Import Agarwood UK: CITES Permits, Incense vs Chips and Duties After Brexit

Yes. Import agarwood UK shipments are legal, provided the paperwork matches the product. Agarwood is not banned; it is regulated, because every Aquilaria species is listed in CITES Appendix II.^[1]

Why is resinous agarwood scarce? According to Liu et al. (2013), only about 10% of Aquilaria trees form agarwood naturally; the rest stay pale, almost scentless wood unless they are wounded and infected.^[5]

Appendix II covers species that are not threatened with extinction today but could become so without trade controls. Therefore trade is allowed, but each shipment needs documents showing the material was obtained legally and that its export does not harm the wild population.

Before we go further, one clear statement. This article is general information for trade buyers, not legal advice. UK rules change, and the official GOV.UK guidance and your customs agent always take priority over anything written here.

According to GOV.UK guidance, Great Britain has run its own CITES permit system since 1 January 2021, when it left the EU wildlife trade regime, so EU paperwork alone no longer covers a British import.

What Changed After Brexit?

Before 2021, the UK applied CITES through the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations, the same framework that still governs EU member states.^[2] When the transition period ended, Great Britain began running its own CITES permit system.

In practice, the structure looks familiar. The UK kept a domestic version of the EU rules, including the annex system that sets stricter conditions than the Convention alone. However, a permit issued by an EU member state no longer covers goods entering Great Britain, and vice versa.

That last point catches buyers who used to route stock through a continental warehouse. Goods moving from the EU to Great Britain are now an import in their own right, with their own CITES and customs steps. For the EU side of that picture, see our walkthrough for importing oud incense into Europe.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland do not follow identical rules. Under the post-Brexit arrangements, Northern Ireland continues to apply EU wildlife trade rules in many respects.

So if your warehouse or customer is in Northern Ireland, check the Northern Ireland section of the GOV.UK guidance separately. Everything below assumes goods entering Great Britain.

APHA is the name UK importers need to know. It processes CITES applications for Great Britain, and the GOV.UK page explains how to apply, what supporting documents to attach and how long decisions typically take.^[3]

The process runs on two sides. We apply for the CITES Appendix II export permit in China, while you, as the importer, apply to APHA for the UK import permit where one is required. Neither document replaces the other.

Processing times vary with workload and with how complete an application is. Consequently, we advise UK buyers to treat the import permit as the first task of a new order, not the last. Our step-by-step guide to the CITES agarwood permit explains the export side in detail.

The short answer is that loose agarwood usually needs a UK import permit, while some finished retail products may not. The difference comes from the CITES annotation attached to the Aquilaria listing.

An annotation defines which parts and derivatives a listing covers. For agarwood, annotation #14 exempts certain finished products packaged for retail trade, while the wood, chips, powder and many extracts stay inside the controls.^[4] Annotations change at CITES meetings, so we always tell buyers to check the current annotation text rather than rely on an old summary.

Why the Form of the Product Matters

The same tree can produce a dozen products, and each can sit in a different legal position. A kilogram of chips and a kilogram of boxed incense may come from identical raw wood. Yet one may need two permits while the other may need none.

For example, a buyer importing loose oud wood chips graded D to AAA is clearly importing regulated wood. Meanwhile, a buyer of finished, boxed sticks may fall under the retail exemption. Even then, the buyer should confirm it against the current wording, not assume it.

Moreover, UK domestic rules can sit on top of the Convention. As with the EU, the UK annex system generally requires an import permit for species that the Convention alone would let through on an export permit. Check the GOV.UK page for the current list and conditions.^[3]

For a first UK order, finished incense is usually the lighter route. That does not make it automatically exempt, but it removes the most obviously regulated material from the shipment.

However, buyers who serve Gulf-style oud and bakhoor customers usually need graded chips. In that case, the permit work is simply part of the cost of doing business. Budget time for it, and the risk drops sharply.

Some buyers split the difference. They start with our wholesale agarwood incense sticks to test the market, then add chips once they have an APHA permit history and a reliable customs agent.

CITES permits and customs charges are separate systems. A permit lets the goods in; it does not pay for them. Every commercial import of agarwood into Great Britain also needs a customs declaration, and it may attract import duty and import VAT.

