Home › From Germany › Bird to the United States

Bringing a bird from Germany to the United States

Yes — a pet bird can enter the US from Germany, but this is a two-agency, permit-first move, not a carry-on trip. USDA APHIS controls the animal-health side: an import permit applied for at least 7 business days ahead, a government-endorsed health certificate, and 30 days of federal quarantine with avian influenza and Newcastle disease testing on arrival. If your bird is a CITES-listed species (most parrots are), the US Fish & Wildlife Service adds its own permit layer — and its personal-pet import route only opens if you have lived outside the US continuously for at least a year. Start 2–3 months ahead.

Bird rules move fast. Avian influenza (HPAI) restriction lists change week to week, and a listing can close a route with little notice. Seven days before you travel, re-check that your origin is still clear — the checklist below includes that step.

≤5 birds

Pet bird limit

6 or more is a commercial shipment to APHIS

30 days

Federal quarantine

At a USDA Animal Import Center, with AI + Newcastle testing

7 business days

Permit lead time (minimum)

APHIS eFile application; permit itself valid 30 days

60–90 days

FWS permit processing

For CITES/Wild Bird Conservation Act birds — apply first

Sources disagree: Home quarantine is not an option on this route as a first entry: APHIS's home-quarantine route (30 days at home, two test rounds) is written only for returning US-origin birds that have lived abroad more than 60 days, carry their pre-departure US export certificate, and — over 100 g — are microchipped, leg-banded or tattooed with the number on both certificates. A bird acquired in Germany is not US-origin and should be planned as federal quarantine.

Sources disagree: Identification: the APHIS FAQ says individual identification is not required for pet birds other than US-origin birds seeking home quarantine — but if your bird is microchipped you must bring your own reader for the port inspection, and FWS/CITES paperwork for a listed species will require the bird to be identifiable. Treat 'not required by APHIS' as narrow, not as 'no ID needed anywhere'.

Until officials align, follow the stricter reading and confirm with the destination authority.

Step-by-step checklist

Requirements — Bird · Germany → the United States
Step	What to do	When
Check the species first (CITES + Wild Bird Conservation Act)	Most parrots and many other pet birds are CITES-listed. Under the US Wild Bird Conservation Act, a CITES-listed exotic bird generally cannot be imported as a personal pet unless an exemption applies. The FWS personal-pet exemption requires you to have resided outside the United States continuously for at least 1 year immediately before applying, and is capped at 2 birds per person per year. If you have only been in Germany for a short stay, this route may be closed — check with FWS before booking anything.	2–3 months before travel
FWS permit — Form 3-200-46 (if CITES-listed)	Apply to the US Fish & Wildlife Service on Form 3-200-46 for a one-time import of a personal pet under CITES and/or the WBCA, with documents proving your 1 year of continuous residence outside the US (employment records, utility bills). For a CITES Appendix I bird, an import permit is required as well as the German/EU export paperwork. US residents making repeated trips use the 3-year 'pet passport' (Form 3-200-64) instead. FWS says to allow at least 60 days, and 60–90 days for most CITES applications. The bird must also be declared on FWS Form 3-177 and cleared by a wildlife inspector at a designated port.	≥60–90 days before travel
APHIS import permit (eFile)	Apply online through APHIS eFile for a Veterinary Services import permit, stating your route and travel date. APHIS requires the application at least 7 business days before shipping. The permit is valid for 30 days from the travel date you specify and the original must accompany the birds; if plans slip beyond that window you need an amended or new permit (amendments only before expiry, for a fee). Use the APHIS Veterinary Services Permitting Assistant (VSPA) to confirm the exact document set for a German origin.	≥7 business days before shipping (apply earlier in practice)
Reserve federal quarantine space	A non-US-origin pet bird from Germany goes through 30 days of federal quarantine at a USDA Animal Import Center (Miami or New York) with mandatory testing. Quarantine space must be reserved in advance — federal rules require a confirmed reservation, with a reservation fee equal to the estimated cost of care, feed and handling during quarantine. Do not fly before the reservation is confirmed.	When you apply for the permit
Health certificate from Germany	Use the APHIS model certificate for pet birds from countries not affected with HPAI. A veterinarian authorised by the German competent veterinary authority must examine the bird within 30 days before US arrival and certify: no evidence of communicable poultry diseases; not vaccinated against any H5/H7 avian influenza subtype; Newcastle disease either not vaccinated, or vaccinated at least 21 days before export with a non-velogenic vaccine; and — the EPTR clause — the bird does not originate from, or travel through, any zone in the European Poultry Trade Region (which includes Germany) that was restricted for Newcastle disease or HPAI in commercial poultry (until restrictions lift, or 90 days after depopulation plus cleaning/disinfection of the last affected premises, whichever is later). The certificate is valid 30 days from issue and must be endorsed by an official German veterinarian. The bird must not transit any region APHIS considers HPAI-affected.	Within 30 days before arrival
Check Germany's HPAI zone status before you ship	APHIS treats Germany as part of the European Poultry Trade Region: free of Newcastle disease and unaffected with HPAI except for any restricted zone German authorities establish after a detection. On the APHIS region-status page checked 2026-11-12, Germany is not on the country-level HPAI 'affected' list, but the EPTR (excluding Great Britain) was under temporary duck-commodity restrictions and zone restrictions change with outbreaks. If your bird lived in or would transit a currently restricted German zone, the HPAI-free certificate wording cannot be signed — recheck the APHIS page and German announcements in the week before travel.	At booking and again in the final week
Arrival: declare, notify, quarantine	Declare the bird to US Customs and Border Protection on arrival and notify the APHIS Veterinary Services port office 72 hours before arrival; you will be told where and when inspection happens and what it costs. In federal quarantine, samples are collected on day 1 of the quarantine cycle and tested for avian influenza and Newcastle disease by virus isolation. Build in at least 4 hours at the first US port if you are connecting onward.	72 hours before arrival / arrival day
CITES check — departure side (Germany/EU)	Leaving the EU with a CITES bird needs the EU-side documents as well as the US ones: an EU export permit from the German CITES management authority (BfN) for Annex A and Annex B species (the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations are stricter than CITES itself — Annex A roughly tracks CITES Appendix I and also needs an import permit at destination). A bird that is not CITES-listed (for example budgerigar and cockatiel are exempted under CITES/EU listings) needs no CITES permits, but the APHIS steps above still apply in full.	With the FWS application

