Procedures for the Exports of Items under the CITES Agreement

The following procedures are required when exporting any items under the CITES Agreement.

All applications for export permission under the related Japanese regulations and under the CITES Agreement must be filed in Japanese.

Click [Exports] or [Re-exports] * shown in the list below to access and check the list of application documents.

*Notes:
If exporting listed items originally produced, grown or bred in Japan for the first time, click [Exports].
If exporting specimens of the items previously imported to Japan, click [Re-exports].

Appendices	Outline		Categories	Application counters
Appendix Ⅰ	International trade of any Appendix I species for commercial purposes is prohibited, in principle. Export approval shall only be granted if the following conditions have been met. - Items for scientific studies (prior import permission is also required.) - Items specified in cooperate conservation plans - Items artificially propagated in propagation facilities (for animals, a registered facility) - Items acquired before the Convention was applied to the target species - Items for circuses or other traveling exhibitions		[Exports] [Re-exports]	METI
Appendix Ⅱ	The trade of any specimen of an Appendix II species is permitted regardless of purpose, but export approval must be obtained.		[Exports] [Re-exports]	METI Bureaus of Economy, Trade and Industry***
Appendix Ⅲ	Items originating from listed countries*	Export approval is not required. However, you should file an application for a certificate of export permission.	[Exports] [Re-exports]	METI
	Items originating from non-listed countries**	Export approval is not required. However, you are required to file a certificate of origin. Please file an application for the certificate with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in your region.		Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Notes:
* Listed countries: Countries in parentheses adjacent to the names of species in Appendix III.
**Non-listed countries: Countries other than those in parentheses adjacent to the names of species in Appendix III.
***Bureaus of Economy, Trade and Industry: Application must be filed with the Bureaus of Economy, Trade and Industry if items including the following predetermined plants (including processed products) are to be exported:
Cactaceae spp., Liliaceae, Aloe spp., Primulaceae, Cyclamens spp., Cycadaceae spp. (cultured), and Orchidaceae spp. (cultured).

Special arrangements

Special arrangements may be applied to: specimens that are personal effects, professional instruments, personal possessions transported when moving house, and souvenirs (only those listed in Appendix II). If you intend to export any of these items, you are not required to complete export application procedures in Japan. However, please verify in advance whether the destination country of your export provides any special arrangements corresponding to those in Japan. If no such arrangement is provided in the destination country, you are not allowed to export the target items from Japan to the country without an export permission certificate issued by Japan.

For details of the special arrangements, click here.

Division in Charge

Licensing Group, Office of Trade Licensing for Wild Animal and Plants, Trade Control Department, Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau, METI
West Wing 8, 14th floor, METI Main Building, 1-3-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8901
Tel: 03-3501-1723
Fax: 03-3501-0997