The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), signed in 1973, aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
If an export contains any species that is on the CITES list, it will require a license.
A good way to look at this is as follows:
Did the item I am shipping originate in nature in any way?
If so, you may well need to apply for a CITES permit.
You can easily do this yourself, by ascertaining the exact species of the item in question (i.e. Species of tree the wood came from) and searching this against a database of CITES restricted species.
Here is a link to a searchable database of species - This is the exact database that CITES pulls from, so this is the best resource to use.
If you need a license you simply need to apply using the form here.
Once again, you can easily do this yourself, however ARTA is always here to assist should you need us!
Please note: The need for a CITES permit can affect shipping timelines significantly. Make sure to consider this requirement well before shipment to avoid delays in your consignments.
All countries have different specifications, and anything that has a plant or animal product should be brought to our attention for us to evaluate the proper license and customs procedures required.