Can You Cross Flowers From Mexico to the US? CBP Rules

Yes, you can cross flowers from Mexico to the US. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says roses, carnations and many other flowers are allowed after inspection, but you must declare them, and soil and some bouquet fillers are stopped, while plants for growing need advance permission. Chrysanthemums were barred at passenger ports in that notice, and a USDA rule that takes effect on 9 November 2026 lifts the white rust limits on cut chrysanthemums, so check CBP before you travel.

This guide gives the rules in plain steps for two readers: the traveller with a bouquet in the car, and the grower or importer with a pallet. It adds CBP inspection counts, import data by country, a short look at the crops Mexico sends north, and a calculator that shows whether a flower shipment pays its way after rejections, freight and fees. Rules change, so treat this page as a map and confirm the details with CBP or USDA before you cross.

Can you cross flowers from Mexico to the US? The short answer

For a personal bouquet, the answer is yes, with three conditions. Declare the flowers to the CBP officer. Expect an inspection. Leave out soil, rooted plants and any filler that CBP flags. CBP’s guide says that all travellers entering the United States must declare plants, seeds, soil and other agricultural items carried in bags or in a vehicle. The rule covers land crossings, airports and seaports alike.

The confusion online comes from mixing up two things. A short list of flowers, fillers and plant types is restricted. Flowers as a whole are not banned. CBP wrote in its 2022 Valentine’s Day notice that it is not illegal to import flowers, while some plant materials common in arrangements are restricted because they can carry pests.

Three groups face different rules:

• Personal travellers: declare, get inspected, and leave with the flowers if they are an allowed type and clean.
• Anyone bringing plants to grow: cuttings, bulbs, seeds and rooted plants need advance permission, covered below.
• Commercial importers: shipments follow USDA APHIS import conditions and a customs entry, and the cut flowers are inspected at the port.

If you came here asking about crossing with a SENTRI card, CBP’s agriculture rule is written for all travellers. The guide makes no exception for trusted-traveller lanes, so declare the flowers to the officer in any lane.

Which flowers can you cross, and which are stopped

CBP does not publish one full list of allowed species. What it does say is clear on the main cases. The table below sums up what the CBP notices and the USDA rule say, with the date of each source.

Two points about the table. First, “allowed” never means “skip the inspection”. Second, CBP says that if any part of a bouquet has pests, the whole bouquet is confiscated. A clean bouquet of allowed flowers is the safest thing to carry.

Can I cross roses from Mexico to the US?

Yes. Roses are named by CBP among the flowers allowed after inspection, and there is no rose-specific paperwork for a personal bouquet. Roses are also the biggest single cut flower in US imports. University of Illinois economists report that US rose imports rose from $433 million in 2014 to $1.007 billion in 2024, about half of all cut flower and nursery imports by value.

Most of those roses do not come from Mexico. The next chart uses the 2024 UN Comtrade data on the World Bank’s WITS site to show where fresh cut flowers and buds came from. Mexico supplied about $26 million of a $2.66 billion total, which is about 1% by value.

Where US cut flowers come from

Colombia and Ecuador dominate. The World Bank’s WITS table for 2024 lists Colombia at $1.59 billion and Ecuador at $693 million. Canada sent $114 million and the Netherlands $103 million. Mexico, Guatemala and Ethiopia are small suppliers of fresh cut flowers.

Chart

Fresh cut flower imports into the US by origin, 2024

US$ million, HS 060310 (fresh cut flowers and buds), selected origins

The figures differ a little between datasets because of scope. The Illinois farmdoc team used Census-based numbers of $1.24 billion for Colombia and $491 million for Ecuador in 2024. Both sets show the same pattern: South America supplies most of the flowers, and Mexico is a small share. For travellers, the takeaway is simple. A bouquet from a Tijuana or Juárez market is a personal item, not a trade flow, and CBP treats it by the same declaration rules as any other.

