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Hi folks ... my next guitar is shipping to Paris. Does anyone know for sure whether France requires my customer to obtain a CITES Import Permit for Appendix 2 stuff (Madagascar rosewood)? I know that (currently) the U.S. doesn't require this, but apparently a lot of countries do. Any help would be appreciated.

You have two resources that I can think of. One is the Canadian government, and the other is the French government, in that case through their local consulate office.

You’re asking a lot, David, when you specify “for sure”. Even the French government will stonewall you on that one.

But, for sure, Canada requires you obtain a CITES export permit for the commercial shipment of a guitar with Mad rose.
For sure, no CITES import permit is required by France (or any other CITES party under the Appendix II listing).
But, I have no idea what else France could throw at you, provided the shipment is being exported legally with its Canada-issued export permit, but it won’t be related to CITES.
Personally, I think you’re good to go.


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Tim is right. To export rosewood from Canada requires an export permit which is in triplicate. You keep the 3rd copy. The first two "official" copies travel with the export. one copy the export broker turns in to Canada border service when the rosewood leaves the country. The remaining copy contiues on to the importing country. Usualy this 3rd copy is required for the buyer to accept the shipment.

_________________
Greg
http://garibaldiinstruments.com/

My experience (only to US) has required me to hand over the second copy over to CBSA myself.

Copy one to travel with package for receiving bureaucracy

Copy two to CBSA, likely to be a reference to receiving bureaucracy

Copy three (which is on normal copy paper rather than brown document paper) likely for use in acquiring a re-export permit if end user wants to resell. None of my buyers have needed the third copy to receive, YMMV.

It's been some time since I investigated it, but, at the time I did, not one shipper, DHL, UPS, FedEx, Canpar, yada yada, had even heard about CITES. I would not trust them to ascertain that the paperwork was done properly.

Now, I have a 'guy' at Fedex whom I go to that I've gone through the steps enough times with him that it's routine.

David, my thinking is that if you've shipped CITES to countries other than France, it will be the same process as you've done before. What may be another step is if you have shell or bone involved, which you likely do, judging from the guitars of yours I've encountered. Just as US requires a F$W life permit, so may France...