Fulfill regulatory requirements

• 1). Know the chicken's country of origin. Rules vary widely depending on what country the live chickens are from. Some countries are currently temporarily banned from which to import any chickens (for a list of countries as of 2010, see "Warning Advisory" below). According to the United States Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.) the regulating authority regarding live poultry imports, chickens imported from Canada into the United States are the only chickens that are not required to be quarantined.
  
  
• 2). Have a full-time veterinarian employed by your government's animal health agency inspect the chickens and issue a health certificate within 30 days of departure. The health certificate must accompany the poultry at all times. The chickens will need to be re-inspected by a U.S.D.A. veterinarian after entry into the United States.
  
  
• 3). Find a certified translator to have the veterinarian's health certificate translated into English if it is in another language.
  
  
• 4). Complete the Animal Import Permit form (VS Form17-129) issued by the United States Department of Agriculture and available online. According to "Importing Into the United States: A Guide for Commercial Importers" by the United States Customs Service, an import permit is not required for Canadian chickens imported through a land border port.
  
  
• 5). Contact one of the U.S.D.A.'s Animal Import Centers. Baja California Information Pages states that it is mandatory to apply for a permit by submitting the completed Animal Import Permit form. It is advisable to also reserve quarantine space needed for the chickens once they arrive at their facility since all poultry must be quarantined for a minimum of 30 days.
  
  
• 6). Arrange for the chickens to be re-inspected at least 72 hours before their arrival into the United States by contacting the port of entry U.S.D.A. veterinarian where the chickens will be imported.
  
  
• 7). Hire a customs broker to oversee the importation and to facilitate transporting the chickens from the port of entry to the U.S.D.A. Animal Import Center to be re-inspected and quarantined. Import Centers have lists of customs brokers if help is needed in finding one.
  
  
• 8). Pay fees for both the diagnostic testing required during quarantine and for the daily quarantine boarding. The testing fee is in addition to the daily quarantine fee, which includes care, feed and handling of the poultry. The approximate quarantine fee for chickens as of 2010 is $19 per day. Full payment of both the quarantine and testing fee is required when the import permit application is submitted.