What changes for chrysanthemums in November

Chrysanthemums are the item most people ask about, and the rules are moving. CBP’s May 2024 notice, which CBP now marks as archived content, said chrysanthemums from Mexico are prohibited through passenger ports of entry, to keep out chrysanthemum white rust. The National Invasive Species Information Center describes it as a serious fungal disease of chrysanthemums that is not currently established in the United States. It was first found in 1977, was believed eradicated, and has reappeared several times.

On 8 October 2026 USDA APHIS published a final rule in the Federal Register. The rule removes restrictions on fresh cut flowers of the genera Chrysanthemum, Leucanthemella and Nipponanthemum from countries where the disease is known to exist, and moves the other cut-flower import conditions into USDA’s online Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements database. It takes effect on 9 November 2026. APHIS concluded that its eradication policy for the disease is no longer justified, and that fungicides give growers a low-cost way to manage it.

What this means for you:

• Before 9 November 2026, follow CBP’s passenger-port notice and leave chrysanthemums at home.
• After that date, the APHIS restriction no longer applies to cut stems. CBP’s practice at passenger ports after that date is not yet confirmed, and the rule does not say whether CBP will update its wording on the same day, so check CBP’s guide or call its information centre before you buy.
• Chrysanthemums are still inspected like every other cut flower, and soil and plants for growing stay off the list.

Soil, plants for growing and permits

This is where most seizures happen. CBP’s guide says no soil of any kind is allowed into the United States without a permit from the USDA Plant Protection and Quarantine Permit Unit, and its May 2024 notice adds that soil cannot be imported from Mexico. Potted plants fail on that rule alone.

Plants and plant parts meant for growing are a separate category. CBP says that certain plants and any plant parts intended for growing need a foreign phytosanitary certificate in advance. That covers cuttings, bulbs, seeds and rooted plants. A bouquet is for display, so it is not in this group, but a rose cutting you hope to root is. If you want to bring plant material to grow, call the USDA APHIS Permit Unit (CBP lists (877) 770-5990) before you travel.

Fresh produce has its own list. CBP says that stone fruit, apples, mangoes, oranges, guavas, sopote, cherimoya and sweet limes from Mexico require a permit. Do not assume that a market fruit that is fine in Mexico can cross.

Fillers, greenery and the citrus link

Fillers get the same inspection as the main flowers. CBP singles out Murraya, also called orange jasmine, as a bouquet filler to watch. The reason is the Asian citrus psyllid. The University of Florida’s citrus guide says the psyllid can reproduce only on citrus or close relatives such as orange jasmine, and that orange jasmine near groves can be a source of infestation.

The psyllid spreads huanglongbing, also called citrus greening. The UC Statewide IPM Program says the psyllid was discovered in San Diego County in 2008 and the disease was first detected in Los Angeles in 2012. The USDA Economic Research Service reports that Florida’s orange output has fallen by an estimated 92% since 2003/04, and it links the decline to hurricanes and to the citrus greening disease first found in Florida’s commercial groves in 2005. The ERS chart puts the 2023/24 orange forecast at 846,000 tons.

That history is why a single sprig of the wrong filler matters to officers. If your bouquet has filler you cannot name, ask the seller to remove it or leave it out.

If you visited a flower farm or market

Flowers are not the only thing officers check. CBP’s guide tells travellers to answer yes to the agriculture question if they have been on a farm or close to livestock, because an agriculture specialist may need to look at shoes or luggage for traces of soil. Vehicles must also be cleaned of any soil. If you walked through a greenhouse or a field to pick your own stems, brush off your shoes and wipe the floor mats before you queue.

The same guide covers what else may be in the car. Fruit, vegetables, plants and animal products must all be declared. Some are allowed, some need a permit and some are banned. Meat and animal products are restricted because of animal diseases. If you are not sure about an item, declare it. The officer decides, and declaring it protects you from a penalty.