We deliberately do not quote rates here. Duty rates depend on the commodity code, the origin and the date of import, and the UK Global Tariff changes over time. Instead, look up the current figure on the official UK Trade Tariff service, or ask your customs agent to confirm it for each product line.

Import VAT is normally due on top of duty, calculated on the customs value of the goods. VAT-registered businesses can often account for it through their VAT return rather than paying at the border. Your accountant will know whether that applies to you.

Commodity Codes for Agarwood Products

The commodity code drives the duty rate, so it deserves real attention. Different agarwood products usually fall under different headings, and a single mixed shipment may need several codes.

• Incense sticks and cones are commonly classified under heading 3307, which covers preparations for perfuming rooms, including those that operate by burning.
• Oud oil is commonly classified under heading 3301, essential oils and resinoids. Our hydro-distilled oud oil and CO₂ extract would be assessed on their own facts.
• Chips, pieces and powder are less straightforward. Depending on form and processing, they may be classified as wood, as plant material used in perfumery, or under another heading.

These headings are a starting point for a conversation, not a classification. If you import regularly and the code is unclear, HMRC offers Advance Tariff Rulings, which give you a binding decision for a specific product.

EORI, Declarations and Your Customs Agent

To import commercially into Great Britain, your business needs an EORI number starting with GB. Your customs agent, freight forwarder or courier then lodges the import declaration on your behalf.

In practice, the declaration and the CITES documents must tell the same story. If the invoice says "incense", the permit says "Aquilaria sinensis wood" and the code points to essential oils, someone at the border will reasonably ask questions.

Couriers are convenient for samples and small orders, but they clear thousands of parcels a day. Consequently, for regulated chips or larger orders, a freight forwarder who has handled CITES goods before is usually the safer choice. Our shipping and delivery options page lists the freight methods we use from Guangdong.

Most border delays come from mismatches, not from refusals. The goods are usually legal; the paperwork simply does not line up.

• No import permit: the buyer assumed the Chinese export permit was enough. For regulated agarwood entering Great Britain, it generally is not.
• Quantity mismatch: the import permit covers 5 kg, but the shipment weighs more. Keep permit quantities, invoice weights and packing lists aligned.
• Wrong entry point: CITES goods generally need to enter through a designated point of entry. Check the current list on GOV.UK before you book freight.
• Vague descriptions: "wood sample" or "gift" on a courier label invites a hold. Describe the goods truthfully and specifically.
• Annotation assumptions: a buyer treated bulk powder or decanted oil as an exempt retail product. Check the current annotation text instead.
• Expired documents: permits have validity periods. A long production delay can push the shipment past them.

If goods are held, do not argue with the courier. Contact your agent and APHA, supply what is missing, and keep records of every exchange.

A good supplier makes the UK side easier by giving you clean, consistent information. Ask these questions before you pay a deposit, and treat vague answers as a warning sign.

• Which species is it? Ours is plantation Aquilaria sinensis. The species name must appear on the permits and should match your application.
• Is it plantation or wild? We sell plantation material only, grown on our 100+ mu plantation and sourced from 100+ contracted plantation farmers.
• Will you supply the CITES export permit? We include a CITES Appendix II export permit with every wholesale shipment where one is required.
• What grade is it, on whose scale? Our D to AAA scale, plus Kynam on allocation, is our internal system, not an ISO or CITES standard. A grading note or certificate travels with every wholesale shipment.
• Can you share lab data? For oils, we provide GC-MS reports on request, which helps if a UK customer or cosmetics assessor asks for composition data.
• What happens if something is wrong? We do not accept returns, but we fix genuine problems by replacement or credit, as set out on our refund and replacement policy.

Also think about the regulations that apply after customs. Oud oil sold to be worn on skin falls under UK cosmetics rules, including safety assessment and labelling duties, while incense must meet general product safety law. Those obligations sit with the UK business that places the product on the market.

Finally, if you also sell into North America, our companion guide on how to import agarwood into the USA covers the US Fish and Wildlife Service side. For Gulf-style chips and oil buyers across Britain and Europe, our Western markets supply page summarises how we supply buyers in those markets.