What can be brought into the United States? Everything you should know is here

Information for Travelers Coming to the U.S. Mainland from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) prohibits or restricts the entry of many agricultural products from Hawaii into the U.S. mainland, including most fresh fruits and vegetables and certain types of plants and flowers. That’s because these items could harbor a dangerous stowaway—an invasive pest or disease. Just one piece of fruit or a single plant that is carrying an invasive pest or disease could lead to millions of dollars in damage, expensive eradication efforts, lost trade revenue, and higher food prices. So, before you mail, ship, or carry any agricultural products into the U.S. mainland, please click on the links below to find out what’s allowed and what’s prohibited. For more information, please contact the APHIS offices in Hawaii at the numbers provided below.

Travelers: You must present all food, plants, and other agricultural items to the USDA inspector at the airport before you leave Hawaii. If your items are generally allowed, the inspector will check them to make sure they are free from pests and disease before you begin your trip to the U.S. mainland.

Agricultural Items from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands ALLOWED into the Mainland (after inspection):

Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs

Allium spp. (includes onion, garlic, and chives)
Amaranth, Amaranthus spp. (leaf, stem)
Anise
Annona spp. (leaf)
Arracacia xanthorrhiza
Arrowroot
Artichoke, Jerusalem
Asparagus
Avocado
Balsam apple
Bamboo shoots
Banana (fruit, leaf without stalk or midrib)
Basil
Bay leaves, laurel
Beans, shelled (faba, lima, string)
Beans, in pods (faba, lima, string)—have geographic restrictions. For more information, please contact USDA’s offices using the telephone numbers listed below.
Beet
Bitter melon
Brassica oleracea (includes cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, and collards)
Breadfruit, Artocarpus spp.
Breadnut
Cacao bean pod
Cannonball fruit
Cantaloupe
Carrot
Cassava
Celery
Chamomile, Anthemis spp.
Chayote
Chervil
Chickory
Chinese waternut
Chrysanthemum spp. (leaf, stem)
Cilantro
Citrus, fresh fruit (grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime)
Coconut (without husk)
Coffee: Travelers are permitted to bring back unlimited quantities of roasted coffee or green (unroasted) coffee beans without restriction through any continental U.S. port of entry.
Collard
Corn (on the cob only)
Cornsalad, Vallerianella spp.
Cucumber (includes Angola cucumber, Sicania odorata)
Cyperus corm
Dandelion greens (leaf, stem)
Dasheen, Colocasia, Caladium spp., and Xanthosoma spp.
Eggplant
Endive
Ethrog (fruit)
False coriander
Fennel
Genip
Ginger root
Gourd
Guava (leaf)
Herbs (dried or cured)
Honeydew melon
Horseradish, Armoracia spp.
Indigo, Indigofera spp.
Jackfruit
Kale
Kudzu—if not seed, tuberous roots, or stems with node (must not be capable of propagation)
Lambsquarter
Lemongrass, Cymbopogon citratus
Leren
Lettuce
Lily bulb, edible
Lotus root
Maguey
Mangosteen
Marjoram, Origanum spp. (leaf, stem)
Mint, Mentha spp.
Mushrooms
Mustard greens
Oregano, Origanum spp. (leaf, stem)
Palm heart
Papaya
Parsley
Parsnip
Pepper
Peas, Pisum sativum (in pod or shelled)
Pineapple
Plantain (fruit, leaf without stalk or midrib)
Pokeweed greens (leaf, stem)
Potato
Pumpkin
Purslane
Radish
Rhubarb
Rosemary (leaf)
Rutabaga
St. John’s bread
Salsify
Savoy
Sorrel, Rumex spp.
Spinach
Squash
Stinking-toe (pod)
Strawberry
Sweet potato (leaf only)
Swiss chard
Tamarind bean pods
Taro, Colocasia and Caladium spp.
Tarragon
Thyme
Tomato
Truffle
Turnip
Vegetable marrow
Water chestnut
Watercress
Watermelon
Yam, Dioscorea spp.
Yautia (tanier), Xanthosoma spp.

Cut Flowers

Flowers (fresh, cut, or dried)

Plants and Seeds for Planting

Plant cuttings and plants without soil

Animals and Animal Products

Baked goods containing pork or pork products (including those cooked in lard) that are commercially packaged and labeled and are shelf stable without refrigeration
Canned pork meat/meat products
Eggs
Pet birds— Entry requirements vary depending on the origin of the bird. Please visit the APHIS Web site for details on the entry requirements for pet birds.

Miscellaneous

Insects (dried or preserved)
Snail shells (if empty and thoroughly cleaned)

Agricultural Items From Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands NOT ALLOWED into the Mainland:

Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs

Fruits (fresh)—all fruits are prohibited except those on the preceding list
Vegetables (fresh)—all vegetables are prohibited except those on preceding list
Pigeon Peas (fresh)
Sweet potato

Cut Flowers

Citrus leaves (fresh)
Cotton, cotton cuttings

Plants and Seeds for Planting

Cactus
Citrus and citrus-related plants
Plants in soil

Animal and Animal Products

Pork and pork products other than those listed above (including homemade foods containing pork or cooked in lard)

Miscellaneous

Handicrafts made from Palm fronds
Insects (live)
Seed cotton and cottonseed
Snails (land)
Seeds or nuts (pulpy)
Soil
Sugarcane

Additional Information

Pork or pork products being mailed or shipped to the U.S. mainland may be subject to further restrictions. Contact your local USDA office (Puerto Rico) or nearest U.S. Customs and Border Protection office/agriculture unit (U.S. Virgin Islands) for more information before sending these products. Lists are subject to change.

USDA Offices - Puerto Rico

Aguada: (787) 986-7240
Aguadilla: (787) 931–7900
Carolina: (787) 710-7443 or (787) 710-7282
Ponce: (787) 709-4957
San Juan: (787) 919-0585

CBP Offices - U.S. Virgin Islands

St. Thomas: (340) 774-4554
St. Croix: (340) 778-1696