Return a CITES-controlled purchase to China
Identify the species and ask APHA whether your return needs CITES re-export paperwork or qualifies for an exemption. Agree seller receipt, carrier acceptance and Border Force endorsement arrangements before dispatch. For help coordinating the seller and receiving arrangements, contact Cambridge China Bridge.
Confirm the position before booking a return
Do not assume that buying an item for personal use makes a posted return exempt. Ask APHA whether any exemption applies; UK guidance tells owners of potentially controlled personal items to contact APHA. Explain that the purchase is being returned to China, whether it arrived by post or in luggage, and whether you want a refund or repair.
This guide concentrates on the controlled-material dispatch checks. Use returning a personal purchase to China for the wider return arrangements and CITES checks for China imports for the original inbound purchase.
Build an identification file
Ask the seller for the scientific species name of each wood, shell or skin component, its source and any original permit references. Photograph the whole item, material details, labels and distinguishing marks. Link these to the order, receipt and original import documents. Descriptions such as “rosewood”, “shell decoration” or “exotic leather” leave questions unresolved.
Send the file to APHA and ask which re-export document, if any, applies. Explain any missing original paperwork rather than guessing a species or reconstructing a permit reference. Keep the item on hold while identification is unresolved.
Arrange the paperwork and receiving contact
Where a permit is needed, use the official online CITES application service for the re-export application. Ask APHA what supporting records it needs for this particular item. Give the seller the same item description and identifiers that you use in the application.
Obtain written return acceptance, the receiving address, a named contact and the agreed refund or repair outcome. Agree who handles receiving arrangements, freight and a refused delivery. If the item will come back after repair, use returning goods for warranty repair to arrange that separate customs procedure.
Get the carrier to confirm the actual service
Send the carrier the species details, photographs and proposed documents before buying a label. Ask for written acceptance of this item on the named service, confirmation of its route, and an explanation of who presents the goods and documents to Border Force. Ask separately whether its insurance covers the item.
Controlled movements must use a CITES-designated port. Postal hubs cannot be used by the public. Ask the carrier and Border Force to agree a workable presentation arrangement; a seller's prepaid label should not be your only evidence that the return can travel.
Working out your own order? Send us the product on WhatsApp and we reply the same working day: WhatsApp us
Complete the handover before dispatch
For a postal return, complete the appropriate CN22 or CN23 customs declaration and obtain the C&E 83A customs-control label from HMRC. Before posting, present the specimen and permit to Border Force at a designated point for endorsement. Follow its permit-copy instructions: the white copy goes inside the parcel before posting, and you retain the yellow copy as endorsement evidence.
Before releasing the parcel, reconcile its contents with the application file, receiving instructions and carrier acceptance. Photograph the packed item and retain the documents, endorsement evidence and tracking record. Ask the seller for receipt photographs matching your identifiers. Cambridge China Bridge's staff in China can help coordinate the receiving contact and return records.
Frequently asked questions
Does a personal purchase need a CITES return permit?
It depends on the specimen and any applicable exemption. Send APHA the species details, original paperwork and proposed return method before booking dispatch.
Can I use the seller's prepaid return label?
First obtain the carrier's written acceptance of the identified item and agree how the goods and permits will be presented to Border Force.
What if the seller cannot identify the wood or skin?
Hold the return. Ask for material and species records, collect photographs and send the available evidence to APHA. Do not guess the scientific name.
Do I post the parcel before getting the permit endorsed?
No. UK postal guidance requires presentation of the specimen and permit to Border Force at a designated point before posting.