International Traveler: Meats, Poultry, and Seafood
The United States restricts or prohibits the entry of many agricultural products, which can carry foreign pests and diseases that harm American agriculture and our environment. Help us keep American agriculture healthy by following the guidance on this page about products you may want to bring into the United States.
Travelers entering the United States must declare all agricultural or wildlife products.
Travelers entering the United States must declare all agricultural or wildlife products to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. You must also tell them if you visited a farm or were in contact with animals before traveling to the United States.
U.S. agricultural inspectors will examine your items to be sure they meet entry requirements and do not harbor harmful foreign pests or diseases. U.S. inspectors have the authority to make a final determination about whether your products can enter the country. We recommend that you keep receipts and original packaging of agricultural products as proof of their country of origin.
As long as you declare all of the agricultural products you are bringing with you, you will not face any penalties—even if an inspector determines that they cannot enter the country.
Meats, Poultry, and Seafood You CAN and CANNOT Bring Back to the United States
USDA does not allow travelers to bring back most cattle, swine, sheep or goat meat or meat products from countries affected with certain serious livestock diseases:
- Foot-and-mouth disease
- Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
- Swine vesicular disease
- Classical swine fever
- African swine fever
To find out a country’s status for these diseases, visit our animal disease status page.
Travelers may bring back fresh (chilled or frozen), cooked, cured or dried meat from countries without these diseases if they have official documentation to prove the product’s country of origin. The following items are considered official documentation: package label; written documentation; proof of travel (passport or travel itinerary); origin of flight; receipt of sale; CBP document (based on the officer’s interview of the traveler); a meat inspection certificate; or certificate of origin.
Travelers may bring back boneless meat in commercially packaged, labeled, and contained in unopened hermetically sealed containers or packages that are cooked by a commercial method after such packing to produce articles that are shelf-stable without refrigeration.
Travelers may not bring back more than 50 pounds of an item. Shipments larger than 50 pounds are considered commercial shipments and must meet additional requirements through USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. Contact them at (202) 720-9904 or www.fsis.usda.gov.
Cured hams (prosciutto, Serrano ham, Iberian ham) and salami from areas within France, Germany, Italy and Spain may not be brought into the United States by travelers. These items may only enter in commercial shipments because there are special restrictions that require additional certification and documentation.
USDA does not allow travelers to bring back most poultry meat or poultry meat products from countries affected with certain serious poultry diseases:
- Highly pathogenic avian influenza
- Newcastle disease
To find out a country’s status for these diseases, visit our animal disease status page.
Commercially-packaged and labelled, cooked, shelf-stable poultry items from affected countries that are in unopened packages are allowed. However, travelers may not bring back more than 50 pounds of an item. Shipments larger than 50 pounds are considered commercial shipments and must meet additional requirements through USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. Contact them at (202) 720-9904 or www.fsis.usda.gov.
Cooked poultry meat or poultry meat products from affected countries will be inspected by U.S. Customs & Border Protection. Items appearing to be “thoroughly cooked throughout” will be allowed entry. Items that do not appear “thoroughly cooked throughout” will not be allowed without special certification and an import permit.
Travelers may bring back fresh (chilled or frozen), cooked, cured or dried poultry meat from countries without these diseases if they have official documentation to prove the product’s country of origin. The following items are considered official documentation: package label; written documentation; proof of travel (passport or travel itinerary); origin of flight; receipt of sale; CBP document (based on the officer’s interview of the traveler); a meat inspection certificate; or certificate of origin.
APHIS does not regulate the importation of most seafood items. We only regulate breaded seafood products, and only if the breading contains animal-origin ingredients (milk, eggs). Please contact us directly about breaded seafood items.
For all other seafood import questions, contact:
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 800-358-2104 or www.fws.gov
- The Food and Drug Administration at 301-796-0356 or www.fda.gov
Need Help?
Use the Veterinary Services (VS) Permitting Assistant to understand import requirements for animal products. This self-guided tool has the most updated and comprehensive information, based on the type of materials you want to bring in and the intended use.
Please note that commodities intended for "personal use" mean those in passenger baggage or passenger vehicles. Commodities sent by mail are regulated as "commercial" use.