On October 29, 2015, the U.S Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) amended user fees they charge to conduct agricultural quarantine inspections (AQI) at U.S. ports of entry. The new fees are effective December 28, 2015.
Impacted are importers whose shipments require phytosanitary treatment, international airline and cruise ship passengers, and commercial operators of aircraft, maritime vessels, trucks and railroad cars.
Fees will be lowered for railcars and international aircraft passengers, and increased for commercial vehicles, trucks, and aircraft operators. New fees are being added for treatment services, and AQI inspection for cruise ship passengers. Fee caps for commercial cargo railcars and vessels are being eliminated.
Current and New AQI User Fee Rates in U.S. dollars appear below.0
| User fee class | Current | New |
| Air passenger | $5.00 | $3.96 |
| Commercial aircraft | $70.75 | $225.00 |
| Commercial cargo vessel | $496.00 | $825.00 |
| Commercial truck | $5.25 | $7.55 |
| Commercial truck with transponder (one annual payment) | $105.00 | $301.67 |
| Commercial cargo railcar | $7.75 | $2.00 |
| Commercial vessel (cruise) passenger | No fee | $1.75 |
| Treatment | No fee | $237.00 |
** The fee for AQI treatment services will be phased in over 5 years:
First year, $47,
Second year, $95,
Third year, $142,
Fourth year, $190, and
Fifth year, $237.
These AQI inspections fee changes are meant to ensure APHIS will have adequate funding and financial stability to continue their critical job of keeping our borders safe.
Questions about this regulatory update may be directed to Livingston’s US Regulatory Affairs group: usregaffairs@livingstonintl.com.