Your preparation timeline

12–3 months out — Species/CITES check; confirm the FWS personal-pet exemption fits (1 year lived outside the US, ≤2 birds/year)
260–90 days out — File FWS Form 3-200-46 (and German/EU CITES export permit if listed)
3≥7 business days out — APHIS eFile import permit + confirmed federal quarantine reservation
4Final 30 days — German vet examination and official-endorsed health certificate (valid 30 days)
572 hours out — Notify the APHIS port Veterinary Services office; declare with CBP on arrival
6Arrival + 30 days — Federal quarantine at a USDA Animal Import Center with AI/Newcastle virus-isolation testing

The mistake that causes trouble on this route: Assuming a pet bird is like a dog or cat. There is no pet-passport shortcut here: a German bird that is CITES-listed can be refused at the FWS layer before APHIS health rules even matter — the personal-pet exemption needs a full year of living outside the US and covers at most 2 birds a year — and even a non-listed bird still faces an APHIS permit plus 30 days of federal quarantine. The other classic failure is timing: the APHIS permit lives for only 30 days from your stated travel date, so a slipped flight can expire both the permit and the 30-day health certificate.

Costs you can plan for

APHIS publishes its user fees (9 CFR Part 130 schedule, checked 2026-11-12): processing an import permit application is US$303 (amended permit US$176). Federal quarantine in an APHIS Animal Import Center or supervised facility is charged per isolate per day — US$22/day for 1 bird, US$24 for 2, US$26 for 3, US$30 for 4, US$32 for 5 or more — so 30 days for a single bird is about US$660 in daily quarantine fees alone, before diagnostic testing, port inspection and any hourly/overtime charges, and quarantine space must be reserved and prepaid at the estimated care cost. Note the cheaper pet-lot fees on the same schedule (US$362 / US$938) apply only to returning US-origin pet birds, not to a German bird entering for the first time. Add FWS permit fees, the German vet and endorsement charges, and air cargo. Recheck the fee schedule before budgeting — APHIS revises it.

✈️ Government rules are only half the trip. Airlines set their own pet carriage rules (crate size, breed limits, seasonal embargoes). Re-confirm carriage with your airline after you meet the rules above.

Questions people ask about this route

Can my bird skip quarantine if Germany is HPAI-free?

No. Germany's EPTR status shapes which health certificate is used and the zone attestations on it — it does not remove the 30-day federal quarantine and AI/Newcastle testing that APHIS applies to foreign pet birds. The quarantine-free examples on APHIS's page are Canada-specific, and home quarantine is for returning US-origin birds only.

I only visited Germany for a month and bought a parrot. Can I bring it home?

Almost certainly not as a 'personal pet' if it is CITES-listed: the FWS personal-pet exemption requires continuous residence outside the US for at least 1 year before applying and allows at most 2 birds per person per year. A bird bought on a short trip does not qualify, and the Wild Bird Conservation Act otherwise bars import of most CITES-listed exotic birds.

Which US airports can my bird arrive at?

Pet birds enter through APHIS designated ports, with federal quarantine handled at the USDA Animal Import Centers in Miami and New York (Rock Tavern). Your permit states the port — if your preferred airport is not a designated port, APHIS directs you to its Collateral Ports office before you book.

Does my budgerigar need a FWS permit?

Budgerigars and cockatiels are among the very few parrot species not listed under CITES, so the FWS/WBCA permit layer generally does not apply to them — but the APHIS import permit, German health certificate and 30-day federal quarantine still do. Check your exact species on the CITES list before assuming an exemption.

Related guides

✓ Last verified: 2026-11-12

Official sources for this page

We check each rule against the exporting country's official page and the destination country's official page. If the two disagree, we show the disagreement instead of guessing.

Want a professional to run this route for you?

Licensed pet relocation companies handle permits, vet paperwork and flights daily. We are adding vetted partners for this route — check back soon.