Traveling Abroad with Your Pet Bird

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Traveling Abroad with
Your Pet Bird
The Wild Bird Conservation Act (Act), a significant step in international conservation efforts to protect exotic birds subject to trade, became effective
on October 23, 1992. The Act focuses on bird species listed in the Appendices to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Since most exotic pet birds (including parrots, cockatoos, and macaws but excepting budgerigars and
cockatiels) are species listed under CITES, most are affected by the Act.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) recently issued regulations
implementing the Act that provide for permits to allow foreign travel with your
pet bird (domestic travel and sales are not affected). If you plan to take your pet
bird with you on foreign travel, or your residence has been outside the United
States for a year and you plan to travel to the United States with a pet bird, you
will need to have a permit before you travel. These new regulations are in
addition to any other existing requirements of CITES, the Endangered
Species Act, and other applicable statutes. If you are unsure whether
these regulations apply to you, contact the Service’s Division of Management
Authority at the address provided.
Leaving the United States with Your Pet
Bird
To ensure that you will be allowed to bring your pet bird back into the United
States from travel abroad, you will need to take the following steps before you
leave:
1. Obtain a valid permit from the Division of Management Authority. Applications
for permits must be received in that office at least 60 days in advance of
anticipated travel.
2. Have your permit validated by a Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Inspector
before you leave the United States. (Instructions will be provided on the
permit.)
3. Take a copy of your validated permit with you. This copy must be presented
when you re-enter the United States with your pet.
4. Find out whether the country(ies) you plan to visit have additional import and
export requirements and restrictions. At a minimum, a re-export certificate
from the country(ies) visited will be required. The Division of Management
Authority can provide you with a contact address, phone or fax number for CITES
permits offices in other countries. There are no restrictions on the length of
time you may travel abroad or on the number of birds you may take with you.
Traveling to the United States with Your
Pet Bird
If your pet bird was acquired outside the United States or exported abroad from
the United States without a CITES permit, and you have resided outside the
United States constantly for 1 year, you may import a maximum of two pet birds
per person, per year, if all applicable requirements have been met prior to
their arrival in the United States.
Following are the steps you need to take before you leave for the United States:
1. Obtain a valid permit from the Division of Management Authority. Applications
for permits must be received in that office at least 60 days in advance of
anticipated travel.
2. Obtain documented evidence that you have resided outside the United States
continuously for a minimum of 1 year.
3. Obtain documented evidence that each bird was acquired legally.
4. Obtain all other necessary permits from the country(ies) of export, including
a CITES permit.
Note: The Act restricts the number of
pet birds individuals may import into the
United States annually. However, if your
bird is one of the following species you do
not need a WBCA permit to import your
pet .
Approved Captive-Bred Species
Order Falconiiformes:
Buteo buteo (European buzzard)
Order Columbiformes:
Columba livia(Rock dove)
Order Psittaciformes:
Agapornis personata (Masked lovebird)
Agapornis roseicollis (Peach-faced
lovebird)
Aratinga jandaya (Jendaya conure)
Barnardius barnardi (Mallee ringneck
parrot)
Bolborhynchus lineola (Lineolated
parakeet-blue form)
Bolborhynchus lineola (Lineolated
parakeet-yellow form)
Bolborhynchus lineola (Lineolated
parakeet-white form)
Cyanoramphus auriceps (Yellowfronted
parakeet)
Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae (Redfronted
parakeet)
Forpus coelestis (Pacific parrotlet-lutino
form)
Forpus coelestis (Pacific parrotletyellow
form)
Forpus coelestis (Pacific parrotlet-blue
form)
Forpus coelestis (Pacific parrotletcinnamon
form)
Melopsittacus undulatus (Budgerigar)
Neophema bourkii (Bourke’s parrot)
Neophema chrysostoma (Blue-winged
parrot)
Neophema elegans (Elegant parrot)
Neophema pulchella* (Turquoise
parrot)
Neophema splendida* (Scarlet-chested
parrot)
Nymphicus hollandicus (Cockatiel)
Platycercus adelaide (Adelaide rosella)
Platycercus adscitus (Pale-headed
rosella)
Platycercus elegans (Crimson rosella)
Platycercus eximius (Eastern rosella)
Platycercus icterotis (Western (stanley)
rosella)
Platycercus venustus (Northern
rosella)
Polytelis alexandrae (Princess parrot)
Polytelis anthopeplus (Regent parrot)
Polytelis swainsonii (Superb parrot)
Psephotus chrysopterygius* (Goldenshouldered
parakeet)
Psephotus haematonotus (Red-rumped
parakeet)
Psephotus varius (Mulga parakeet)
Psittacula eupatria (Alexandrine
parakeet-blue form)
Psittacula eupatria (Alexandrine
parakeet-lutino form)
Psittacula krameri manillensis (Indian
ringneck parakeet)
Purpureicephalus spurius (Red-capped
parrot)
Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus (Scalybreasted
lorikeet)
Order Passeriformes:
Aegintha temporalis (Red-browed finch)
Aidemosyne modesta (Cherry finch)
Chloebia gouldiae (Gouldian finch)
Emblema guttata (Diamond sparrow)
Emblema picta (Painted finch)
Lonchura castaneothorax (Chestnutbreasted
finch)
Lonchura domestica (Society
(Bengalese) finch)
Lonchura pectoralis (Pictorella finch)
Neochmia ruficauda (Star finch)
Poephila acuticauda (Long-tailed
grassfinch)
Poephila bichenovii (Double-barred
finch)
Poephila cincta (Parson finch)
Poephila guttata (Zebra finch)
Poephila personata (Masked finch)
Serinus canaria (common canary)
Applications and Additional Information
Permit applications (Form 3-200) and any
other information you may need are
available from the Division of
Management Authority (telephone
703.358.2104 or Fax 703.358.2281).
Warning: The Department of
Agriculture has disease quarantine
requirements for birds entering the
United States. You can obtain information
about quarantine requirements by
contacting the Department of
Agriculture at 301.734.8364.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
International Affairs
Division of Management Authority
4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 700
Arlington, VA 22203
703/358-2104 or 800/358-2104
Fax 703/358-2281
e-mail: managementauthority@fws.gov
http://international.fws.gov
http://permits.fws.gov
October 1999