Bringing tomato seeds back to the USA from Europe?

16 years ago

Hello all, long time reader, first time tomato forum poster!

I have a question about tomato seeds that I'm hoping someone might know the answer to.

In the fall my husband and I going to be spending some time Austria, Switzerland and Italy and we'd like to be able to bring some tomato seeds home to the USA with us. Not a large amount, just a few packages of a couple of unusual varieties as we are just hobby gardeners. I looked on the USDA website and it appears that we would just have to apply for a permit, make sure that the seeds are properly labeled and declare the tomato seeds when going through customs. Is it really as simple as all that or is the process more intricate than it seems? Does anyone have experience with this? Also, is there a fee for this permit and how long does it take to receive?

Thanks in advance. :)

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

bulldogges
16 years ago
While I have nor brought any back yet, I did ask someone wh odes about it.

This person is part of a seed exchange and regularly sends seeds to Europe and has them mailed to her.

All they do is clearly write it on the envelope that it contains tomatoe seeds, including the type.

She also said that to bring them while traveling ,all you have to do is declare them.

As they are not invasive and you are not bringing the actual fruit in (which could carry disease), she said they (customs) really dont care.

So, I'd say, mail some to yourself, and take some with you. At worst, customs will confiscate them, so this way you have all bases covered.
miesenbacher
16 years ago
faithann, I live in Germany and mail seeds back to the states all the time with no problem. Never went through customs with seeds. Bulldogges suggestion of mailing half and handcarrying the other half makes the most sense. I know a couple tomato gardeners from down under who brought seeds back from europe who wished they would have mailed them as customs did confiscate there seeds but Australia is alot more stringent on seed imports.
Related Professionals
Pottstown Landscape Contractors · Centereach Landscape Contractors · Edwardsville Landscape Contractors · Fairview Landscape Contractors · Garland Landscape Contractors · Parker Landscape Contractors · Pompton Lakes Landscape Contractors · Browns Mills General Contractors · Gloucester City General Contractors · Riverdale General Contractors · Walker General Contractors · Frederick Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Manchester Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Santa Monica Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures
llaz
16 years ago
faithann
I agree with everyone above. I have been either buying seeds directly from Europe or having them brought back for me by friends for some time now. There are some really wonderful small seed producers with things you'll never find here. I haven't had any problems. If you're only buying tomato seeds, they're so light you can easily just mail them back to yourself. A friend who went skiing in Switzerland a few years ago brought back tomato seeds that I have really enjoyed growing from a company called Mauser. You can now get seeds directly from some companies in Europe over the internet. I wonder if it's getting easier for them. Two of my favorites are Le Biau Germe and Kokopelli (terredesemces.com), both on France. I buy beans, lettuce, etc. and the packages are marked with the names of the seeds and something like "garden seeds". Tomatsidan.se is a small company in Sweden that has some really interesting tomato varieties, particularly short-season types and lots from Eastern Europe and Russia. Some of these have become my favorites. Michael Anderson who runs it has charged me two dollars for each variety and just sends them in an envelope as you would a letter. As far as Italy, you can buy a huge variety of seeds directly from growitalian.com and italianseedandtool.com. I'll be curious to hear about what interesting varieties you find in your travels. Best wishes.
Lou