Hi all, to anyone who owns parrots and takes them back and forth. I adopted a 16 year old parrot from a person in the US. I live in Tijuana, how do
I cross him to MX without a problem? My husbands afraid if we get a red light what will happen. Will they take the bird? Will we get in trouble?
Or is it legall to cross parrots?
Importing Parrots
Julie - 7-19-2006 at 10:50 AM
To bring a parrot in IF you want to bring them back into the states requires a permit from the Department of Food and Agriculture.
They can be contacted at Division of Animal Industry, Animal Health Branch- 1220 N. Street Rm A-107-Sacramento, CA 95814.
or call (916) 654-2215.
They will require a health certificate from an Avian Vet, they can give you a list of those approved by them.
The permit is called a CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
If you are STILL willing (and it can be a tremendous hassle), make sure when you receive the permit that you have it signed by the US Customs at your
port of entry, otherwise you will have to quarantine them on your return. They won't tell you this little tid bit and it is important.
Good Luck!
Julie
Iguana Inn
Do you trust your luck?
Gypsy Jan - 7-19-2006 at 05:23 PM
We brought our beloved African Grey Parrot into Baja six years ago.
I researched the requirements and did all the documentation that was required according to the best informationI could find.
I received a green light at the border, and our parrot is lving happily in our Baja home now.
That being said, I have heard many stories of birds being confiscated, quarantined and then dying of neglect and/or grief.
My advice, if you decide to bring the bird across, is to use common sense - don't have a cage visible through your windows and proceed through the
border just as if you are a bored, everyday regular crosser.
If stopped, present the authorities with an impressive file of papers, translated into Spanish and notarized, documenting the bird's health and status
and then politely indicate to anyone questioning you that you don't "Habla Espanol" and look as harmless and be as cooperative as possible.
Side note: Please, please don't be transporting anything else that will take the authorities off on a transitional issue - i.e., controlled
substances, prescription drugs, alcohol, brand new, expensive electronics (i.e., computers, TVs) etc., etc. that could be construed as illegal
importation for resale.
Good luck!Julie - 7-19-2006 at 05:47 PM
If you want to be able to return to the states with your bird you need the CITES permit! As for Mexican Customs all you do is show the authorities
your paperwork from the states IF they ask for it.
We have done this, have friends who have done it, all successfully. I would not recommend trying to "sneak it in" , especially if you don't plan to
leave the bird in baja forever.Al G - 7-19-2006 at 06:00 PM
Thank you,
Great information. Brings back memories, oh, Jodie how I miss you!rosewith2thorns - 7-20-2006 at 07:46 AM
Quote:
If you are STILL willing (and it can be a tremendous hassle), make sure when you receive the permit that you have it signed by the US Customs at your
port of entry, otherwise you will have to quarantine them on your return.
Where do I go to get it signed at my port of entry? The bird already has a CITES permit.greybaby - 7-21-2006 at 09:19 PM
You will need to make an appointment with the office to get your CITES passport signed. We returned to the U.S. with our grey almost a year ago and
were never successful in getting the Profepa paperwork signed on her by the Mexican government. Thus, she was never really legal in Mexico, and no
one that I know of has been successful with that. We were told all the way to Mexico City that no bird passing through California into Mexico would
be allowed because of some quarantine there in the past. Though we were not from California it didn't matter. So, I would not take the chance with
my parrot to cross the border with her once again. Both the Fish & Game (CITES) and the USDA were very helpful and we had no problems. Cost us
around $300 to bring her back into the U.S. and we did a 30 day in-home quarantine. But it is very important to have a health certificate from a U.S.
vet and the appointment with the Fish & Game before you go into Mexico.jerry - 7-21-2006 at 10:06 PM
maybe teach it to fly and have it meet you on the other sidegreybaby - 7-21-2006 at 10:31 PM
We thought of that many times as we went through what seemed like such a hassle. A healthy pet, NOT an endangered species, not smuggled. . . . but a
few have made it this way for many.
