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Selling cut flowers across the US-Canada border: permits, duty, and labeling basics
Cross-border cut flower sales need the right APHIS certificates, CARM entries, duty and GST answers, and labels that match the invoice before stems reach Canada.
What to take away
- A USDA APHIS phytosanitary certificate is the document Canadian buyers ask about most, but cut flowers sold for decoration are often exempt from Canada's certificate rule.
- Confirm the requirement for your species and origin in the CFIA Automated Import Reference System before you cut.
- The Canada Border Services Agency collects duty and tax, and most US grown cut flowers enter duty free under USMCA when they qualify as originating.
- Someone must be the importer of record with a Canadian business number, and that party files the entry through the CARM Client Portal.
- Invoices and box labels should carry the genus, the stem count, and the dealer's name so an officer can match the paperwork to the pallet.
Two governments, two sets of questions
A shipment of stems crosses two regulatory systems. In the United States, USDA APHIS handles export certification. In Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency sets plant health rules while the Canada Border Services Agency collects duty and tax.
Each agency asks a different question. APHIS asks whether the plants are healthy and correctly identified. CFIA asks whether the species may enter. CBSA asks what the goods are worth.
Cut flowers reach the market through field and greenhouse production, and border rules follow the commodity rather than the farm.
Phytosanitary certificates from APHIS
APHIS issues export phytosanitary certificates through PCIT, the Phytosanitary Certificate Issuance and Tracking system. You file an application, pay the current user fee, and arrange an inspection.
Stems harvested for decoration, with no roots and no growing medium, are usually treated as low risk. Canada does not require a phytosanitary certificate for many species and origins.
That exemption is not universal. Some genera and some growing regions trigger a certificate or a border inspection. CFIA's Automated Import Reference System, known as AIRS, lists the requirement by commodity and country of origin.
AIRS is free to search. Look up every species you plan to ship, not just your best seller.
Commercial paperwork and the importer of record
The importer of record is the party legally responsible for the entry. Many Canadian wholesalers import stems themselves. Others ask the grower to take that role.
A Canadian importer needs a business number and a CARM Client Portal account. A US grower acting as importer needs the same.
CBSA values the shipment from the commercial invoice and accounts for it on form B3-3, the Canada Customs Coding Form. Since 2024 that accounting runs through CARM.
- Search AIRS for each genus and country of origin.
- Book the APHIS inspection close to the shipping date.
- Write an invoice that lists species, stem counts, unit price, and total value.
- Confirm the importer of record and whether release prior to payment requires a bond.
Duty, tax, and the rates that apply
Fresh cut flowers sit under HS heading 0603, with separate subheadings for roses, carnations, orchids, chrysanthemums, and other stems.
US grown flowers that qualify as originating goods enter Canada duty free under the USMCA. Flowers grown elsewhere, or resold without meeting the origin rules, fall back to Canada's most favoured nation rate.
GST or HST is collected at release. The rate follows the province where the shipment is released, not where the buyer resells.
Keep the origin claim on file. CBSA can request it months later.
Labeling and box marking
Border paperwork works from names. Put the genus and species on the invoice and the packing list, along with the box count and the stem count per bunch.
Retail bouquets that are prepackaged for sale in Canada fall under the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act. That law expects a common name, a net quantity declaration, and the dealer's name and principal place of business.
For bunches, the net quantity is the stem count. Print it on the sleeve rather than leaving it to the retailer.
CITES permits can apply to a few ornamental genera, so check before shipping specialty stems. The practical detail is set out in 7 questions Asheville growers ask about.
| Document | Issued by | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Phytosanitary certificate | USDA APHIS | States that the stems meet the importing country's plant health requirements |
| Commercial invoice | Seller | Gives CBSA the value, the species, and the quantities |
| Origin claim | Importer of record | Supports duty free entry under USMCA |
| Form B3-3 | Importer of record | Accounts for the goods with CBSA through CARM |
Example: forty boxes from Michigan to Ontario
A Michigan grower cuts 40 boxes of dahlias and snapdragons for an Ontario wholesaler in September. The grower searches AIRS for both genera.
The search shows no certificate required for those stems from the United States. The grower still writes an invoice listing genus, stem count, and value.
The wholesaler imports the shipment, files through CARM, and pays HST at release. The labels match the invoice line by line.
If the same grower shipped potted plants instead of cut stems, the answer would change, because plants for planting carry roots and soil.
Selling to Canadian buyers after the boxes clear
Border clearance is only half of the relationship. Canadian tax registration, invoices, and cost records decide whether a florist buys again, and our guide to selling cut flowers to florists sets out those account and invoice steps.
Canadian buyers also work inside provincial programs. British Columbia's agriculture ministry publishes business and market development guidance for producers.
Ontario's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs publishes production guides for specialty crops, cut flowers included.