Step by step: crossing with a bouquet

1. Buy clean flowers. Choose roses, carnations or other common cut flowers. Skip potted plants and roots wrapped in soil.
2. Remove fillers you cannot identify. Orange jasmine and unknown greenery are the usual problems.
3. Check the current guide. Read CBP’s agriculture page and its Prohibited and Restricted Items guidance the day before. Species rules can change, as the chrysanthemum rule shows.
4. Declare the flowers. Tell the officer before you are asked. Say “I have fresh cut flowers.”
5. Accept the inspection. Officers look at the stems and leaves for insects and disease. Allow extra time on holiday weekends.
6. Know what happens if something is found. CBP says that if any part of a bouquet has pests, the entire bouquet is confiscated.

Penalties apply when you do not declare. CBP’s guide says undeclared prohibited items are confiscated, and civil penalties may be up to $1,000 for a first offence with non-commercial quantities, with higher penalties for commercial use. Penalties are aimed at undeclared items, so declaring is the cheap choice. This is general information, not legal advice. For a specific case, ask CBP or a licensed customs broker.

How many flowers CBP inspects

The numbers explain why the line can be slow. CBP agriculture specialists inspect more than a billion cut flower stems a year, mostly at air cargo hubs. In its February 2026 notice, CBP said that Miami handles about 88% of cut flower imports, with Otay Mesa and Los Angeles International Airport taking most of the rest. The three most common types are roses, chrysanthemums and carnations.

Pest finds are small next to the volume, but each one counts. In the 2024 season, CBP reported 1,830 insects and pests intercepted by 13 February, and 877 of those could have introduced diseases. By early February 2026 it had inspected over a billion stems and intercepted over 600 pests and plant diseases. CBP’s own words: even a small number of finds matters because one pest can damage crops.

Chart

Cut flower stems inspected by CBP in a year

billions of stems; selected years (2023 and 2024 totals not shown)

What CBP looks for in the flowers

CBP’s February 2026 notice names the most common finds of the season. The top pest was a fungus in the genus Entyloma (CBP’s release spells the species name “Meridaonale”), a pathogen that can kill leaf tissue and cut a plant’s ability to photosynthesise. The second was a group of moth larvae in the family Noctuidae, which can cut seedlings at the base, strip leaves or bore into stems and fruit. CBP calls them the most common finds of the season.

Chart

Three kinds of cut flower CBP inspected in 2023

million items inspected in calendar year 2023; the three types CBP named

The Valentine’s Day season shows the scale. In February 2022, CBP reported more than 1.1 billion cut flowers inspected in 482,754 shipments by 8 February, with 1,770 insects and pests intercepted, and noted that 58 countries send flowers to the United States. A land-border traveller with one bouquet is a tiny part of that flow, but the same rules and the same pests apply.

Commercial importers: what sits on top of the border check

A commercial shipment is a customs entry, not a personal declaration. The Federal Register rule describes the current regulation this way: all imported cut flowers are subject to inspection at ports of entry, and cut flowers found infested with leaf-miners must be fumigated with methyl bromide under USDA’s treatment rules. APHIS is also moving the specific import conditions for each flower type into its online Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements database, so check that database for the flower and origin you plan to ship.

CBP’s February 2023 notice points importers to marking requirements for each country of origin, so box labels matter. Three points for a plan:

• Phytosanitary paperwork: requirements depend on the flower and origin. Look them up in the APHIS database or ask a customs broker.
• Duty: the rate depends on the tariff code, proof of origin and whichever tariff orders are in force on the entry date. We do not give a rate here because it can change. Confirm it in the current Harmonized Tariff Schedule and with a licensed broker.
• Holiday peaks: volumes rise before Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, and so do inspection queues.

Mexico’s share of fresh cut flower imports is small by value, and Miami handles about 88% of the total. Otay Mesa is one of the ports CBP names for the rest. Use the calculator below to test a shipment before you commit.

