Does Your Bird Need a US Import Permit, Health Certificate or Quarantine? (From Canada, Usually None of Them)

If you are personally taking your own pet bird from Canada into the United States, the answer for most owners is none of the three: no APHIS import permit, no US veterinary health certificate, and no 30-day quarantine. That is what the regulation itself says for a bird travelling with its owner under the Canada pet-bird route — but it is not the whole story, and the part it does not cover is exactly the part that trips people up.

The three-part exception, in the regulation’s own words

Under 9 CFR 93.101(c)(1), a pet bird that is not known to be affected with or exposed to a communicable poultry disease, that is caged before release from the port of entry, and that is a personal pet accompanying its owner, may be imported from Canada at a designated port. That single provision is then written into three separate sections as an exception:

Requirement that normally applies to pet birds	What the regulation says about the Canada route
Import permit	9 CFR 93.103(a)(1) requires an import permit for pet, commercial, research and zoological birds — “except as otherwise provided in 93.101(b) and (c)”. Your bird is exempt. Verified: The import-permit exception in 93.103(a)(1) read directly from 9 CFR part 93, subpart A on 27 July 2026. Regulations change — re-read the section, or ask APHIS, before you travel.
US veterinary health certificate	9 CFR 93.104(a) requires a certificate for pet birds from anywhere in the world — “except as provided for in 93.101(b) and (c)”. Your bird is exempt. Verified: The health-certificate exception in 93.104(a) read directly from 9 CFR part 93, subpart A on 27 July 2026. Regulations change — re-read the section, or ask APHIS, before you travel.
30-day quarantine	9 CFR 93.106(a) requires a minimum 30-day quarantine for each lot of pet birds — “except as provided for in 93.101(c)”. Your bird is exempt. Verified: The quarantine exception in 93.106(a) read directly from 9 CFR part 93, subpart A on 27 July 2026. Regulations change — re-read the section, or ask APHIS, before you travel.

The same exception showing up in three separate sections is a deliberate scheme in the regulation, not a drafting accident. It exists specifically so an owner driving across the border with a familiar pet does not have to go through the same process as a commercial shipment.

What you actually do need for the Canada pet-bird route

Nothing above means the crossing is paperwork-free. What the exception leaves in place is:

• Veterinary inspection of the bird at the port of entry, under 9 CFR 93.105.
• A signed owner statement that the bird has been in your possession for a minimum of 90 days before importation, and during that time has had no contact with poultry or other birds — the regulation gives exhibitions and aviaries as examples of contact to avoid.
• The bird caged before it is released from the port of entry.
• Entry at a port actually designated for this purpose (below).

None of this is filed in advance the way a permit application is. It is presented and signed at the border itself, at the time of entry.

Which ports actually work for a Canada-origin pet bird

Not every land crossing is set up to do this inspection. 9 CFR 93.105(b) gives Canadian-origin pet birds a wider list of eligible ports than birds arriving from elsewhere: they may be inspected at any port listed in either 93.102 or 93.203. The 93.203(b) list of Canadian border ports includes:

State	Ports
Idaho	Eastport
Maine	Houlton, Jackman
Michigan	Detroit, Port Huron, Sault Ste. Marie
Minnesota	Baudette
Montana	Opheim, Raymond, Sweetgrass
New York	Alexandria Bay, Buffalo, Champlain
North Dakota	Dunseith, Pembina, Portal
Vermont	Derby Line, Highgate Springs
Washington	Oroville, Sumas

For an Ontario-based owner, that puts Buffalo and Detroit squarely on the eligible list.

One honest complication: the cross-references in the regulation do not line up cleanly. 93.101(c)(1) points readers to “93.103 or 93.203” for ports, but 93.103 is actually about import permits and fees, and the section headed “Ports designated for the importation of birds” is 93.102. A separate provision, 50 CFR 14.17, points to “9 CFR part 92” for ports, but part 92 today covers disease-risk region classification, not port designations. These are stale or mismatched pointers within the federal text itself, not something we are guessing at. Unconfirmed: we could not verify this against an official source — specifically, the exact port and any advance-notice requirement in writing with USDA APHIS before travel, given the mismatched cross-references in 93.101(c)(1) and 14.17. Please confirm with USDA APHIS Veterinary Services at aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel before you rely on it for your own bird.

