Gastil's description of acquiring import permits from the USDA is
very helpful. However, I found that at one point fairly far along in
the procedure, one of their pages froze my computer. I called their
telephone help line and was told how to reconfigure my browser
temporarily to alleviate this.

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 (which, the helpful local staff person
told me, does not always work the way it should). Then you have to
get back online with USDA to complete the process and order the
stickers Gastil mentioned.

In addition to getting a permit for the Small Lots of Seed Program
(originally an initiative by Joyce Fingerut of NARGS, by the way),
you may as well get a permit to import other plant materials at the
same time, so that you can import bulbs. I did this recently and it
was no more time-consuming and confusing than just getting the seed
permit alone.

The USDA has about twice as many layers of security as my online
banking, which apparently was put in place because (a) many people
try to hack all US government websites, (b) there is a high level of
paranoia as a result, and (c) they did it because they could.

Once you have sent your seed order with the requisite paperwork and
address stickers, the seeds will be sent to the specified inspection
office (some are more efficient than others; ours, Seattle, is pretty
good), and some but not all packages will be opened for inspection.
The delay can be as much as 5 weeks, and who knows what will happen
if the "sequester" goes into effect and federal employees' work time
is reduced.

No doubt it is worth it to prevent the USA from being overrun by
species tulips, as dangerous as kudzu.

Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA

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