Why the rules are moving: how APHIS changed course on white rust

The chrysanthemum change did not come out of nowhere. APHIS proposed it in April 2023 and took comments for 60 days. Of the 21 comments, 20 supported the rule and one raised no concern. The comments came from flower importers, exporters, distributors, breeders, shippers, trade groups and government agencies.

The agency’s reasoning was economic. Its 2019 evaluation, which it reviewed again in September 2026, found that eradicating the disease costs a lot because the pathogen can overwinter in dormant below-ground parts and show symptoms late. Fungicides were available to growers at a fraction of the value of a chrysanthemum plant. So APHIS no longer treats the disease as a pest of quarantine significance and moves it to a management phase. The notice-based process in the ACIR database also saves time: APHIS estimates savings of 6 months to 2.5 years per notice, compared with changing the rule text each time.

The rule is narrow. APHIS states that the only change to cut flower import requirements is the removal of the white rust requirements, and that all other requirements stay as they are. Inspection at the port still applies. If APHIS later decides a flower needs a new limit, it will publish a notice with a comment period of at least 60 days. That gives growers and importers a way to see changes coming, and it is why the ACIR database is worth checking before each season.

The lesson for travellers and importers is the same. Import rules for plants are not fixed. They follow pest risk, and they change by notice. Check the date on any list you rely on, including this one.

Before a first commercial shipment

A short order of work keeps a first load out of trouble. The steps below are a planning list, not a legal checklist.

1. Look up the flower and origin in USDA’s Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements database, which APHIS is using for cut flower conditions.
2. Get the paperwork the entry needs. Ask the exporter which phytosanitary documents apply to your flower type, and ask a licensed customs broker how the entry is filed.
3. Label the boxes with the country of origin, as CBP’s notices point out.
4. Plan for the inspection. Allow time at the port and keep a margin for stems that are held or destroyed. The calculator below has a rejection input for this.
5. Confirm the duty in the current tariff schedule for your tariff code and proof of origin.

Who to ask before you go

When a species or filler is not on the lists above, ask before you buy. CBP’s notices give its Information Center number as (877) 227-5511 for questions about importing flowers and plant materials. For plants to grow, CBP’s guide lists the USDA APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine Permit Unit at (301) 851-2046 or (877) 770-5990. These numbers come from CBP pages dated between 2023 and 2026, so confirm them on the current page. Write down the name of the species, where it was grown and how many stems you plan to carry, since those are the first questions you will be asked.

If you import commercially, a licensed customs broker who handles cut flowers can tell you which documents your flower type needs and how the entry is filed. Our calculator gives you the money side of that conversation; the broker gives you the paperwork side.

Terms used in this guide

• CBP: US Customs and Border Protection. Its agriculture specialists inspect plants and produce at ports of entry.
• APHIS: the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. It sets the plant import rules that CBP enforces at the border.
• Phytosanitary certificate: a document from the exporting country’s plant protection office saying plants meet the import rules.
• ACIR: the USDA online database of Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements.
• HS 060310: the trade code for fresh cut flowers and buds, used in the World Bank data above.

Calculator: will a flower shipment pay its way?

Enter your own numbers below. The default values are examples chosen to sit near break-even. They are not benchmarks, and prices change daily, so use today’s quotes.

Try the numbers for your own farm below.

Crops of Mexico that ship north

Flowers are a small part of the trade. Mexico is the largest single source of US horticultural imports. USDA’s Economic Research Service reports that in 2023 Mexico supplied 63% of US vegetable imports and 47% of US fruit and nut imports. In real terms, US horticultural imports from Mexico grew from $3.9 billion in 2000 to $19.7 billion in 2023, a compound annual growth rate of 7.3%. The ERS measures this in 2023 dollars and attributes the growth partly to producers meeting US food safety rules.

