Thanks Lee, I appreciate the info & if I decide to apply for a permit I'll be sure to get both. I'll need to locate the nearest office before I decide. Karl Church Dinuba, CA Zone 9a On Feb 22, 2013 9:52 PM, "Lee Poulsen" <wpoulsen@pacbell.net> wrote: > Mike is absolutely correct. I've considered several times now, going to > the effort of driving to the closest USDA extension office (30 miles away), > but to get there on a business day between 8 am and 4:30 pm, I would > definitely have to take at least a half day off from work. (Apparently the > USDA thinks the only people who need to do business with them in the > greater Los Angeles metropolitan area don't live within the area; all their > offices are on the periphery.) > > Every time I've had to renew, I've done it using the paper forms. > Although, I've discovered the way to speed the process by a few days is to > use old-fashioned technology and fax the forms in. It works every time! ;-) > (And faxes are about as fast as email or the Internet…) > > Also, Karl, I agree with those who suggest getting the plant import permit > while you're at it. Both the seed and plant permits are free, the seed > permits are good for 3 years and the plant permits are good for 5 years, > are good for plant material from any place in the world, and you never know > when you might actually have the opportunity to import something you really > want fairly easily, and you'll already be prepared with the proper permits! > You can even use the permits when bringing back material in your luggage > that you may have purchased while traveling abroad. The seed permit can be > used by anyone sending you seeds from abroad. The plant permit really only > has one catch that makes its use a lot more difficult: You have to get a > phytosanitary certificate in the country of origination of shipment that > must accompany the plant(s). In some cases (like Japan), this is easy and > in other cases (like Brazil), it's nearly impossible. Plus, some places > (like Australia) charge outrageous amounts for the phyto inspection. In > many countries, it is so much trouble to get this one step done, that no > one even bothers to try. (Except for large commercial entities.) > > How I wish the USDA would amend their procedure so that a U.S. importer > could have them do the phyto inspection immediately upon arrival. I would > even pay for this! ;-) > > --Lee Poulsen > Pasadena, California, USA - USDA Zone 10a > Latitude 34°N, Altitude 1150 ft/350 m > > On Feb 22, 2013, at 5:33 PM, Michael Mace wrote: > > > Jane wrote: > > > >>> Also, after going through the initial series of steps you can do > online, > > you have to physically go to a USDA extension office near your home > > (fortunately there are plenty of them near mine) and identify the staff > > member who is authorized to verify your identity by looking at your photo > > ID, and then that person will input the verification into their system > > > > If you use the option of ordering the permits by mail, you don't have to > go > > identify yourself to a USDA office. You just send in the form and they > mail > > you the permits. It's not a huge hassle. > > > > For some reason I don't understand, the website encourages you to use > online > > registration for the permit, even though it's a lot more complicated for > > everyone involved. > > > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ >