How to Document Koi for Import Compliance: A Dealer's Field Guide

By KoiQuanta Editorial Team|Updated Mar 2026

USDA auditors cite missing treatment records as the most common compliance failure during koi import inspections. Not incomplete health certificates. Not incorrect permit numbers. Missing treatment records: the daily documentation of what was done to maintain fish health during koi quarantine program.

Dealers using spreadsheets cannot produce timestamped audit trails. KoiQuanta generates compliant records automatically as you work. This field guide, written in collaboration with a licensed koi importer, covers every USDA requirement and how to meet it in practice.

TL;DR

Allow 4–6 weeks minimum for standard applications.
Health certificate from country of origin 3.
Daily water quality logs (every day of quarantine) 7.
If a fish that was imported in 2023 develops a notifiable disease in 2027, you may need to produce the original import health certificate.
Seasonal changes require adjusted monitoring schedules; automated reminders help maintain consistency.

Step 1: Obtain Your Import Permit Before the Fish Ship

The USDA APHIS import permit (VS Form 17-8 or current equivalent) must be in hand before the shipment departs. This is not a documentation you can retroactively arrange.

What you need for permit application:

Your business name, address, and federal employer identification number
Description of the fish to be imported (species, quantity, country of origin)
Intended use (for sale, breeding stock, personal collection)
Description of your approved quarantine facility
Intended arrival port of entry

Permit processing time varies. Allow 4–6 weeks minimum for standard applications. If you're importing from a country with elevated disease risk for regulated pathogens (KHV, SVC), additional requirements may apply and processing time may be longer.

Keep a copy of every import permit you've ever received. USDA record retention requirements mean you need permits accessible for at minimum two years from the most recent import under that permit.

Step 2: Collect the Exporting Country Documentation

For each lot, you need documentation from the country of origin:

Health Certificate

Issued by an accredited veterinarian in the exporting country. Must certify:

Fish are free from specified diseases (at minimum KHV and SVC for most imports)
Fish originated from an approved facility
The lot has been inspected within a specified period before export (usually 30 days)

The health certificate must accompany the shipment and be presented at the US port of entry.

Commercial Invoice

Lists fish count, species, monetary value, country of origin, and exporter details. This is a customs document; it needs to be accurate. Discrepancies between the invoice and what arrives create compliance complications.

Airway Bill or Bill of Lading

Your shipping documentation. Keep this as part of the lot's compliance package.

Step 3: Document Arrival

On the day the fish arrive, your compliance documentation starts:

In KoiQuanta, create the lot record immediately:

Lot ID (your internal numbering system)
Arrival date and time
Fish count and species
Country of origin
Import permit number
Health certificate reference number
Any mortality in transit (note on arrival record)

Physical inspection on arrival:

Document the condition of the fish as received. Are all fish accounted for? Any obvious health concerns? This arrival inspection record is part of your quarantine documentation.

Step 4: Maintain Daily Quarantine Records

This is where most compliance failures happen. Daily records need to be actually daily, not "mostly daily" or "daily except for a busy week."

Required daily records (minimum):

Water quality: ammonia, nitrite, pH, temperature
Feeding observation
Fish health observation (any abnormalities, mortality events)

Required whenever applicable:

Treatment records: compound name, dose, volume of pond treated, reason for treatment, person administering
Mortality records: date, fish description, probable cause
Water changes: volume changed, date

What documents do I need for a koi import permit? At the quarantine stage, you need: your import permit, the health certificate from the exporting country, daily water quality logs for the full quarantine period, health observation records, treatment logs for any treatments administered, mortality records, and a formal clearance record at the end of quarantine.

Step 5: Log Treatment Records With Precision

USDA auditors specifically check treatment records for completeness. Every treatment administered must be documented with:

Date and time of treatment
Compound name (full name, not abbreviation)
Lot concentration or stock solution strength
Volume of compound added
Volume of water treated (your quarantine tank volume)
Resulting concentration (in mg/L or ppm)
Duration of treatment
Name of person who administered the treatment
Reason for treatment

This level of detail sounds excessive until you're in an audit and the inspector asks "What was the salt concentration in your tank on February 12th and who verified it?" Your treatment log either has that answer or it doesn't.