Who this route does not cover — and what happens to those birds instead

The exception is written narrowly. It covers a bird that is personally owned, accompanying its owner, and coming from Canada. A bird that is being shipped unaccompanied, sold, imported commercially, or is not a “pet” in the regulation’s sense falls back into the general bird-import regime — which is considerably heavier:

• An import permit is required, using VS Form 17-20, which 9 CFR 93.103(a)(1) specifies for birds other than ratites (VS Form 17-128 is the ratite and ratite-hatching-egg form).
• A minimum 30-day, all-in all-out quarantine applies under 9 CFR 93.106, served at a Customs port, a USDA quarantine facility arranged in advance, or an approved private facility.
• Psittacine birds must be individually identified with a serially numbered legband, or another means of identification approved by the Administrator, within 7 days of the bird’s entry into the quarantine facility — done by the Department at a USDA facility, and by the importer at an approved privately owned one. The daily log and the identification record must then be kept for 12 months following the bird’s release from quarantine, not 12 months from entry (9 CFR 93.106).

Unconfirmed: we could not verify this against an official source — specifically, current APHIS import permit processing time for pet/commercial birds. Please confirm with USDA APHIS Veterinary Services at aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel before you rely on it for your own bird. Unconfirmed: we could not verify this against an official source — specifically, current fees for USDA quarantine facility space or approved private facility, if any published rate exists. Please confirm with USDA APHIS Veterinary Services at aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel before you rely on it for your own bird. We are not going to guess either figure; the border is not the place to find out you guessed wrong.

The part this route does not clear: CITES and the Wild Bird Conservation Act

Everything above is the animal-health side of the border, run by APHIS under Title 9. It has nothing to do with the Wild Bird Conservation Act or CITES, which run separately under Title 50 and can still stop a bird that the 93.101(c)(1) route would otherwise wave through.

Under 50 CFR 15.11(b), it is unlawful to import an exotic bird species that is listed in the CITES appendices and not on the approved list in subpart D (15.33), unless a permit is issued. A lot of commonly kept parrots are not on that approved list: African greys, all macaws, all amazons, all cockatoos, eclectus, caiques, senegals, pionus, and every conure except the Jendaya. Unconfirmed: we could not verify this against an official source — specifically, your specific species’ current status against the 15.33 approved list before travel. Please confirm with the US Fish and Wildlife Service at 1-800-344-9453 or fws.gov/permits before you rely on it for your own bird. For those species, a permit route such as 15.25 is what applies — and 15.25 itself caps any individual to importing no more than two exotic birds as personal pets in a year, with specific documentary evidence of the bird’s origin (a CITES permit, or a sales receipt or breeder’s certificate).

Our companion article, Taking Your Bird Across the Canada-US Border: The Complete 2026 Walkthrough, works through that CITES/WBCA layer species by species. Read it alongside this one — the two regimes answer different questions, and clearing one does not clear the other.

Route comparison at a glance

	Personally-owned pet, accompanying owner, from Canada (93.101(c)(1))	Everything else (general bird-import route)
Import permit	Not required	Required — VS Form 17-20 (birds) or 17-128 (ratites)
US health certificate	Not required	Required
Quarantine	Not required	Minimum 30 days, all-in all-out
Owner statement	Required — 90 days possession, no contact with poultry/other birds	Not applicable
Port-of-entry vet inspection	Required, wider port list (93.102 and 93.203)	Required, 93.102(a) ports only
CITES / WBCA	Separate regime — still applies if the species isn’t on the 15.33 list	Separate regime — still applies

Frequently asked questions

Does my African grey qualify for the no-permit route?

For the animal-health side of the border under 9 CFR 93.101(c)(1), yes, provided it is your personal pet, accompanying you, and coming from Canada. That does not clear the CITES side: African greys are not on the 15.33 approved list, so a Wild Bird Conservation Act permit route applies separately. Unconfirmed: we could not verify this against an official source — specifically, whether the 50 CFR 15.33 approved list has been amended since we read it, and what your own bird’s paperwork shows. Please confirm with the US Fish and Wildlife Service at 1-800-344-9453 or fws.gov/permits before you rely on it for your own bird.

Do I need to book my crossing in advance?

The regulation requires veterinary inspection at the port of entry, but does not itself set out an advance-booking process for pet birds on this route. Given the mismatched port cross-references discussed above, confirm directly with the port you plan to use. Unconfirmed: we could not verify this against an official source — specifically, whether advance notice or an appointment is expected at the specific port you plan to use. Please confirm with USDA APHIS Veterinary Services at aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel before you rely on it for your own bird.

Can I fly instead of driving across a land border?

The 93.101(c)(1) exception applies regardless of mode of entry, but airline policy is a separate obstacle. Several major Canada-origin carriers do not carry pet birds at all in cabin or hold. Our guide Taking Your Bird Across the Canada-US Border covers airline-by-airline restrictions.

What if my bird has been out of my possession recently — a boarding stay, for example?

