APHIS has confirmed that the temporary suspension of the ISPM-15 hyphen requirement will end on 31 December 2025, with full enforcement resuming from 1 January 2026 and no period of soft enforcement.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued further guidance on how the reinstated enforcement of ISPM-15 wood packaging material (WPM) marking requirements will be applied.

The hyphen requirement forms part of the international ISPM-15 standard and mandates a hyphen separating the country code and facility code within the compliance mark. Enforcement was temporarily suspended earlier this year after a high volume of non-compliant shipments entered the U.S. without the hyphen.

What changes from 1 January 2026

From 1 January 2026, all WPM entering the United States must be fully compliant with ISPM-15 marking requirements, including the hyphen. APHIS has confirmed there will be no grace period or phased enforcement once the suspension ends.

APHIS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have stated they have undertaken extensive outreach since March, including trade notices and stakeholder communications, to ensure industry awareness ahead of the enforcement restart.

Potential consequences for non-compliant shipments

APHIS has outlined the actions that may apply to shipments arriving with non-compliant WPM once enforcement resumes:

• Cargo may be held at the port of arrival. Where operationally possible, separation of the WPM from the cargo may be offered, allowing the WPM to be exported while the cargo is retained.
• Re-export may be required if separation or corrective action is not feasible.
• Penalties may be assessed by CBP under Title 19, depending on the nature of the violation.
• Reconditioning options may become available if shredder or hammermill compliance facilities are approved; however, no compliance agreements are currently in place.

Guidance for shipments already in transit

For shipments already en route to the U.S. that will arrive after 31 December 2025 with non-compliant WPM, APHIS has outlined two options:

1. Divert the shipment to another country where the wood packaging material can be reconditioned to meet ISPM-15 requirements.
2. Proactively self-report the non-compliance to APHIS and CBP in advance, which may help expedite handling on arrival.

What importers should do now

With no soft enforcement period planned, importers and exporters should review their wood packaging practices immediately and ensure all suppliers are applying fully compliant ISPM-15 markings, including the required hyphen.

Additional guidance on ISPM-15 requirements is available here.

Please contact your local Woodland Group representative for further support.