Can a friend bring back fish from overseas?

[Mattgrizzlybear]

I have a friend in Thailand right now and always see the very inexpensive prices on beautiful fish in Aisan countries. I wanted to know of it would be worth it to see if he could get some fish for me while he's over there. Thanks, Matt

[Akili]

Shipping to U.S from outside is not a big obstacle but the U.S. Rules on Importing Tropical Fish are.Here are the U.S. Rules on Importing Tropical Fish.
""The importing of live tropical fish into the United States is of concern to two federal agencies: U.S. Customs, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife.

U.S. Customs is concerned with any item of value which is being shipped into the U.S. Each item (or the total of a shipment) must have a dollar value declared. This agency has a list of various things which are subject to duties (taxes). Live tropical fish are not--at least not in the quantities by which I have imported them. However, I have had to pay a $9.00 processing fee and fill out a couple of forms in order to clear Customs.

The second agency, U. S. Fish & Wildlife, will demand more (in dollars and in time) from the hobbyist who wants to import fish. Technically, if an individual will be bringing in eight or more wild-caught fish (not species), the shipment will be subject to an inspection with an inspection fee. Actually, the agency does not have to physically inspect the shipment, but they must clear it in writing. The importer must pay the fee regardless. If any of the fish are to be sold, bartered, or traded (i.e., not for the sole personal use of the person importing them), then that person must obtain an importer's license.

If the fish are not being inspected by one of about thirteen designated ports of entry, then the importer must apply for permission to use a nondesignated ports of entry. Not all airports qualify as a designated or non-designated port of entry.

The Fish & Wildlife regulations presented here apply to wild-caught fish. Since I am not dealing with importing captive bred fish, I did not have my Fish & Wildlife officer investigate those rules. However, she did indicate that she thought the regulations were more lenient with captive bred specimens." Source http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article15.html

[Willie]

I have brought discus back with me from Asia on several occasions. Each time, you must declare and Game and Wildlife Inspection will very likely ask you to open the container so they can examine the fish. In general, a box of discus is not going to draw much attention - whether you have 8 or 15. No one asked if the fish were for me or for someone else.

The complications are as follows. After 9/11, many airlines refuse to take anything they're not familiar with. I fly Delta and spent time finding the rules allowing fish to be checked. I printed this out and show this to the gate rep at check-in. They don't always know. Also, you'll need to know the port of entry and when inspections are available. If your friend is an Asian male (like me), he'll get extra attention due to the steady trade to bring in Arawanas.

Having said that, I now purchase from importers. The few dollars you save is not worth the risk and hassle, IMO.

Willie

[Ryan]

The biggest issue is having them inspected by US Fish & Wildlife. Any wildlife entering the US must be done at a designated port of entry, of which there are only 18 locations (https://www.fws.gov/le/designated-ports.html). There are other satellite offices that you can get port exemptions for, but that's going to cost you. It costs me around $105/hour to have USFW meet me at the airport to clear shipments. You also have to have the proper documentation. The best thing you can do is call the USFW port office closest to you and ask a wildlife inspector what would be required to clear customers and USFW. I have a commercial import license which has its own rules and regulations (import declaration form, customs declaration form, license, etc.). Doing it as a personal declaration for pets has a whole different set of rules and requirements, but at the end of the day you'll still spend $100 - 200 on getting them cleared through USFW.