Importing and handling invertebrates and micro-organisms

On this page

• Overview
• When CFIA authorization is required
  • When authorization is not required
• Authorization application process
  • How to apply
  • Application review process
• Plant Pest Containment Program
• Authorizations
  • Conditions
  • Validity period
• Notices to industry
• More information
• Contact us

Overview

Under the authority of the Plant Protection Act, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) establishes import and domestic requirements to prevent the entry and spread of pests^Footnote 1 in Canada.

Some of these requirements concern the intentional import and handling of invertebrates and micro-organisms that have the potential to cause harm to plant health in Canada, including:

• insects
• mites
• millipedes
• earthworms
• snails and slugs
• bacteria
• fungi
• viruses
• phytoplasmas
• nematodes

The import and domestic requirements specific to invertebrates and micro-organisms are provided in:

• D-12-02: Import Requirements for Potentially Injurious Organisms (Other than Plants) to Prevent the Importation of Plant Pests in Canada
• D-12-03: Domestic Requirements for Potentially Injurious Organisms (Other than Plants) to Prevent the Spread of Plant Pests Within Canada

These requirements apply no matter the purpose for wanting to import or handle these organisms, such as for:

• personal or commercial uses (for example, for use as pets, food, feed or bait)
• release into the environment (for example, for biological control or farming)
• scientific research (for example, in government, university or private laboratories)
• exhibition or display (for example, in zoos, museums or insectariums)
• education (for example, in schools, colleges or universities)

Whatever your purpose, authorization from the CFIA may be required before you import or undertake any other activities^Footnote 2 in respect of invertebrates or micro-organisms.

When CFIA authorization is required^Footnote 3

The CFIA issues plant protection import permits and domestic written authorizations to allow the import and handling of invertebrates or micro-organisms which are otherwise prohibited. These authorizations specify requirements to prevent harm to plant health in Canada.

With respect to invertebrates and micro-organisms, authorization from the CFIA is required when:

• the organism is present on the list of pests regulated by Canada
• in the case of proposed imports, the organism:
  • is not listed on Appendix 1 to D-12-02; or
  • is listed on Appendix 1 to D-12-02 with reference to a requirement for a permit to import

When authorization is not required

You can import or handle an invertebrate or micro-organism without an authorization when:

• the specimens are dead or otherwise non-viable
• the organism is listed on Appendix 1 to D-12-02 as "No permit to import required" for the end use and country of origin concerned^Footnote 4
• the specimens will be collected in the Canadian environment and do not fall into one of these 2 categories:
  • the organism is on the list of pests regulated by Canada
  • the organism is not present in the Canadian environment (for example, reported for the first time in Canada, no known self-sustained population, or the organism is present only in controlled environments such as greenhouses, warehouses or dwellings)
• the specimens will be obtained from another person in Canada, provided that this person is not required by the CFIA to keep and handle the organisms under containment. If containment is required, you must first apply for an authorization.

Authorization application process

How to apply

The application process varies depending on whether it is an import or domestic request:

Import: Requests should be made using the Application for permit to import plants and other things under the Plant Protection Act (CFIA/ACIA 5256). Information on where to send completed applications is included in the form.

Domestic: Requests should be made using the Application for a written authorization to conduct activities on plant pests (CFIA/ACIA 5851). Information on where to send completed applications is included in the form.

In either case, the organisms concerned must be specified in the application by their full scientific names (genus and species).

Application review process

Once we receive an import or domestic application, the CFIA undertakes an evaluation to determine whether the organism presents a risk to Canada's plant health resources and environment. Factors considered in the evaluation process include whether the organism:

• is present in the Canadian environment with evidence of an established population^Footnote 5.
• may be directly or indirectly injurious to plants or the agricultural and forestry sectors of the Canadian economy if it enters natural or controlled environments.

When risks to plant health are deemed unacceptable, or if there is little or no information available to make such a determination (for example, in response to requests to import or handle invertebrates for personal or commercial purposes), we may refuse to issue an authorization.

We may also decide to issue an authorization with restrictive conditions. This could result in the need to import or handle the organism under containment.

Plant Pest Containment Program

Certain invertebrates and micro-organisms require the authorization holder to maintain the organisms in a facility approved in the Plant Pest Containment Program.

Plant pest containment (PPC) levels range from PPC-1 or PPC-display levels (lowest) to the PPC-3 level (highest). The containment level required is determined by the CFIA as part of the application review process.

