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Customer Advisory: U.S. Compliance Advisory
Dec. 12, 2025
Customer Advisory
U.S. Enforcement of ISPM-15 (International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures
No. 15) Marking Requirements Begins on January 1, 2026
As informed earlier in our Customer Advisory of November 25, 2025, APHIS and CBP
have not taken regulatory action on shipments solely missing the hyphen after
the country code. Beginning January 1, 2026, APHIS & CBP will resume enforcement of
this requirement. All other ISPM 15 provisions remain in effect throughout the
suspension and will continue to be enforced. WPM must be marked with the
International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) logo, the two-letter ISO Country
Code for the country that treated the WPM, the treatment facility number
assigned by the national plant protection organization, and treatment type. The
IPPC requires the ISO code and the treatment facility number to be separated by a
hyphen (e.g., XX-000).
Source: USDA-APHIS website
All Wood Packaging Material (WPM) must be in full compliance with regulations
to avoid cargo being held at the port of arrival, mandatory re-export, or penalties.
Non-conformance/non-compliance could result in the WPM being separated and
re-exported. If it is not feasible to separate the WPM from the imported
commodity, entry may be refused, requiring full re-export; CBP also reserves the
right to impose penalties based on the nature of the violation, while the importer
has the option to divert the shipment to another country where the WPM may be
treated to meet the required standards, if the import is enroute and due to arrive
prior to the deadline of December 31, 2025.
STAY AHEAD – ONE FORWARDER, ONE BROKER, OVERALL COMPLIANCE
Informational document brought to you by KWE-USA Corporate Compliance