You just call the Dept of Ag and they send an application. they they schedule someone to come out and blood test all your adult birds, anything over 4 months old. The cost is $25 for NPIP certificate and $25 for the farm visit, then .10c a bird. Having the certificate allows you to mail your birds to all states, used for show, etc. Plus, it's REALLY neat to say that there are 2000 strains of salmonella, and my birds tested negative for ALL OF THEM!