CITES (Convention on Trade in Endangered Species)

CITES — Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) is an international agreement regulating the cross-border trade of more than 40,000 species of wild fauna and flora threatened with extinction.

The three annexes

• Appendix I: species threatened with extinction. Trade prohibited except in exceptional circumstances
• Appendix II: species not threatened with extinction but requiring trade control. Export permit required
• Appendix III: species protected in at least one country which requests assistance from other parties

Implementation in the EU

The EU implements CITES via Regulation (EC) No. 338/97 with an even stricter regime. The EU annexes (A, B, C, D) are more extensive than the CITES annexes.

Required documents

CITES import permit (issued by DREAL in France), export permit from the country of origin and, depending on the case, phytosanitary or veterinary certificate.

Customs control

Customs checks the presence of CITES permits during import and export. Lack of a permit results in seizure of goods and criminal prosecution.

Frequently affected products

Tropical woods (ebony, rosewood), exotic leather (crocodile, python), ivory, traditional medicine products, corals, orchids.