Useful background, the documents you need, and how to apply for the export certificate for instruments built with woods covered by the CITES convention.
I decided to write this article because I think it can really help anyone who has to ship an instrument outside the European Community — to avoid mistakes, stay within all the rules in force, and above all stop wasting time on pointless appeals to industry "gurus" guarding who knows what secret.
CITES — Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
Woods
A quick rundown of the woods commonly used in lutherie that appear on the list. List updated by the European Commission on 20 January 2017.
Dalbergia nigra, commonly called Brazilian rosewood. This one is in Appendix I (Annex A). Appendix I carries the strictest export restrictions, which means the export certificate is required for parts and derived products even for non-commercial purposes.
Dalbergia "spp." (spp. covers the subspecies apart from those already in Appendix I). All Dalbergia subspecies are listed in Appendix II (Annex B) with annotation #15 (added to the list as of 20 January 2017).
#15 covers parts and derived products, except:
a) leaves, flowers, pollen, fruits and seeds; b) for non-commercial purposes, up to a maximum total weight of 10 kg per shipment; c) parts and derived products of Dalbergia cochinchinensis covered by annotation #4; d) parts and derived products of Dalbergia spp. originating in and exported from Mexico, covered by annotation #6 (which covers logs, sawn timber, veneer sheets and plywood).
The Dalbergia subspecies most common in lutherie include:
- Dalbergia latifolia, common name Indian Rosewood
- Dalbergia retusa, common name Cocobolo
- Dalbergia stevensonii, common name Honduras Rosewood
- Dalbergia baronii, common name Madagascar Rosewood
- Dalbergia frutescens, common name Bois de rose
Swietenia macrophylla, commonly called big-leaf mahogany or Honduras mahogany, is listed in Appendix II with annotation #6. #6 covers logs, sawn timber, veneer sheets and plywood. (not finished products, so for a musical instrument the export document is not required)
Swietenia humilis, commonly called Mexican mahogany, is listed in Appendix II with annotation #4.
Swietenia mahagoni, commonly called American mahogany, is listed in Appendix II with #5.
For more detail, see the full list in the document "CITES_2017_160.pdf", downloadable from the site's download area.
How to request the export document
Having run through the CITES-listed woods most common in lutherie, here is how to apply for the export document for your instrument, along with all the paperwork the CITES office needs.
First, let me be clear about which documents or data your wood supplier has to send you so the application can be filled in correctly.
- Wood purchase invoice
- Import Licence/Certificate, a code CITES assigns at the time of import. It begins with IT/.... if imported into Italy.
- Country of Origin Licence Number, a code the CITES Italy office needs to cross-check against the Import Certificate code. In practice the office queries the database with the import certificate code, traces it back to the Country of Origin licence number, and that must match the one you give in the application.
Wood added to the CITES list in the most recent update of January 2017 — Indian rosewood, for instance — and imported into Europe before that date counts as pre-CITES. In that case you only need:
- A copy of the customs bill, which stands in for documents 2 and 3. The supplier's name is usually redacted on it for privacy, but you can still verify the country of origin and, crucially, the date confirming pre-CITES import. The supplier may have regularised their pre-CITES wood in the period just after the update and so can also supply the import certificate code — but in that case it is not mandatory for the application.
Re-export document application and forms
On top of the documents above, you must fill in and send to the CITES office (Rome office — via Giosuè Carducci 5e):
- "RE-EXPORT CERTIFICATE REQUEST" form
- "RE-EXPORT application" form — this one must also carry the importer's details, i.e. whoever buys the instrument. (fill in page 1 only if a single wood is involved)
- A copy of the bank transfer or postal payment slip. (the transfer details are on form 4)
All the forms can be downloaded from the site's download area. The document takes about a week to be issued, and it must be collected in person at the CITES office.
ISC shipment
Because our shipment contains goods on the CITES list, we cannot send it outside the European Community with a simple "free export" document; it needs a special shipment type called ISC — International Special Commodities.
UPS handles this kind of shipment, but you need an ISC contract, which is expensive for a one-off shipment and, on top of that, has to be signed as a business. The best option is to use a forwarder that runs UPS or FedEx and already has an ISC contract you can piggyback on, such as Mail Boxes Etc.
I hope this is useful; for any further clarification or corrections, get in touch through the site's contact area.