Legally sending agarwood samples abroad comes down to one question: personal or commercial. A small personal quantity — under CITES Resolution Conf. 13.7, up to 1 kg of chips or 24 ml of oil — may travel exemption-free, but any sample sent to win a buyer is commercial trade and needs a CITES export permit plus a BKSDA recommendation.
Aquilaria and Gyrinops — the trees behind gaharu — are listed on CITES Appendix II, so international movement is allowed but regulated. This site is a sourcing broker and information hub, not a permit authority. Always confirm current requirements with the CITES Management Authority (Indonesia) and your import country before anything leaves the warehouse. What follows explains how the rules work, not a way around them.
Are agarwood samples personal effects or regulated trade?
The costliest error exporters make is treating a business sample like a holiday souvenir. CITES does allow a narrow personal and household effects exemption, and for agarwood it is unusually specific. Under Resolution Conf. 13.7, a traveller may move a limited personal quantity without a permit — but only when the goods are non-commercial and carried as accompanied baggage.
The line that matters is intent. A few chips in your suitcase for personal incense use can qualify. The same chips mailed to a distributor to close a deal do not.
| What you are moving | How CITES usually reads it | Permit needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1 kg chips / 24 ml oil, carried personally | Personal exemption (Res. Conf. 13.7) | Generally no |
| Two sets of beads or prayer beads, worn or carried | Personal exemption | Generally no |
| Any quantity mailed to a buyer or lab to evaluate | Commercial trade | Yes — export permit + BKSDA |
| Repeat “sample” shipments building toward an order | Commercial trade | Yes — export permit + BKSDA |
Even inside the personal allowance, your destination country can apply stricter limits, so a buyer in the Gulf or China may still need an import permit on arrival. The exemption is designed for a person, not a pipeline.
When does a “free sample” become a permitted export?
The word “free” changes nothing under CITES. A no-charge sample sent to advance a sale is still trade, and trade in Appendix II agarwood requires an export permit backed by a BKSDA recommendation and, for wild material, a Non-Detriment Finding confirming the harvest will not harm wild populations. Indonesia’s 2024 NDF set a wild Aquilaria malaccensis quota of 24,110 kg, and sample shipments draw against that same regulated system.
This matters most for oil, where a few millilitres can carry serious value — plantation oud oil runs USD 30,000-80,000 per kilogram as of 2026, indicative and grade-dependent. If your samples are building toward a larger deal, treat them with the same paperwork discipline as a full consignment; our guide to oud oil export from Indonesia walks through the permit chain in detail. Under-declaring a “tiny sample” is exactly how a shipment gets held at the border.
What documents do you need to ship agarwood samples legally?
A compliant sample shipment carries the same core paperwork as a commercial lot, scaled to quantity. Grade and price still belong on the invoice, because customs officers assess declared value against what they can see.
| Document | Issued or confirmed by | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| CITES export permit | Designated national Management Authority | Authorises the Appendix II export |
| BKSDA recommendation | Regional conservation authority (BKSDA) | Underpins the CITES permit |
| Source code (W or P) | Declared on the permit | W = wild, P = plantation; plantation is easier to permit |
| Non-Detriment Finding / quota | National authority | Applies to wild material against the annual quota |
| SAKO transport permit | Local forest authority | Covers moving processed agarwood between Indonesian regions |
| Commercial invoice + declaration | Exporter | Honest value, weight, grade and species |
Plantation-sourced material carries source code P and is generally simpler to document and more sustainable than wild-harvested stock — one more reason a legitimate operation leads with plantation supply. Build in lead time, too: assembling permits is not same-day work, so plan the sample dispatch around the paperwork, never the other way around.
How should you package and declare a compliant sample?
- Match the CITES permit exactly: species, weight and source code on the box must equal the paperwork.
- Declare true value and grade — a “gift” or “USD 1” label on high-grade oil invites seizure.
- Keep the export permit with the shipment and send a copy to your buyer for their import clearance.
- Confirm the destination’s rules first; some countries demand a matching import permit for Appendix II goods.
- Ship processed material only after any required SAKO transport permit has cleared the domestic leg.
Which shipping habits get agarwood samples seized?
- Calling a commercial sample “personal effects” to skip the permit.
- Splitting one order into many small “samples” to stay under a threshold — authorities read the pattern as trade.
- Sending wild-sourced chips with no NDF coverage or beyond the quota.
- Blank or vague species fields; officers expect Aquilaria or Gyrinops named precisely.
- Assuming the exporter’s permit covers import — the buyer’s country has its own requirements.
Sending samples the honest way is slower than dropping a vial in a courier bag, but it protects the buyer relationship, the shipment and the wild populations the rules exist to defend. Confirm the current requirements with the CITES Management Authority (Indonesia) and your import country every time; regulations and quotas change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I post a small agarwood oil sample by courier without a CITES permit?
Usually no. The personal exemption under Resolution Conf. 13.7 applies to items you carry yourself for personal use, not to parcels mailed to a business contact. A sample posted to a prospective buyer is commercial trade, so most authorities expect a CITES export permit and a BKSDA recommendation before it leaves Indonesia.
Does the CITES personal exemption cover samples I mail to a customer?
No. The exemption is written for personal and household effects — chips, oil or beads a person carries in accompanied baggage, not commercial consignments. The moment a sample is meant to secure or advance a sale, it counts as trade under CITES Appendix II and needs the full export documentation, regardless of how little you send.
Is plantation agarwood easier to get sample permits for than wild?
Generally yes. CITES paperwork distinguishes source code P (plantation or artificially propagated) from W (wild), and plantation material is usually simpler to document and more sustainable. Wild specimens face tighter scrutiny and quotas — Indonesia’s 2024 Non-Detriment Finding set a wild Aquilaria malaccensis limit of 24,110 kg — so plantation samples typically clear review faster.