CITES

Explore the CITES requirements that apply to international timber trade. Understand how to check species listings and product coverage, identify required permits and certificates, and comply with import and export requirements.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulates international trade in certain species to ensure that trade does not threaten their survival in the wild.

For the timber sector, CITES controls trade in a number of tree species. Depending on the listing, controls may apply to logs, sawn wood, veneer sheets, plywood and certain processed products.

How does CITES work?

CITES lists species in three Appendices, with different levels of trade control:

Appendix I: species threatened with extinction. International trade is subject to the strictest controls.
Appendix II: species that may become threatened unless trade is controlled to avoid utilisation incompatible with their survival.
Appendix III: species protected in at least one country that has asked other CITES Parties for assistance in controlling trade.

The system operates through permits and certificates issued by national CITES authorities.

Each CITES Party designates:

one or more Management Authorities, responsible for administering the CITES licensing system and issuing permits and certificates; and
one or more Scientific Authorities, responsible for providing scientific advice on the effects of trade on species.

→ Find CITES Management and Scientific Authorities by country

What is a Non-Detriment Finding (NDF)?

For relevant exports, including exports of wild-sourced Appendix II timber, the Scientific Authority of the exporting country must determine that the proposed export will not be detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild.

This assessment is known as a Non-Detriment Finding (NDF).

Where the applicable CITES requirements are met, the Management Authority may issue a CITES export permit.

Published NDFs can be searched by country and species in the CITES NDF database:

→ Search published CITES Non-Detriment Findings

Note: the database does not necessarily contain every NDF made by CITES Parties. If an NDF is not publicly available, contact the relevant CITES authorities in the country of origin.

Is a CITES export permit enough?

Not necessarily.

CITES establishes the international framework, but each Party implements the Convention through its national legislation and may adopt stricter domestic measures.

For any international shipment, operators should therefore consider the requirements of the:

country of origin → country of export or re-export → country of import

Depending on the species and transaction, documents may include an export permit, re-export certificate, certificate of origin or import permit.

Requirements should always be checked before shipment.

Importing into the European Union

The European Union applies rules that are, in some respects, stricter than the minimum requirements of CITES.

EU wildlife trade legislation classifies species in four Annexes: A, B, C and D.

For imports into the EU:

Annexes A and B: an EU import permit is required, together with the appropriate CITES export or re-export document from the exporting country;
Annexes C and D: an import notification is required, with additional documentation applying to Annex C specimens.

For example, where a timber species is listed in CITES Appendix II and EU Annex B, the supplier's CITES export permit is not sufficient on its own. The importer must also obtain the required EU import permit.

→ European Commission – Wildlife trade and CITES

Importing into China

China also implements CITES through its national legislation and applies stricter domestic measures in certain areas.

For species and products subject to CITES controls, Chinese legislation provides for an import/export permit system (允许进出口证明书).

Importers should therefore check which Chinese authorisations are required before shipment and should not assume that a CITES export permit issued by the supplier's country is sufficient to allow import into China.

→ Chinese rules on wildlife import and export certificates

→ CITES authorities in China

Importing into another country

National requirements vary between CITES Parties.

Before shipment, check with the CITES Management Authority in the country of destination:

whether an import permit or other authorisation is required;
which documents must accompany the shipment; and
whether the country applies stricter domestic measures than those required under CITES.

→ Find CITES authorities by country

7 checks before importing CITES-listed timber

1. Identify the species

Confirm the scientific name of the timber. Do not rely solely on a trade or common name.

2. Check its CITES status

Determine whether the species is listed in Appendix I, II or III.

→ CITES Checklist

3. Check the annotation

A CITES listing does not necessarily cover every product made from a listed species.

Check whether your specific product — such as logs, sawn wood, veneer, plywood or a processed product — falls within the scope of the listing.

→ Species+

4. Check the origin

Identify the country of origin, the country of export and, where relevant, the country of re-export.

These are not necessarily the same country.

5. Check NDFs and export quotas where relevant

For relevant species and countries, check whether an NDF has been published and whether a CITES export quota applies.

→ CITES Non-Detriment Findings

→ CITES Export Quotas

6. Check the importing country's requirements

A valid CITES export permit does not necessarily mean that the product can be imported into the destination country.

Check national requirements with the CITES authorities in the country of import.

→ CITES National Authorities

7. Check the documents before shipment

Check that the CITES and commercial documents are consistent with the goods, including:

scientific name;
product description and quantity;
country of origin;
source code where applicable;
permit or certificate details and validity; and
relevant commercial and transport documents.

Do not arrange shipment until you have checked the requirements for both export and import.

CITES and the EUDR: complementary requirements

For timber products that also fall within the scope of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), CITES documentation can provide useful information on species, origin, legality and traceability.

However, CITES documentation does not replace EUDR due diligence.

Where the EUDR applies, the operator must in particular ensure that the relevant product:

is deforestation-free and, for wood, meets the Regulation's requirements concerning forest degradation;
has been produced in accordance with the relevant legislation of the country of production; and
is covered by the applicable due diligence requirements.

The EUDR also has its own information requirements, including the geolocation of the plots of land where the relevant commodities were produced.

A CITES permit or NDF should therefore not, on its own, be treated as evidence of compliance with all EUDR requirements.