How to Fill Out and File USFWS Form 3-177: Wildlife Declaration

To fill out FWS Form 3-177, you enter your identifying information, the shipment’s port and date, and one line per species giving its scientific name, common name, any CITES permit numbers, a three-letter description code, a one-letter source code, the quantity, and the U.S. dollar value. You then submit it to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service either electronically through the eDecs portal at edecs.fws.gov or on paper at a designated port, signed by you or your agent.1U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Wildlife Shipments – Declaration Form 3-1772eCFR. 50 CFR 14.61 – Import Declaration Requirements The form must reach the Service before or at the time an imported shipment arrives, and before departure for exports.

The form covers anything from the animal kingdom: whole animals live or dead, parts, eggs, products, and derivatives. Snakeskin belts, coral jewelry, shell earrings, fish oil, mounted trophies, and traditional medicines made from regulated species all get declared on the same form.

Gather Before You Start

Missing a single field, especially a scientific name or permit number, is the most common reason declarations get pulled aside during review. Before you open the form, collect:

  • Your commercial Import/Export License number, if you hold one. Personal, non-commercial filers leave that field blank.
  • Any CITES permits, both the foreign and U.S. sides, for species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
  • The full genus and species in Latin for every item. Common names alone are not accepted, because the same common name can point to different species in different countries.
  • Country of origin, meaning where the wildlife was taken from the wild or born in captivity. For a re-export you list both the origin country and the country you are shipping from.
  • The exact quantity in the appropriate unit (pieces, kilograms, and so on) and the total value in U.S. dollars.

Filer and Shipment Section

The top of the form asks for the name and address of the importer or exporter and the name and address of any agent filing on their behalf.3U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Declaration for Importation or Exportation of Fish or Wildlife – Form 3-177 and Instructions You also enter the port of entry or export, the shipment date, and the country of origin. If you have a Service-issued Import/Export License, put that number in the license field.

The form must be signed by the importer, the exporter, or an authorized agent. A warning printed on the form flags that a false statement is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, punishable by up to five years in prison.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally

Species Line: What Goes in Each Box

Each species or product gets its own line. The boxes are:5U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. USFWS Form 3-177 – Declaration for Importation or Exportation of Fish or Wildlife

  • Box 16a, scientific name. Full genus and species in Latin. This is non-negotiable.
  • Box 16b, common name. The everyday English name.
  • Box 17a, foreign CITES permit number, if applicable.
  • Box 17b, U.S. CITES permit number, if applicable.
  • Box 18a, description code. A three-letter code identifying the type of product.
  • Box 18b, source code. A one-letter code indicating where the wildlife came from.
  • Box 19a, quantity and unit of measure.
  • Box 19b, total monetary value in U.S. dollars.

If you are not sure of a value, estimate conservatively and be ready to explain the basis for the estimate. Values that look implausibly low for the product type are one of the things inspectors flag.

Description Codes for Box 18a

Every item is classified with a standardized three-letter code from the form’s instructions.3U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Declaration for Importation or Exportation of Fish or Wildlife – Form 3-177 and Instructions Frequently used codes include:

  • LIV, live specimen
  • BOD, dead animal (whole)
  • SKI, skin or hide
  • TRO, trophy
  • LPS, leather product, small (belt, handbag, wallet, watch band)
  • LPL, leather product, large (briefcase, furniture, suitcase)
  • GAR, garment (excluding shoes and trim)
  • JWL, jewelry (other than ivory)
  • IVC, ivory carving
  • FEA, feather
  • MEA, meat
  • CAV, caviar
  • MED, medicinal part or product
  • COR, coral (raw or unworked)
  • SHE, shell (mollusc, raw or unworked)

The full list runs to several dozen codes. If nothing fits cleanly, DER (derivative) is a fallback, but the more specific the code, the smoother the inspection.

Source Codes for Box 18b

Box 18b takes one letter indicating origin:6U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. OLE Wildlife Shipments – Form 3-177 Instructions

  • W, taken from the wild
  • C, bred in captivity (parents mated in captivity)
  • F, born in captivity but parents mated in the wild, or does not meet the CITES definition of captive-bred
  • R, from a ranching operation
  • A, artificially propagated plants, parts, and derivatives
  • D, CITES Appendix I animals or plants commercially bred in a CITES-registered facility
  • I, confiscated or seized specimen
  • O, pre-convention specimen (acquired before CITES protections took effect)
  • U, source unknown, with a justification required

A shipment declared as captive-bred (C) without breeding documentation to support that claim will draw extra scrutiny and can be detained.

