Applying for the proper permits takes time and should be done well in advance of travel. Until relatively recently, countries issued only single-use permits for travel with instruments, requiring new, multiple documents for each international trip. A streamlined process for issuing musical instrument certificates for international travel was accepted (PDF) by 178 nations at a March 2013 meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). This “passport” process allows a single document to be recognized by multiple countries, good for travel for up to three years. While the passport process was to go into effect in June 2013, each country adopts its own procedures for issuing and recognizing the documents, and some still only issue single-use permits. Here in the U.S., a specific form is now in use for issuing multi-year passports.
Important note: Musicians who do not have a primary residence in the U.S. must apply to their home country for a multi-use passport. Musicians based outside the U.S. will need to contact their country’s CITES authorities to inquire about permit and passport procedures, and may need to obtain single-use permits if a multi-use permit process is not available. Foreign-based musicians should also note that CITES permits issued outside the U.S. may not comply with additional U.S. domestic rules related to protected species policies.
U.S.-Issued Multi-Use Musical Instrument Certificates:
A musical instrument certificate good for up to three years will allow musicians to meet the CITES requirements for travel through multiple countries. To qualify, a musician or group must have a primary residence in the U.S. The application fee is $75 per application. The estimated timeframe for processing an application is 60-90 days. In the case that instrumentation changes after a group certificate has been issued, amendments to group certificates are available with an added $75 fee per amendment request.
Applications for single or multiple instruments traveling as a unit (such as in cargo), containing plant and/or animal material use the form 3-200-88 (PDF).
We’ve assembled this Sample chart (xls) showing the required instrument information needed for CITES permit applications for groups of instruments. Applicants should expand the columns in the chart as needed to include all covered species.
Note that a musical instrument may only be included in one CITES permit at a time. So, for instance, if a musician’s instrument is included on a group permit, that permit must be returned to USFWS for voiding before the musician’s instrument may be included on a subsequent individual or group permit.
Start the process by emailing questions to the Division of Management Authority at U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: managementauthority@fws.gov.
U.S.-Issued Single-Use Permits:
Those unable to apply for the three-year passport may still make use of the single-use permit forms. This may be required, for instance, for foreign-based musicians that are not able to obtain a multi-use permit from their home country.
A single instrument containing animal material (such as ivory or sea turtle shell), or animal and plant material (such as ivory and Brazilian rosewood) uses Permit Application form 3-200-23 (PDF)
A single instrument containing plant material only (such as Brazilian rosewood) uses Permit Application form 3-200-32 (PDF) Traveling groups with cargo that contains multiple instruments with animal and/or plant material may use a single permit, called a “traveling exhibition” permit, using Permit application form 3-200-30 (PDF) (Disregard that the form says it is for “circuses and traveling animal exhibitions!”)
