S.)
BRS Form 2000 - Application for the Importation, Interstate Movement, and Field Testing of Genetically Engineered Organisms.
APHIS also indicates that this third phase of ePermits will include a feature to generate and print shipment labels containing barcodes. APHIS explains that when a Federal inspector scans these barcoded labels, he or she can immediately confirm that the permit associated with that label is valid. This capability is expected to result in improved turnaround times and reduces the chance that the inspector will reject the shipment because the permit can't be verified.
Summer 2007. APHIS states that other permit forms and features are scheduled to be added to ePermits in the summer of 2007.
ePermits Users Must Register With USDA's eAuthentication System
APHIS explains that under the ePermits system, users must first register with USDA's eAuthentication system. The eAuthentication system is used by USDA agencies to enable individuals to obtain accounts that allow access to certain USDA Web applications and services trough the internet.
Instructions for registration are provided on the eAuthentication Web site, www.eauth.egov.usda.gov/index.html.
APHIS News Release (dated 07/03/06) available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/content/2006/07/web-based_permits.shtml
ePermits Fact Sheet (dated 04/2006) available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/aphis_general/content/printable_version/epermits4-2006.pdf
ePermits Release Schedule available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/permits/schedule_epermits.shtml