The owner statement requires 90 days of personal possession immediately preceding entry, with no contact with poultry or other birds during that time. A recent boarding stay where your bird was housed away from you and other birds may affect whether you can honestly complete that statement. Unconfirmed: we could not verify this against an official source — specifically, whether a supervised boarding stay counts against the 90-day possession requirement. Please confirm with USDA APHIS Veterinary Services at aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel before you rely on it for your own bird.

Does this route apply to bringing my bird back into Canada afterward?

No — this article covers Canada-to-US entry only. The return trip is governed by Canadian rules under the CFIA’s Import Reference Document, which our guide Bringing a Pet Bird Into Canada explains in plain English.

Is a two-bird limit really the cap for a Wild Bird Conservation Act permit?

Under 50 CFR 15.25, an individual generally cannot import more than two exotic birds as personal pets in a year, and this shows up three times in that section — as an application rule, an issuance criterion, and a standing permit condition. Unconfirmed: we could not verify this against an official source — specifically, this limit still applies to your specific circumstances and species. Please confirm with the US Fish and Wildlife Service at 1-800-344-9453 or fws.gov/permits before you rely on it for your own bird.

What documents actually get checked at the border on the no-permit route?

Your signed owner statement about 90 days’ possession and no contact with poultry or other birds, and the bird itself at veterinary inspection. There is no permit document to present on this route, because none is required. Unconfirmed: we could not verify this against an official source — specifically, any additional identification (band, microchip) is expected at inspection even without a permit. Please confirm with USDA APHIS Veterinary Services at aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel before you rely on it for your own bird.

If you’re mid-relocation and your bird can’t travel with you right away — whether you’re waiting on a CITES permit, sorting out a WBCA application, or your travel dates just don’t line up with your bird’s — Bird Sitting Toronto can board your bird for as long as you need, with daily update videos through the client portal so you can see them settled while you sort the rest out.

Related guides in this series

• Importing a Pet Bird to Canada: The Complete CFIA Guide (2026)
• Will Your Bird Be Quarantined Coming Into Canada? What the Rules Actually Say
• Moving Abroad and You Can’t Take Your Bird: Board, Rehome, or Wait
• Long-Term Bird Boarding While You Relocate: 30, 60 and 90+ Days
• Taking Your Bird from Canada to the United States: Driving vs Flying
• The CFIA Import Permit for a Pet Bird: How to Apply and What to Expect

Who to call before you travel

Confirm every requirement below with the agency itself. These are the people who
can actually authorise your bird’s movement — we cannot.

Every number below was checked against the agency’s own website on
27 July 2026. Government phone numbers and web pages still change without notice.
If one does not connect, find the agency through its own official site rather than trusting
what is printed here.

• Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) — import and export of live
  birds, health certificates, permits: 1-800-442-2342 from
  Canada and the US, or 1-613-773-2342 local and
  international, 8 am to 7 pm EST Monday to Friday except holidays. CFIA names
  services related to travelling with pets as something its area offices handle —
  for the GTA that is the Mississauga animal health office,
  289-247-4100, 8 am to 4 pm
  · inspection.canada.ca
• Environment and Climate Change Canada — CITES permitting — export and
  import permits for CITES-listed species, and what documents exist for repeat crossings:
  1-855-869-8670
  · cites@ec.gc.ca
• Canada Border Services Agency — what happens at the border itself,
  declarations and inspection fees: 1-800-461-9999, Monday to
  Friday 8 am to 4 pm local time. Press 0 to reach an agent; CBSA’s published
  service standard is to answer within 20 minutes
• USDA APHIS — the US pet-travel hub, with separate paths for import,
  export and interstate movement, and the list of which birds count as pets at all:
  aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel
• US Fish & Wildlife Service — CITES and Wild Bird Conservation Act
  permits, applied for through the ePermits portal at
  fws.gov/permits. The agency
  contact centre is 1-800-344-9453
  · info@fws.gov

What we can and cannot help with

We cannot help with paperwork. Bird Sitting Toronto is a bird
boarding and care business. We are not a customs broker, an immigration consultant, a
veterinary practice or a legal adviser. We do not file permits, complete applications or
deal with any agency on your behalf, and we cannot guarantee any outcome at any border.
Everything on this page is information only.

There are two things we can do. If your bird cannot travel with you
— because the paperwork is still in progress, the airline will not carry it, or the
timing simply does not work — we can board
your bird in the GTA for as long as you need, including by the month. And if it
becomes clear the bird genuinely cannot come with you, we can help you
rehome it to a good home rather
than leaving you to sort that out alone.

We publish this guide because our boarding clients ask us about it constantly, and
because the answer is genuinely hard to assemble from the primary sources.