The ERS adds that, on average from 2000 to 2023, the United States was the destination for 91% of Mexico’s horticultural exports. A second ERS note says that from 2007 to 2023 the import share of US fresh fruit availability grew from 50% to 59% and the share of fresh vegetables from 20% to 35%, and that the import share rose by more than 20 percentage points for ten crops, among them avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and blueberries. See the ERS chart on fresh fruit and vegetable supplies. The trade rests on the USMCA, which continues the market access that NAFTA gave to fruit and vegetables.

That trade runs on separate rules from the flower rules above. Tomatoes, avocados, peppers and berries each have their own conditions, and CBP’s list shows that a few fruits from Mexico require a permit. For a full picture of Mexican farm exports, see our guide to agricultural imports from Mexico, and our guide to crops in Mexico for what grows where.

Growers on both sides of the border face the same problem the CBP inspectors do: a pest or disease that is easy to miss until it spreads. Satellite images cannot name a pest, but they show where a crop block is changing against its neighbours, so a grower can walk to that spot first. The video below shows how crop health maps work. The Farmonaut Satellite + AI Farm Monitoring System is one tool that offers this kind of field monitoring.

▶ How satellite NDVI maps show crop stress before it is visible, here on a 400-acre corn farm. · 4:09

Tips before you cross

• Read the CBP guide on the day you travel. Rules, such as the chrysanthemum one, are changing.
• Buy cut flowers without soil, and clean off leaf litter.
• Skip fillers you cannot name.
• Say yes when asked whether you carry plants or have visited a farm.
• For plants to grow, apply for the permit before you travel, not at the booth.

For growers: spotting field problems early

If you grow flowers or crops for export, border rules are only the last step. The first is knowing the state of your own blocks. Many growers combine scouting with satellite vegetation maps. The steps in the video below, from field maps to regular satellite checks, are the same whether the block holds roses, tomatoes or corn. Always follow the product label and local rules when you treat pests, and ask an agronomist for advice on your own crop.

Related pages on our site: farm carbon footprint tracking, crop area checks for loans and insurance, product traceability, fleet management, large-farm management app, satellite and weather API documentation, satellite data API access and crop area estimation.

▶ Six plain steps to start precision farming, from field maps to satellite monitoring. · 4:18

How we checked the numbers

We read each CBP notice on its own page and kept its date. The chrysanthemum rule comes from the Federal Register document and its publication and effective dates. Import values come from the World Bank’s WITS table for HS 060310 (fresh cut flowers and buds) for 2024 and from the University of Illinois farmdoc daily article. The two use different bases, so we do not mix them in one chart. Horticultural trade figures come from USDA ERS. CBP counts are season totals that it published at stated dates, so they are partial seasons unless we say otherwise. We left out claims we could not find in an official source, such as a share of inspections by flower species or any list of allowed species.

FAQ

Can you cross flowers from Mexico to the US?

Yes. CBP says roses, carnations and many other flowers are allowed after inspection. You must declare them. Soil, plants for growing and filler such as orange jasmine can cause a seizure.

Can I cross roses from Mexico to the US?

Yes. Roses are named by CBP among the flowers allowed after inspection. Declare them, keep them clean, and expect the officer to check them for insects and disease.

What flowers can cross the border?

Roses, carnations and many other common cut flowers can cross after inspection. CBP does not publish a complete list. Chrysanthemums were barred at passenger ports in CBP’s May 2024 notice, and the USDA rule that lifts the white rust limits on cut chrysanthemums starts on 9 November 2026.

Can you cross plants from Mexico to the US?

Plants in soil cannot cross, because CBP says soil from Mexico is not allowed. Plants and plant parts for growing need advance permission, such as a phytosanitary certificate or permit. Call the USDA APHIS Permit Unit before you travel.

Do I have to declare flowers at the border?

Yes. CBP says all travellers must declare plants and other agricultural items. Undeclared prohibited items are confiscated, and civil penalties can be up to $1,000 for a first offence with non-commercial quantities.

Can I cross flowers through SENTRI?

CBP’s agriculture rule applies to all travellers entering the United States, and we found no lane exemption. Declare the flowers to the officer.