Beginning April 5th, 2021, all United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) permit applicants will be required to apply using APHIS eFile. 

What this means:

• Notifications will no longer be available after April 4, 2021. This is consistent with the revised regulations 7 CFR Part 340. 
• ePermits remains available for access to past BRS permits and notifications, and for submission of PPQ and VS permits. Application data from ePermits will not be available in APHIS eFile.
• Any applications submitted in ePermits through April 4, 2021, will be processed in ePermits. Compliance reports related to these applications must be submitted in ePermits.
• BRS will reject any applications submitted in ePermits on and after April 5, 2021.
• Courtesy permits are not available in APHIS eFile.  

Resources:
Virtual training will be available to support the transition to APHIS eFile during the weeks of April 5, 2021 and April 12, 2021. For more information and to register please visit the BRS website https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/biotechnology/meetings/meetings_main. Recordings of the trainings will also be available for viewing on the BRS website. 

To create an APHIS eFile account to apply for BRS permits, visit the USDA website at: https://efile.aphis.usda.gov/.

For account setup help or other technical assistance, please contact the APHIS eFile Support Team at: help@usda.gov.

Questions regarding this transition may be directed to Biotechnology Regulatory Services’ eFile Team at: BRS.eFile@usda.gov.