Except Brazilian rosewood listed in the most protected Appendix I, all other rosewood species used in musical instruments including the parts and accessories will be exempted  from CITES restrictions. The decision was voted in the CITES Conference of the Parties(CoP18) on August 28th, 2019, in Geneva, Switzerland and will take effect from end November.

The decision means that the import and export of the guitars with rosewood fingerboard, rosewood bridge, rosewood body and rosewood binding, will no longer need the CITES permit after it takes effect in November. It constraints provision to check the impact of the exemptions will be, wich will be discussed at the next conference in 2022.

This is a significant determine for musicians, dealers and makers. The restrictions have made the trade of  musical instruments a difficult process. In China, getting the CITES certificate is not easy and the tax rate is high for the products needing the CITES certifiate.

International music stakeholders and government officials  took the effort of three years to prove that impact of the rosewood used in musical instruments is negligible in comparison to the amount used to make furniture.

Background :

May 21st, 2019-Will the rosewood in musical instruments be exempt from the CITES?

Octorber 16th, 2018- Replacement for rosewood