CITES permit

A CITES permit is the import, export, or re-export document required to move specimens of species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES, 1973). The permit is issued by a national CITES Management Authority after a Scientific Authority confirms the trade is not detrimental to the species’ survival. CITES grades protection across three appendices: Appendix I species, the most threatened, generally need both export and import permits and ban commercial trade; Appendix II and III specimens need export permits or certificates of origin. Customs check the permit at the border, and shipments without valid documents are seized.