SUBJECT: Overview of Final Rule on the Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection User Fee
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has published a final rule that will increase agricultural quarantine and inspection (AQI) user fees for commercial vehicles, commercial trucks, and commercial aircraft and lower inspection fees for international passengers and railroad cars at U.S. ports of entry. This final rule will also add new fee requirements for the inspection of cruise ship passengers and the application and monitoring of phytosanitary treatments. The final rule will be effective 60 days after the date of publication in the Federal Register. The docket was published in the Federal Register on October 29, 2015, and will be effective on December 28, 2015.
This notice serves as situational awareness for the upcoming final AQI user rates and includes a chart of the previous, proposed, and final AQI user fee rates which can be used as a reference in your areas of responsibility.
Should you have any questions regarding this notice, please feel free to contact Chief CBP Officer Denise Emmer at 504-670-2052.
| User Free Class | Previous | Proposed 04/2014 | Final 12/28/2015 |
| Air Passenger | $5 | $4 | $3.96 |
| Commercial Aircraft | $70.75 | $225 | $225 |
| Commercial Cargo Vessel | $496 | $825 | $825 |
| Commercial Truck | $5.25 | $8 | $7.55 |
| Commercial Truck with Transponder (one annual payment) |
$105 | $320 | $301.67 |
| Commercial Cargo Railcar | $7.75 | $2 | $2 |
| Cruise Passenger | no fee | $2 | $1.75 |
| Treatment | no fee | $375 | $237 |