Submitting Through eDecs

Since June 2025, eDecs requires a Login.gov account for every user, and each person needs their own account tied to their own email address. Shared or group email addresses are not accepted.7U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Notice to the Wildlife Import/Export Community – Login.gov Requirement

First-time filers:

  • Create the Login.gov account at secure.login.gov with an email address and a multifactor method (text message, authentication app, security key, or PIV/CAC card).
  • Close the browser after finishing the Login.gov setup.
  • Open a new browser window, go to edecs.fws.gov, click the Login.gov button, and sign in.
  • Once redirected to eDecs, click New Account and enter the same email address used for Login.gov. Fill in the requested information and submit.

If you had an eDecs account before the Login.gov transition, create a Login.gov account with the same email to link the two.

Inside eDecs, choose import or export, complete the shipment and species fields using the codes above, and upload digital copies of every supporting permit and invoice. The Service estimates about 10 minutes to complete an electronic declaration.8U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. eDecs After submission, the system assigns a unique filing number. Keep it for your records and share it with your customs broker.

Submitting on Paper

Download the fillable PDF from the FWS website or pick up a blank form at your port’s inspection office.1U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Wildlife Shipments – Declaration Form 3-177 Complete it, sign it, and present it with the original permits to the wildlife inspector at the designated port. Paper filing runs about 15 minutes by the Service’s own estimate, not counting time at the inspection office. Wildlife shipments must move through one of 17 designated ports staffed by Fish and Wildlife inspectors unless you have obtained a Designated Port Exception Permit in advance.9eCFR. 50 CFR 14.12 – Designated Ports

When to File

For imports, the declaration must be filed before or at the time the shipment arrives at the port. For exports, file before departure. Live or perishable wildlife requires 48 hours’ advance notice to the port inspection office of the estimated arrival time so an inspector can be available.10U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Information for Importers and Exporters Missing the 48-hour window on a live shipment is one of the fastest ways to have it held up at the port.

After filing, the shipment sits in a secure area until an inspector reviews the paperwork and physically examines the contents to confirm species, quantities, description codes, and the authenticity and validity of permits. Keep the cleared declaration, whether a stamped paper copy or the electronic record, as a permanent record. Wildlife trade records are subject to audit.

When You Don’t Need to File

A few categories are exempt under 50 CFR 14.62, though they remain subject to other wildlife laws:11eCFR. 50 CFR 14.62 – Exemptions to Declaration Requirements shellfish and fishery products for consumption; personally caught recreational fish from Canada or Mexico where no special permit is required; manufactured wildlife articles in personal baggage for non-commercial use; wildlife products in a household move to the United States; and dead scientific specimens imported by accredited scientists for taxonomic research, which get 180 days to file rather than filing at arrival. Raw or dressed furs, raw or salted hides, and game trophies never fall under the baggage or household exemptions. None of these exemptions apply if the species requires a permit under CITES, the Endangered Species Act, or other federal wildlife regulations. When in doubt, file. There is no penalty for declaring something that turns out to be exempt.

Errors That Get Shipments Held

Small mistakes on the form cost you time and storage fees. The recurring ones:

  • Missing or misspelled scientific names. Common names in Box 16b do not substitute for Latin in Box 16a.
  • A source code that the paperwork doesn’t back up, particularly C (captive-bred) without breeding records.
  • A wrong or generic description code where a specific one exists.
  • Quantities on the form that don’t match the invoice or the physical count.
  • A missing or expired CITES permit number for a listed species. An inspector cannot wave this through.
  • No 48-hour notice for live animals.
  • No commercial Import/Export License on a commercial shipment. A perfectly completed 3-177 will not clear a commercial shipment if the filer needs a license and does not have one.12U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Importing and Exporting

What Wrong Entries Cost You

False statements on the form are prosecutable under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, with up to five years in prison.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally Under the Lacey Act, knowingly importing or exporting wildlife in violation of the law, or knowingly trading illegally taken wildlife worth more than $350, is a felony carrying up to $20,000 in fines and five years in prison; a “should have known” violation is a misdemeanor with up to $10,000 and one year.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 3373 – Penalties and Sanctions Civil penalties for should-have-known violations top out at $10,000 per violation. Deliberately misidentifying a species, understating quantities, or entering a forged CITES permit number can trigger both statutes at once.

Honest errors have smaller consequences but real ones: a detained shipment, storage fees accruing while the paperwork gets sorted, and inspector time you may end up paying for. Check every scientific name against a taxonomic reference, confirm each permit number character-by-character against the original document, and reconcile quantities and values with the invoice before you submit.