Import Horses from Comoros
Horses Importing into the United States From Countries Affected With AHS
APHIS considers certain countries to be affected with African horse sickness (AHS). If you are seeing this message, you are seeking information about the requirements to import a horse from a country considered affected with African horse sickness.
Horses traveling from AHS-affected countries have specific restrictions and requirements that must be adhered to, or fulfilled, during the importation process to prevent the introduction of AHS into the United States. All horses entering the United States from AHS-affected countries must undergo a 60-day post-arrival quarantine in a specially designed USDA Animal Import Center. Horses will be kept inside and under strict biosecurity measures for the entire 60-day quarantine procedure. Currently, the only approved facility to handle these horses is the New York Animal Import Center (NYAIC). Advanced notice is required for the importation of horses from AHS-affected countries as modifications to the NYAIC facility may be necessary to house these horses.
Besides the extended quarantine period, there are no other AHS-specific quarantine restrictions beyond those required for the other diseases of concern, if any, when importing a horse into the United States (see below).
Horses Importing into the United States From Countries Affected With FMD
The official health certificate should document that the horse is importing form a country affected with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The health certificate accompanying the horse must be endorsed by a full-time salaried veterinarian of the agency responsible for animal health of the national government of the exporting country (the competent veterinary authority).
The health certificate should state:
- Within 5 days prior to export, the horse has not been on any premises or quarantined area identified to be affected with FMD, nor has the horse been in contact with animals that have been in a FMD region or on an FMD affected or quarantined premise. The horse will not have direct or indirect contact with domestic or wild ruminants or swine for a minimum of 5 days before entering the USDA quarantine facility.
Health Certificate
If available, information about APHIS-approved country-specific certificate(s) may be found at the top of the page. Equines importing from countries without an approved country-specific certificate may be able to export using the APHIS Model Health Certificate. See the Veterinary Health Certificate section of the USDA APHIS | Importing Live Equines and Equine Germplasm into the United States webpage for details.
Available Ports
The New York Animal Import Center is the only quarantine premises that accepts horses from AHS countries.
Quarantine Information
Horses coming from this country are a high risk of harboring and spreading African horse sickness (AHS) and require a minimum of 60 days in quarantine before entering the United States.
The New York Animal Import Center is the only quarantine premises that accepts horses from AHS countries.
Blood tests for dourine, glanders, equine piroplasmosis, and equine infectious anemia will be performed on arrival at NYAIC. Horses must test negative for all of these diseases and must show no signs of illness in order to be released from quarantine. If originating from a country APHIS considers to be free of contagious equine metritis, they will be released after completing the initial quarantine without any further testing.
To officially enter the United States, horses from this country will require:
- An official health certificate, issued by the exporting country.
- An import permit, issued by the National Import Export Services.
- A reservation at NYAIC, as well as at an approved CEM quarantine facility, if applicable.
Fees and Permitting
The processes and fees involved with importing horses and other equine, as well as equine germplasm (semen, embryos, and cloning tissue), depend on the conditions of entry.
Importers should apply for an import permit online using APHIS eFile. This will expedite the permitting process and enable users to track the status of their permits, confirm receipt, and easily renew or amend existing permits. Visit Animal Health Permits to learn more about applying for an import permit, including paper applications.
Costs are associated with providing services for importing and transiting horses at airports, ocean ports, rail ports, land border ports, and southern border port and animal import center quarantines.
The fees billed are per individual horse. Charges for combined shipments may be split between brokers.
Overtime rates apply for after-duty hours, weekends, and holidays for inspection services. (9 CFR 130.30)
There is a comprehensive fee for horses staying at a Federal quarantine center with a decreasing scale: days 1 to 3, days 4 to 7 and 8 through subsequent days. The daily rate includes all administrative costs conducted during normal business hours: examination on arrival, routine veterinary care, lodging costs for feed and bedding, obtaining test samples and processing them for shipping to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories, supervision of cleaning and disinfection of trailers and stalls, receiving and releasing horse shipments, identification of each horse on arrival and release, reviewing health certificates and issuing import permits to ensure compliance with import regulations, monitoring horses while they are in quarantine, release of paperwork in Veterinary Services Process Streamlining (VSPS), and oversight of horses shipping under APHIS seal to State CEM quarantine facilities. (9 CFR 130.2)
Private quarantine facilities will bill user fees directly to importers on a quarter-hour to hourly rate. APHIS factors cost in these instances by the time spent for each service, which includes travel time to ports and airports for veterinary inspections.
Hourly rates also cover the costs of monitoring in-bond or transiting horses passing through the United States and exporting to other countries.