Who issues the CITES export permit — the origin country or Canada?

The exporting country's own CITES Management Authority issues the export permit; Canada's Environment and Climate Change Canada issues any corresponding import permit required on the Canadian side, where applicable. Both may be needed depending on the species and Appendix.

Is Appendix III different from Appendix I and II in a meaningful way for shippers?

Yes — Appendix III listings are country-specific requests for cooperation rather than a species-wide international restriction, so the exact documentation requirement depends on which country listed the species and the specific trade route involved. Confirm the specific Appendix and listing country rather than assuming uniform treatment.

What happens if a CITES-listed item is shipped without the required permit?

It can be seized, and the shipper or importer can face serious legal consequences under WAPPRIITA — this is treated as a real wildlife trafficking enforcement matter, not a customs technicality that gets resolved with a late-filed form.

Canada Import Fundamentals

CITES and Endangered Species Shipping Restrictions

CITES isn't a customs formality — it's an international treaty restricting trade in specific species, enforced in Canada through its own dedicated permitting law.

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CITES Appendices (I, II, III)

WAPPRIITA

Canada's implementing legislation

ECCC

Canadian CITES Management Authority

Species-specific

Permit requirement, not a blanket wildlife rule

Three tiers of restriction, one permit system

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) organizes protected species into three Appendices with different trade restrictions: Appendix I covers species threatened with extinction, where commercial international trade in wild-sourced specimens is generally prohibited; Appendix II covers species not currently threatened with extinction but where trade must be controlled to avoid that outcome, requiring an export permit; Appendix III is listed unilaterally by individual countries requesting cooperation from other parties in controlling trade in that species.

In Canada, CITES is implemented through the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA), with Environment and Climate Change Canada acting as the CITES Management Authority responsible for issuing the required permits for import, export, or re-export of listed species and their products.

This applies not just to live animals but to products derived from listed species — certain leather, ivory, coral, and some traditional medicine ingredients can be CITES-restricted even when the shipment doesn't look like a 'wildlife' shipment at first glance. Confirm whether any component of a shipment is CITES-listed rather than assuming the restriction only applies to obviously live or whole-animal cargo.

WAPPRIITA / CITES Requirement

Shipping a CITES-listed species or product without the required permit is a serious offence, not a correctable paperwork gap

Confirm CITES status for any shipment potentially involving a listed species or its derivative products before booking — this includes some leather goods, gems and jewellery components (certain coral, shell), and traditional medicine or food ingredients, not only obvious wildlife shipments.

Source: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (S.C. 1992, c. 52). Last verified July 2026.

Worked example

Why this matters beyond obvious wildlife shipments

Take a leather goods shipment (see our leather goods commodity page) where the specific leather type needs to be confirmed against CITES listings before booking.

Most conventional leather (cattle, goat, sheep) carries no CITES restriction — but certain exotic leathers (some reptile and other wild-sourced skins) can be CITES-listed under Appendix I or II, requiring a valid export permit from the origin country and confirmation that Canada's import permit requirements under WAPPRIITA are met before the shipment is booked.

UAL asks the specific material composition question on any shipment where exotic or wild-sourced material is plausible, rather than assuming a leather goods shipment is automatically outside CITES scope because most leather generally is.

What UAL confirms before booking

We flag potential CITES exposure on shipments involving animal-derived or wild-sourced materials and confirm permit status with the shipper and Environment and Climate Change Canada's requirements before booking, rather than assuming a shipment is automatically outside scope.

CITES exposure screening on relevant commodity categories

Coordination on ECCC permit requirements

Frequently asked questions

Both — CITES restrictions extend to parts and derivatives of listed species (skins, ivory, certain traditional medicine ingredients), not only live or whole-animal shipments. Confirm material composition on any shipment where this is plausible.

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Source: CITES; Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (S.C. 1992, c. 52). Last verified July 2026.