CITES Agarwood Permit Guide: Exporting Oud from China, Step by Step

A CITES agarwood permit is an official export document that lets agarwood leave its country of origin legally. It is issued by the exporting country's CITES Management Authority and confirms that the material was obtained legally and that its export will not harm the species in the wild.^[1]

Scarcity starts in the forest. According to a 2013 study in Molecules (Liu 2013), agarwood forms naturally in only about 10% of Aquilaria trees, which is why plantations now induce resin on purpose.^[8]

CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. More than 180 parties apply it, and each one runs its own permit office. Therefore the permit for our goods comes from China, while the rules at your end come from your own government.

The permit names the exporter, the importer, the species, the type of specimen, the quantity and the source of the material. Customs officers at both ends compare that description with the goods in the carton. In practice, most delays come from a mismatch between the permit and the shipment, not from the permit itself.

Why Aquilaria Is Listed in Appendix II

Agarwood forms only in wounded, infected trees, so collectors historically cut many wild trees to find the few that held resin. That pressure, documented in trade studies from the late 1990s onward, led CITES parties to list Aquilaria malaccensis first and then the whole genus.^[2]

Since 2004, all Aquilaria species have been listed in Appendix II, and the related genus Gyrinops is also covered. The species pages on the CITES checklist show the current listing and its annotation for each name.^[3]

What Appendix II Means for a Buyer

Appendix II does not ban trade. Instead, it controls trade so that it stays legal and traceable. Commercial shipments are allowed, provided the right document travels with them.

Under the Convention itself, an Appendix II species generally needs an export permit from the exporting country, while a separate import permit is not required. However, CITES sets a minimum, and many countries add stricter national rules. The European Union is the best-known example, and we cover it in detail in our guide to importing oud incense into Europe.

Raw and semi-processed agarwood almost always needs a permit, and size does not create an exemption. A 100 g bag of chips is the same specimen type as a 100 kg carton. For example, buyers who order a starter lot of our plantation oud wood chips receive the same permit process as buyers who order by the carton.

How to Read Annotation #14

Annotation #14 is the note in the CITES Appendices that defines which parts and derivatives of Aquilaria and Gyrinops are covered. It lists a set of exempted items, such as certain seeds, leaves, exhausted powder and finished products packaged for retail. At the same time, it excludes some product types from the retail exemption, and the current text names items such as wood chips, beads, prayer beads and carvings.^[1]

We deliberately do not paraphrase the annotation word for word here. The text is amended from time to time, and a blog summary can fall out of date. Therefore read the current wording on the CITES Appendices page whenever you plan a new product line.

Three practical points help. First, "packaged and ready for retail trade" means the unit a shopper would buy, sealed and labelled. Second, a retail box that holds chips or beads is still a box of chips or beads. Third, your own country can treat an exempt item more strictly, so the annotation is a starting point, not the final word.

Under CITES rules, an export permit is normally valid for up to six months from issue. In practice, exporters aim to ship well inside that window, because an expired permit cannot be used and has to be replaced.

Every wholesale shipment from us carries a grading note or certificate, plus a CITES Appendix II export permit wherever one is required. Seedlings also go with a phytosanitary certificate.

If your shipment includes oil, consider asking for a GC-MS report. For example, buyers of our hydro-distilled oud oil can pass the report to their own customers, and the permit and report together give a clear record of what the bottle contains.

Recent Change: India and Plantation Exports

Rules move, so check them every season. In 2024, CITES raised India's annual export quota for Aquilaria malaccensis chips and powder from 25,000 kg to 151,080 kg, and for oil from 1,500 kg to 7,050 kg, after India's non-detriment findings were accepted.^[7] The quota for wild-harvested wood stays at zero, so the new volume comes from cultivated trees.

For buyers, the lesson is the same as for our own Chinese stock: plantation origin, a named species and a valid permit are what keep a shipment moving. If a seller in any country cannot show all three, we would not buy from them either.

The importer's job is to make sure the goods can enter the destination country, which is a separate question from whether they can leave China. Start by contacting your national CITES authority or a customs broker who handles CITES goods, and do this before you pay a deposit.

Ask them four questions. Does my country require an import permit for Aquilaria as well as the export permit? Are there designated ports or inspection points for CITES plants? Does the retail exemption in annotation #14 apply here as written? Finally, which agency inspects the goods on arrival?

Why Importing Countries Differ

CITES sets a floor, not a ceiling. Each party can adopt stricter domestic measures, and several large markets do exactly that for Appendix II plants.

Notes for the EU, UK and US

European Union. The EU applies CITES through Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 and places Aquilaria in Annex B, which generally requires an import permit in addition to the export permit.^[4] Our EU oud incense import walkthrough covers the member-state application and the bulk versus retail packaging decision in depth.

United Kingdom. Since leaving the EU, the UK runs its own CITES permit system. The official guidance explains when you need an import permit and how to apply, so check it for each new product type.^[5]

United States. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service runs the US CITES permit programme and publishes guidance on import and export requirements. Plant material can also involve other federal agencies at the port of entry, so a broker familiar with CITES plants helps.^[6]

For other markets, including the GCC, Japan, India and Southeast Asia, the same principle holds. Confirm with the local authority, then share the requirements with us. Our shipping and export information page lists what we can arrange from our side.

Almost every hold-up on that list is a paperwork mismatch. Genuine disputes about legality are far less common than inconsistent wording and quantities.

Consequently, the cheapest insurance is a five-minute check. Before dispatch, compare the permit scan with the invoice and packing list line by line, and confirm the consignee name your customs office will see.

The short answer is several weeks on the export side, plus whatever time your own import authority needs. Exact processing times vary with the season, the authority's workload and how complete the application is, so ask for a current estimate when you confirm the order.

The import side runs on its own clock. In markets that need an import permit, the two applications have to be coordinated, and some authorities ask to see the export permit details first. Therefore European and UK buyers should speak to their authority as soon as quantities are settled.

Samples and Small Parcels

Samples are the most common surprise. Our paid samples start from 100 g of chips or 1 g of oil, and many buyers assume a parcel that small is exempt. Usually it is not, because the specimen type sets the rule, not the weight.

Sample shipments of chips and bulk oil therefore go through the same permit route as larger orders. However, retail-packaged finished goods may fall under the annotation #14 exemption. For example, sealed boxes of retail-boxed agarwood incense sticks can sometimes travel more simply than loose material, subject to the current annotation text and your national rules.

Some express carriers restrict CITES-listed goods on their networks, so ask us which route suits your parcel before you choose a carrier.

We process more than 20 tons of agarwood material a month and ship to more than 500 B2B buyers in over 10 countries. That volume means the permit routine is part of our normal week, not a special project.

Still, no exporter can guarantee clearance at your end. What we can do is give you a consistent, complete document set and answer questions quickly. We reply to enquiries within 4 business hours, Monday to Saturday, 9:00–18:00 China time.

Pricing does not change because of the permit. For reference, our chips start from $0.24/g with a 100 g MOQ, hydro-distilled oil from $7.00/g and CO₂ oil from $1.50/g, both with a 10 g MOQ. Buyers of bakhoor face the same paperwork logic, which our bakhoor sourcing standards guide touches on from the GCC angle.