Question about taking corals from Mexico to the US

[jordimex]

Hello fellow reefers i am currently in Mexico visiting some family and decided to go checkout a couple coral stores here, i was wondering if i am allowed to take them to the US or if i need to do anything in order to be able to take them.

Thank you

 

[Hans Solo]

I wouldn't worry about it if they are legally bought there. Maybe keep a receipt for customs. Can you ship them back instead?

Or just hide them, who cares except the government.

 

[andrewkw]

I wouldn't worry about it if they are legally bought there. Maybe keep a receipt for customs. Can you ship them back instead?

Or just hide them, who cares except the government.

This is terrible advice.

All hard corals (anything with a skeleton will fall under cites see https://www.cites.org/eng/disc/what.php Note that live rock also falls under cites so even if you had a soft coral which does not require a permit the rock it's on would. This is not something you can just pickup on a whim.

Technically soft corals are allowed if they are lose or on man made plugs. Just because they are technically legal does not mean you will be allowed to bring them. You may or may not.

 

[jordimex]

So you would recommend instead of getting the acros have them changed for a soft coral?
i was investigating with the Mexican government about the right procedure and they told me it would take at least ten days to get the permits, the only problem is that i leave next Monday back to the US
Trying to figure out what to do

 

[SDReefer]

I don't think that a frag would fall under the jurisdiction of CITES since it is not from the wild. Reefers from Canada go to MACNA and there is usually no problem crossing international borders. Perhaps they would be more useful than me.

Good luck!

 

[tdileo]

Learn about the country in general when it comes to that and call your airline to check. I've brought fish and corals with me but ONLY on domestic flights. I would personally never attempt it out of the country. There are just too many things that would go wrong. I suggest you just don't buy them and just order online once you are home. No worried about getting screwed over when you're going through security. I would freak it if I bought a bunch of expensive corals just to go to security and have them make me throw it away or not let me on my plane

 

[Husker]

If they are soft corals you can put them in a plastic baggie and swallow them (not recommended with Acropora). Otherwise, maybe stash them into a slot of your spare tire?

 

[tdileo]

If they are soft corals you can put them in a plastic baggie and swallow them (not recommended with Acropora). Otherwise, maybe stash them into a slot of your spare tire?

Something tells me you have done something like this before. Maybe not with corals lol

 

[Oceanwave45]

Bad idea!!! Remember they are worried more about drugs and other items not corals. However they may think you are hiding something else within the corals if these makes sense.

Just do it the legal way

 

[Husker]

Something tells me you have done something like this before. Maybe not with corals lol

Just too many TV shows.

(I must add that I am, of course, joking ;))