mailing plants between US and Canada
 

I'm not 100% sure, but I would suspect so. I think that has been an issue with Member Projects in the past, not to mention the expense.

As I understand it CITES is needed at least, as CITES is for movement between countries. (An exception is Europe, which for the purposes of CITES is counted as one country, I don't think there is an exception between Canada and the USA.)

I don't know about other paper work but like Paul I suspect it's still needed.

You have to jump through all the same hoops as for any other "foreign" country.

Paul, the paper work, the expense and the time involved is probably the main reason why there is so little of it. Maybe one day, in the very distant future, we'll have "open" borders.

While you do need a bunch of certificates to mail stuff across the boarder, you can drive them across the border without anything. My friend did this once and he showed me a website all about these kind of regulations, and it said in regards of bringing 'chids from the US to Canada, they must have certificates if they are not with the owner, but if they are (as in you driving with them across), there is no need for any certificates. I just wish there was someone who lived in the US who people could ship stuff to, and then have them drive across the border and mail it within Canada.

That's bad advice, Blazing August. Under ALL circumstances, a CITES certificate is needed. There are no exceptions.

Carl

Carl is right! We live within five minutes of the border and would dearly love to shop for garden plants as well as orchids at nurseries across the border, but the regulations are just too much of a hassle.

I think phyto sanitary papers are also required. And one of the certificates for sure cost something like $75.00 or $80.00 so it needs to be a large deal or it's not worth the cost of the paperwork.

I see so many places in the U.S. I would dearly love to order plants from but cannot.

I too would like to know, I already did online research at some point but could only find information dating from 2008 (in french). It stated that travelling with 50 orchids or less coming from the continental US, except California and Oregon, and for private use (not for resale) neither requires phyto sanitary papers nor import permit.

I keep telling myself I have to ask the customs' officer if it's still true when I go to the USA, but each time I cross the border I forget to do it :(

Incorrect! Follow this link --> Canadian Food Inspection Agency - AUTOMATED IMPORT REFERENCE SYSTEM enter orchids as the commodity, follow the instructions by entering the country, and then state it is coming from, then your planned use (household and not for resale), etc, and you find out that you can indeed take up to fifty orchids with you while driving from the US into Canada, without any documentations, depending what state they are coming from, of course. So according to this, I could get up to fifty 'chids from Texas, and as long as I am with them while crossing the border, and I do not plan to resell them, I can bring them across with no certificates.

I have ordered twice at Cloud's Orchids online and it was delivered to me on time and I even got a bonus plant. professionally packed and I was amazed it came to me in 3 days! I have a delivery of Epidendrum radicans and Habenaria myriotricha due to be delivered on Sept 26th...the last order to leave their store is Oct 3 and then its wait til spring or warmer months...certificates are to be bought for $25 for the state of Hawaii and Arizona...the rest of the states dont need the certificate.
Now I dont know if theres any US growers who can send to Canada...try to buy from Big Oaks from WI or from WhiteOaksorchids from CA they have delivered orchids to me by mail and I bought them all online.

Anyone ordering orchids into Canada from any company in the U.S. needs CITES and I believe phyto-sanitary papers. Unfortunate, but true.

Thats unfair....because I can buy from Canada delivered to me in NY in USA without any hassles...now why wont Canada honor that same reciprocity? Canadians must be able to buy from any growers in NY USA...without any hassles

Absolutely not! It just doesn't work that way! U.S. has more relaxed rules about what goes across the border into their country (at least plant wise). Canada is very picky and they have also banned many pesticides and fungicides that Americans can still buy.

Even tho we live on the same continent and speak English as a main language (not meaning to offend french or any others) we are still two seperate countries and have totally different laws when it comes to some things. :)

I remember Canadians are just un-armed Americans :)

all imports of orchids into the US require CITES and Phytosanitary certificates, and an import permit, even if they're coming from Canada.
Cloud's Orchids includes the required certificates with their orders, and US customs often overlooks a missing import permit for small orders.

You can bring up to 50 orchids as personal luggage without a Phyto or a permit BUT you will need a CITES. Orchids are all on CITES and cannot cross international borders without documentation. The exception is the European Union.

Carl

I thought 'Free Trade' would have had some bearing on some of these things, but I never seem to gain much from it.

That's may be into Canada but not the US.