Forms to the USDA (CA)

Hi all
I am getting ready to send our paperwork to the USDA office for them to sign off (we are in California). I have emailed them and also left a voicemail but am not getting a reply. Before I call again I just thought I'd ask if anyone else has used them recently. What forms do they need other than the EC998 - I'm guessing vaccination record, rabies titer cert. Anything else at this stage?
Also I know a bunch of other people FedEx the forms - is this an absolute requirement? Do you have to pre-pay for postage in advance?
Thanks for any advice!

I didn't use the CA vet, I was in NC. However, I brought:

- completed EC998 (filled out with all the info about the pets and microchips/vaccination/bloodwork)
- rabies certificates with microchip numbers on them
- FAVN form from Kansas showing bloodwork result
- receipts from vet showing the dates of microchipping/vaccination

As it turns out, they only needed/looked at the EC998 form, but they advised me to bring everything in case they had any questions.

I went in person to their office, because I wanted an instant result and to avoid the angst of possible postage issues. If I were mailing it, I'd probably get a pre-paid envelope (with tracking number) to give to them so that I could know when they'd be sending things back (and where they were).

Good luck!

Thanks for your help! Unfortunately going in person isn't an option for us as the office is in Sacramento and we are in San Diego! I'm giving it plenty of time though in case anything goes wrong (we don't fly 'til May).

Just curious, did anyone else's vet charge just to fill in the 998 form? Mine charged us $100!!! This process is very expensive!

My vet didn't charge for the paperwork, thankfully, but I think the receptionist thought about it.

We moved from MA and FedExed our paperwork to USDA.  It wasn't a distance issue, but the USDA folks encouraged us just to FedEx the forms.  We sent all of the same stuff as equestrianerd and also enclosed a pre-paid FedEx return envelope for the USDA to send my paperwork back.  It worked well.  The USDA folks were extremely nice and knowledgeable on the phone and walked through exactly what they wanted/needed from me, so while I was anxious about sending off paperwork into the great unknown, it was a very smooth process.  I had my paperwork back in 72 hours.

I am pretty sure our vet charged us a paperwork fee, too.  I can't remember what it was, though.

May I suggest that you fax the forms to the USDA before mailing them?  Mine requested that I do this to save me a trip in case there were any problems with the paperwork. Basically, they ok'd them via fax and then I went down for the stamp after I was sure everything was completed correctly.

The USDA vet in AZ requested they be faxed first so they can check them. I then drove the 240 mile round trip to get them stamped in person. What would happen if they got lost? We would have had to cancel our non-refundable plane tickets and plan to move seven months later I guess... Would have wrecked our finances.

Andy

I don't think it would be that detrimental.  Everything that needs to be sent to the USDA can be replaced/replicated.  Even the "original" titre test results can be replaced with a new sticker and everything.  (I know b/c my vet lost my originals and I had to ask the lab in Kansas for new ones).