General Guidance Note For The Use of Labels for Non-Commercial Loans by Scientific Institutions Organisations or Individuals.
This page is available as a downloadable document here 
- How the system works
- Introduction
- What type of specimens are covered
- How to apply and conditions for registration
- List of Registered Institutions
Introduction
This Guidance Note is based on CITES Conference Resolution 11.15 (Revised at the 12th Conference of the Parties) which gives the circumstances under which registered scientific institutions may use labels issued by CITES Management Authorities for certain types of specimens, instead of formal export permits.
The system is designed to ease the exchange of specimens between institutions, organisations, and individuals, for non-commercial purposes.
What types of specimens are covered ?
The types of specimens that are covered are as follows :
- Herbarium specimens, for example, dried or pressed plants and flowers.
- Preserved, dried or embedded specimens, for example, microscope slides or specimens preserved in alcohol, taxidermy specimens or tanned skins.
- Frozen specimens, for example, frozen tissue samples.
- Live plant material, for example whole plants or samples collected in the field.
- Animal DNA derived from preserved, dried or embedded museum specimens or plant DNA derived from live plants, herbarium specimens or preserved, dried or embedded museum specimens (other than specimens which could be used to reconstitute a pathogen).
How the system works
The system only covers the export (outside the EU) of specimens. If you wish to export the specimens using this system, both institutions must be registered, but it is the institution in the exporting country which must complete their labels to export the specimens.
You must ensure that all the specimens you intend to transport using the label system have been acquired in accordance with the laws of the country and or state in which they were obtained. The label must then be completed and the top part attached to the container with the specimens inside. The bottom part should be returned to the UK CITES Management Authority as soon as possible.
At the end of each year a report of all the exchanges that have taken place must be compiled and sent to the UK CITES Management Authority.
If you are not able to obtain the assistance of a registered institution in the exporting country, both CITES import and export permits may be required in the normal way (See Guidance Note GN1). In the UK we aim to process 90% of applications for permits within 15 working days and the rest within 30 working days. If you need to apply for CITES permits you should allow time for your application to be assessed. As we cannot guarantee that your application will be successful, the specimens should not be shipped until the permits have been issued.
How to apply for Registration.
In the UK any institution, organisation or person, wishing to use this form of export label must be registered with the UK CITES Management Authority. There is no application form but a formal written submission will be required.
Conditions for Registration.
For a successful registration you will need to show that you are able to comply with the following conditions :
- Collections of animal or plant specimens, and any record relating to them must be permanently housed and professionally organised and managed;
- Specimens should be accessible to all qualified users, including those from other institutions;
- All usage must be properly recorded in a permanent catalogue;
- Permanent records must be maintained for loans and transfers to other institutions;
- Specimens should have been acquired primarily for purposes of research that is to be reported in scientific publications;
- Specimens are prepared and collections arranged to make sure they are used;
- Accurate data must be maintained on specimen labels, permanent catalogues and other records;
- The specimens should have been obtained in accordance with the laws of the country and or state in which the scientific institution is located.
- All specimens of species included in Appendix I of CITES should be permanently and centrally housed under the direct control of the scientific institution. They should be managed in a manner to prevent the use of such specimens for decoration, trophies or other purposes incompatible with the principles of the Convention
Your application for registration will be referred to our Scientific Advisors for assessment and your registration is subject to meeting certain standards within these conditions. Our scientific advisors are the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) for animals and the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew for plants.
When we are satisfied that you are able to meet the required standards we will notify the CITES Secretariat that you have applied to be registered and the Secretariat will then communicate this information to all other CITES parties.
Once you are registered you will then be issued with your uniquely numbered 2 part labels. New stocks of labels may be obtained from this office.
List of Registered Institutions
A world wide list of CITES Registered Institutions is available on the CITES Secretariat website (http://www.cites.org/common/directy/e_directy.html)
Page last modified:31 March 2008
Page published:31 March 2008