CITES:

Nijssen Guitars is continually looking for a sustainable and ecological friendly way to build new guitars. We love the planet we live on. When we have to send your guitar outside EU, Nijssen Guitars will provide papers and CITES permit if endangered species of wood are used in the guitars.

What is CITES?

CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement for the conservation of the fauna and flora of our planet. Its purpose is to ensure that international trade in specimens of animals and plants does not constitute a threat to their survival. To this end, CITES subjects international trade in certain species to certain controls.

These products will be excluded: Finished musical instruments, finished musical instrument parts and finished musical instrument accessories. Ten (10) kg per shipment The 10 kg limit is to be assessed against the weight of the individual portions of wood of Dalbergia/Guibourtia species contained in each item of the shipment, rather than against the total weight of the shipment. However, the exports and imports of these woods will continue to need their corresponding CITES permit as at present.

Appendices and annotations

All the species controlled by CITES are listed in 3 appendices, depending on the degree of protection they require.

Appendix I

Endangered species are listed in Appendix I. Trade of specimens of these species is authorized only under exceptional circumstances.

Appendix II

Appendix II includes species that are not necessarily endangered, but their trade must be controlled in order to prevent overexploitation.

Appendix III

Appendix III includes species that are protected in at least one country, which has requested the assistance of the rest of the countries in CITES to control the trade of the species.

Following the most commonly species of wood that are/where often used in musical instruments:

Brazilian Rosewood / Dalbergia Nigra Appendix I – No Annotation

A permit is ALWAYS necessary, for all transactions and movements, international and local.

Indian Rosewood / Dalbergia latifolia Appendix II – Annotation #15

A permit is necessary for exports / imports. Only when we buy or sell outside the EU. The permit is necessary both for raw wood and for finished products, such as guitars.

Cocobolo / Dalbergia retusa Appendix II – Annotation #15

A permit is necessary for exports / imports. Only when we buy or sell outside the EU. The permit is necessary both for raw wood and for finished products, such as guitars.

Madagascar Rosewood / Dalbergia baronii Appendix II – Annotation #15

A permit is necessary for exports / imports. Only when we buy or sell outside the EU. The permit is necessary both for raw wood and for finished products, such as guitars.

African Blackwood / Dalbergia Appendix II – Annotation #15

A permit is necessary for exports / imports. Only when we buy or sell outside the EU. The permit is necessary both for raw wood and for finished products, such as guitars.

Honduran Rosewood / Dalbergia stevensonii Appendix II – Annotation #15

A permit is necessary for exports / imports. Only when we buy or sell outside the EU. The permit is necessary both for raw wood and for finished products, such as guitars.

Bubinga / Guibourtia demeusei Appendix II – Annotation #15

A permit is necessary for exports / imports. Only when we buy or sell outside the EU. The permit is necessary both for raw wood and for finished products, such as guitars.

Use the following link to access the complete list of all species included in the CITES appendices, with their appendix and annotation: https://cites.org/eng/disc/species.php

Exceptions:

Non-commercial exports of a maximum total weight of 10 kg per shipment; (Excluded) This exception allows a person to travel to any country in the world with a finished product containing less than 10 kg of a Rosewood (Dalbergia) or a Bubinga (Guibourtia demeusei, Guibourtia pellegriniana or Guibourtia tessmannii) without a CITES permit, as long as there is no commercial transaction of the product.

An example: a musician will be able to travel to any country with his Indian Rosewood guitar without needing a CITES permit, as long as he does not sell the guitar during the trip. It is not a problem if the musician earns money by playing his guitar abroad, as that would not constitute a commercial transaction of the instrument.These products will be excluded: Finished musical instruments, finished musical instrument parts and finished musical instrument accessories. Ten (10) kg per shipment The 10 kg limit is to be assessed against the weight of the individual portions of wood of Dalbergia/Guibourtia species contained in each item of the shipment, rather than against the total weight of the shipment. However, the exports and imports of these woods will continue to need their corresponding CITES permit as at present.