If containment is needed, a permit to import or domestic written authorization will only be issued if the facility is approved in the program to the appropriate PPC level^Footnote 6.

As part of the authorization application process, the CFIA will:

• contact the applicant if containment is required
• inform the applicant of the required PPC level and the associated physical and operational requirements
• assist and guide the applicant through the facility approval process

The applicant will be responsible for demonstrating to the CFIA that their facility is built and operated in accordance with the required containment level before its approval in the Plant Protection Containment Program^Footnote 7.

For information about the CFIA's plant pest containment requirements, including physical attributes and operational procedures that may be required for a facility, consult:

• Containment Standards for Facilities Handling Plant Pests, or
• Addendum for Containment Zones where Low-Risk Exotic Invertebrates are Displayed

For questions on PPC-Display, PPC-1 or PPC-2 levels, contact:

• your local CFIA inspection office, or
• the Invasive Alien Species and Domestic Program section : CFIA-IAS_ACIA-EEE@inspection.gc.ca.

For questions on the PPC-2A (high risk arthropod facilities) or PPC-3 levels, or if you plan or are building a new facility for pest containment purposes, contact the CFIA's Office of Biohazard Containment and Safety: biocon@inspection.gc.ca.

Authorizations

Import permits and domestic written authorization define the parameters of what is and what is not allowed with respect to the import or handling of invertebrates and micro-organisms.

In addition to specifying the regulated organisms, authorizations may specify the origin of the organisms, the exporter or supplier, as well as the destination or containment facility.

Conditions and the validity period are also specified in authorizations, both which are more fully treated below.

Conditions

Import permits and domestic written authorizations may specify conditions necessary to prevent the introduction or spread of plant pests in Canada. Conditions may set out requirements related to containment, shipping or moving organisms or infested materials, identity and purity of organisms, notification obligations and decontamination.

It is important to be familiar with conditions. Failure to meet a condition may result in the issuance of an administrative monetary penalty or prosecution. The CFIA has various means to generate, monitor and assess compliance and to respond to non-compliance. Consult the CFIA's Compliance and Enforcement Policy to learn more about the CFIA's approach to compliance management.

Validity period

Authorizations specify a validity period, normally ranging from 1 to 3 years depending on the circumstances. In the case of import permits and domestic written authorizations for obtaining organisms from within Canada, multiple shipments of organisms may be obtained within this timeframe (unless restrictions are specified in the authorization).

Conditions do not expire at the end of the validity period. As long as you continue to possess or handle viable specimens of the organisms concerned you must comply with the conditions.

Notices to industry

• Updated phytosanitary requirements for importing micro-organisms
  2025-07-22
• Clarification of requirements for importing approved biological control agents from commercial sources
  2023-10-18
• Importing and handling invertebrates in Canada for personal or commercial purposes
  2023-03-20
• Updates to the verification and renewal processes for plant pest containment
  2023-01-03
• Changes to required plant health documentation for importing invertebrates and micro-organisms
  2022-03-03
• Updates to the phytosanitary requirements for importing micro-organisms
  2020-06-30
• Changes to the requirements for importing earthworms into Canada
  2020-06-01
• Updates to the phytosanitary import requirements for importing micro-organisms
  2018-06-27
• Updates to the delivery of the plant health potentially injurious organisms program
  2018-04-03
• Updates to the phytosanitary import requirements for potentially injurious organisms
  2017-12-20

More information

• Importing and handling live snails for commercial or personal purposes
• Import and release of biological control agents into Canada
• Directive D-12-02: Import Requirements for Potentially Injurious Organisms (Other than Plants) to Prevent the Importation of Plant Pests in Canada
• Directive D-12-03: Domestic Requirements for Potentially Injurious Organisms (Other than Plants) to Prevent the Spread of Plant Pests Within Canada
• Directive D-97-04: Application, procedures, issuance and use of a Permit to Import under the Plant Protection Act
• Containment Standards for Facilities Handling Plant Pests
• Addendum for Containment Zones where Low-Risk Exotic Invertebrates are Displayed
• Biocontainment compliance and certification

Contact us

For more information on plant protection requirements that apply to the intentional import and handling of invertebrates and micro-organisms, contact your local CFIA inspection office.

For guidance on import requirements listed in AIRS, import fees, or the import document submission and release process, contact the CFIA's National Import Service Centre.