Ivory & CITES-Listed Items

Can I take Ivory & CITES-Listed Items across a border? Yes in many places, with conditions. Of the 115 country-rules we've indexed for Ivory & CITES-Listed Items, 0 are allowed (often with limits), 50 are restricted (permit, declaration, or quantity cap), and 65 are prohibited outright. Customs rules depend on the destination, the purpose (travelling, posting, importing personally, or importing commercially), and the quantity.

Ivory refers to the tusks and teeth of elephants and other animals, including walrus, narwhal, and hippopotamus. It is subject to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which controls international trade of products derived from endangered or vulnerable species including rhino horn, tiger parts, and tortoiseshell. CITES was adopted in 1973 and now has 183 member parties, making it one of the broadest international conservation treaties. It classifies species into three appendices: Appendix I (banned from commercial trade), Appendix II (controlled trade with export permits), and Appendix III (controlled on request of specific countries). African and Asian elephants are listed on CITES Appendix I, meaning commercial trade in elephant ivory is prohibited internationally. Antique ivory — defined as over 100 years old in the US and UK — may be exempt from CITES controls in some countries with appropriate provenance documentation, but documenting the age of ivory to the legal standard required is extremely difficult, and many countries have enacted near-total domestic bans on ivory trade to close this loophole. Beyond ivory, the list of CITES-controlled items that travelers may unknowingly carry includes sea turtle shells used in sunglasses frames and jewelry, coral (stony coral on Appendix II), certain exotic leathers from pythons, crocodiles, and lizards (Python products require CITES permits), shahtoosh wool made from Tibetan antelope (Chiru, Appendix I), and many tropical timber species used in furniture and musical instruments. Rosewood (Dalbergia species) was listed on CITES Appendix II in 2017, affecting the trade in guitars and furniture made from this wood.

Common mistakes with Ivory & CITES-Listed Items

• Assuming the rules at the origin apply at the destination — they don't. The destination customs authority is the binding rule.
• Travelling and posting are treated differently: an item you can carry may be prohibited by post (and vice versa).
• Personal vs commercial intent: above a quantity threshold, customs may treat your shipment as commercial regardless of intent.
• Undervaluing on the customs declaration to avoid duty — treated as fraud in most jurisdictions.
• Vague item descriptions on CN22/CN23 — biggest single cause of postal customs holds.
• Missing required certificates (phytosanitary, veterinary, CITES, prescription, product compliance).

Always verify against the destination's customs authority before acting. Not legal advice.

HS codes

• 0507.10 — Ivory, powder and waste (CITES-listed; most trade prohibited)

Regulatory trend

CITES COP17 (2016) upgraded African elephant to Appendix I; US, China, UK, Japan and EU have all phased in domestic ivory bans since 2016.

Names in other languages

es

marfil, marfil de elefante, colmillos de elefante

fr

ivoire, ivoire d'éléphant, défenses d'éléphant

de

Elfenbein, Elfenbein vom Elefanten

zh

象牙, 乔木象牙, 犀角

ja

象牙, アイボリー, 象牙製品

General notes