Personal Importing

[Mike423]

I always wondered...
I know due to fear of importing pests as well as other problems, that nurseries are unable to import Bonsai from other countries unless they run a special quarantine setup specified by the government. Then have to keep them quarantined that way for at least two years or something like that before being able to distribute them. Making importing Japanese stock almost non existent any more.

My question was this. If I was to go out of country say Japan or Europe, would I be able to buy a Bonsai and bring it back with me? And if so is there a special way I would have to go about it? Ive never heard if or what the limitations are for these type of instances. I have also heard that people have been able to bring Japanese imports from Canada to the US but haven't heard much about that either.

If there's anyone that might have some insight or personal experience on the subject I'd love to hear it.

 

[Bill S]

No, is the easy answer, too much time and money are involved on a one, 2 or few trees by an individual, unless you wish to pay huge $$ for trees. It's not as easy as I am willing either, you need to have certification as to qualification as well.

In a nut shell FUGETABOUTIT. Best bet is get imported stock ( what is let go isn't like it used to be, my understanding is that Japan even bans a lot of export now) from a nursery that has the cert.s and quarantine houses, and experiance.

Use the search and you will find previous threads about this too.