In KoiQuanta, treatment log entries capture all required fields. The dose calculator generates the "resulting concentration" field automatically from your inputs. The user account attribution handles the "who administered" field automatically.

Step 6: Record Mortality Events Completely

Every fish death during quarantine must be documented:

Date and approximate time of death
Fish description (size, variety, markings)
Probable cause (if determinable)
Any pre-mortem clinical signs noted
Action taken (disposal method)

For mortality above certain thresholds or involving regulated disease signs, USDA notification requirements may apply. Know your permit conditions on this point.

Step 7: Generate Clearance Documentation

At the end of the required quarantine period, your clearance documentation must confirm:

The full quarantine period was completed (start and end date)
No active health issues remain
All required records are complete
Fish are cleared for sale or movement from quarantine

How do I create a koi quarantine log for USDA compliance? KoiQuanta's clearance checklist walks you through each criterion. When all criteria are confirmed, the clearance event is timestamped and recorded. This creates the formal clearance record that completes the lot's compliance package.

Step 8: Organise Your Complete Lot Compliance Package

For every import lot, your final compliance package contains:

Import permit (copy)
Health certificate from country of origin
Commercial invoice
Airway bill / bill of lading
Arrival inspection record
Daily water quality logs (every day of quarantine)
Health observation records
Treatment logs (every treatment)
Mortality records (if any)
Quarantine clearance record

In KoiQuanta, this entire package is exportable as a single formatted report from the lot record. Does KoiQuanta generate USDA-compatible reports automatically? Yes; the compliance report for each lot is generated from the lot record with all required fields in a format reviewable by USDA inspectors. The report includes date-stamped entries for every log event, organised by date, with all required fields populated.

Record Retention: How Long to Keep Everything

USDA minimum: two years from the date of each import transaction.

Best practice: retain records for the life of the fish. If a fish that was imported in 2023 develops a notifiable disease in 2027, you may need to produce the original import health certificate.

Paper records can be damaged, lost, or disorganised. Cloud-based records in KoiQuanta are accessible from any device and retained without physical degradation.

What documents do I need for a koi import permit?

To apply for a USDA APHIS import permit, you need: your business information (name, address, FEIN), a description of the fish to be imported (species, quantity, country of origin), description of your approved quarantine facility, and intended use. The permit must be obtained before the fish ship. For each import lot under the permit, you'll also need a health certificate from an accredited vet in the exporting country, commercial invoice, and shipping documentation. The koi dealer import compliance guide covers the full permit application process.

How do I create a koi quarantine log for USDA compliance?

A USDA-compliant quarantine log requires: daily water quality records (ammonia, nitrite, pH, temperature) for every day of the quarantine period, daily health observation records, treatment logs for every chemical treatment with full dose details, mortality records for any fish deaths, and a formal clearance record at the end of quarantine. KoiQuanta creates this log automatically as you enter your daily records; every entry is timestamped and associated with the correct lot. The complete log is exportable as a formatted compliance report.

Does KoiQuanta generate USDA-compatible reports automatically?

Yes. KoiQuanta generates lot-level compliance reports that include all required USDA record fields: daily water quality logs with timestamps, health observation records, treatment logs with compound names, doses, and durations, mortality records, and formal clearance documentation. Reports can be generated for any lot at any time, including during an unannounced inspection. The report format presents information in the order and format that USDA Veterinary Services inspectors review during audit procedures.

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Sources

Associated Koi Clubs of America (AKCA)
Koi Organisation International (KOI)
University of Florida IFAS Extension Aquaculture Program
Fish Vet Group
Water Quality Association

Build Your Audit-Ready System Today

The quarantine documentation for dealers guide provides the document templates. The koi dealer import compliance guide covers the regulatory framework in full.

Set up your KoiQuanta dealer account and create your first compliant import lot today.