Elephant Permits Generate Another Round of Federal Paperwork and Comments
Published Date: 11/4/2026
Notice
Summary
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is updating the paperwork rules for permits and reports related to African elephants. This affects anyone applying for or holding these permits, aiming to make the process clearer and easier. Comments on the changes are open until December 4, 2026, with no new fees introduced.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 4 costs, 0 mixed.
Permit and Amendment Fees Apply
If you apply for a permit to move, transfer, export, or bring live African elephants into the United States using Form 3-200-37h, the form document states a non‑hour cost of $100 per application and a $50 processing fee for amendments. The notice also reports a total estimated annual nonhour burden cost of $2,800 for processing fees (which it says range from $0 to $50) and says State, local, Tribal, and Federal government agencies are exempt from processing fees.
Time Burden to Complete Forms
The Service estimates completion times for permit forms and reports. Typical completion times include about 6 hours for a hardcopy application, about 5.25 hours for an ePermits application, about 4–4.0 hours for amendments, and 10 hours for each range country certification; total estimated annual burden is 619 hours across 87 respondents.
Annual Range-Country Certification Required
To import live wild-sourced African elephants or sport-hunted trophies, the rule requires an annual certification from the exporting (range) country about elephant management and status; the certification can be provided directly by the foreign government or by the applicant and will be verified and kept on file and made public. The notice says that without a properly documented and verifiable annual certification the Service would be unable to issue the requested import permit.
Imports Limited to CITES Category One Countries
The Service states it allows certain types of imports of African elephants only from countries that have achieved a Category One designation under the CITES National Legislation Project. The notice ties acceptance of imports under specified regulatory provisions to the Party's Category One designation.
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