Can Wild Agarwood Be Traded Legally? Three Boundaries: CITES Appendix II, National Protected Lists and Laboratory Verification

Boundary one: the convention governs cross-border trade, not possession

Every species of Aquilaria and Gyrinops is listed in Appendix II of CITES. Appendix II does not ban trade; it requires trade to be controlled through permits so that wild resources are not depleted by unrestricted commerce. In China, the native Aquilaria sinensis is also listed as a Class II nationally key protected wild plant. For ordinary consumers, the legal focus is not on possessing or wearing finished agarwood products of lawful origin, but on the strict control of felling wild trees, buying illegal raw material and moving goods across borders without documentation.

Boundary two: permits for cross-border movement, allowances for personal effects

Whether bracelets, chips or carved pieces, any agarwood product crossing a border requires an endangered-species import/export permit and customs declaration; carrying or mailing items without paperwork is unlawful. CITES provides personal-effects allowances under Resolution Conf. 13.7 (Rev. CoP17): up to 1 kg of chips, 24 ml of oil and two sets of beads or prayer beads per person. The convention itself notes that many countries apply stricter national rules, so travellers should confirm the destination's requirements and keep purchase receipts.

Boundary three: read the test report before judging quality

Agarwood testing in China follows a reasonably clear path: wood species identification under GB/T 29894-2013 rules out substitute timbers; characteristic-constituent testing under the forestry industry standard LY/T 2904-2017 examines ethanol extract, volatile oil and agarotetrol content, with agarotetrol of not less than 0.1 percent a key reference for genuine resin formation; grading refers to LY/T 3223-2020, with air-dry density used to judge sinking grade. Tests should also screen for artificial treatments such as oil soaking, oil injection, dyeing and resin filling. Rather than trusting verbal claims of "old wild material", buyers should ask for one certificate and one code per item, check that the laboratory holds CMA and CNAS accreditation, and verify the report number on the laboratory's official platform.

This article is industry observation and educational summary only; it does not constitute trading or investment advice. Purchase agarwood only through legal channels with traceable, testable origin.