• Items made of or containing ivory

Non-automatic

• Protect human, animal or plant life and health; protect environment
• Pursue obligations under the UN Charter and other international treaties (i.e. CITES, Basel Convention, Rotterdam Convention, UNSC Resolutions etc.)

Same as the "Administrative bodies"

• https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2018/30/contents/enacted

• G/LIC/N/2/GBR/15
• G/LIC/N/2/GBR/16

• G/LIC/N/2/GBR/15

  
  

  The Ivory Act 2018 (Commencement No. 2 and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2022

  
  

  Registering an item under a standard exemption is instantaneous as it is done as a self-declaration using the digital ivory service.

  
  

  Applying for an exemption certificate to import a pre-1918 outstandingly high artistic, cultural or historical value item can take up to 35 working days.

  
  

  The Ivory Act (2018) prohibits the import of items made of or containing ivory, regardless of their age, unless they fall within one of the narrow and carefully defined exemptions.

  
  

  Those wishing to import ivory must first register the item under Section 10 of the Act or apply for an exemption certificate under Section 2.

  
  

  Guidance on registering an item can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/dealing-in-items-containing-ivory-or-made-of-ivory

  
  

  Guidance on applying for an exemption certificate can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ivory-apply-for-an-exemption-certificate-to-deal-in-pre-1918-outstandingly-high-artistic-cultural-or-historical-value-items

  
  

  Products - see Annex in G/LIC/N/2/GBR/15 and products "Products made of or containing ivory"

  
  

• 15. In the case of 7(b), please indicate the type of new change(s)

  
  

  Modification

  
  

  Please indicate the type of new change(s)

  
  

  Product coverage, Processing time for issuing licence

  
  

  Please elaborate the changes in detail (in one of the WTO official languages)

  
  

  The legislation extends the prohibition on dealing ivory under the Ivory Act 2018 to four other species: common hippopotamus, killer whale, narwhal and sperm whale.

  
  

   

  
  

  Expected duration of licensing procedure

  
  

  The extension of the licensing procedure will commence from 28/01/2025 and continue for as long as the regime as set out in the Ivory Act 2018 is in force.

  
  

  Registering an item under a standard exemption is instantaneous as it is done as a self-declaration using the digital ivory service.

  
  

  Applying for an exemption certificate to import a pre-1918 outstandingly high artistic, cultural or historical value item can take up to 3 months.

  
  

   

  
  

  Summary

  
  

  The Ivory Act 2018 (the Act) prohibits the import of items made of or containing ivory, regardless of their age, unless they fall within one of the narrow and carefully defined exemptions.

  
  

  The legislation extends this prohibition to four other species: common hippopotamus, killer whale, narwhal and sperm whale.

  
  

  Those wishing to rely on an exemption to import ivory must first register the item under Section 10 of the Act or apply for an exemption certificate under Section 2.

  
  

  Guidance on registering an item can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/dealing-in-items-containing-ivory-or-made-of-ivory

  
  

  Guidance on applying for an exemption certificate can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ivory-apply-for-an-exemption-certificate-to-deal-in-pre-1918-outstandingly-high-artistic-cultural-or-historical-value-items

  
  

   

  
  

  ANNEX

  
  
  

  Description	UK Comm Code	Subheading	CITES1
  Ivory; ivory powder and waste	0507100000		C400
  Heading: Wood marquetry and inlaid wood; caskets and cases for jewellery or cutlery, and similar articles, of wood; statuettes and other ornaments, of wood; wooden articles of furniture not falling in Chapter 94	4420
  Statuettes and other ornaments  Of tropical wood		442011	C400
  Other		442019	C400
  Wood marquetry and inlaid wood		4420901000	C400
  Wood in the form of logs or squared logs with simple process in the surface, carved or finely threaded or painted, does not have significant added-value and no significant change in shape		4420909191	C400
  Other		4420909199	C400
  Wood in the form of logs or squared logs with simple process in the surface, carved or finely threaded or painted, does not have significant added-value and no significant change in shape		4420909910	C400
  Other		4420909990	C400
  Heading: Articles of jewellery and parts thereof, of precious metal or of metal clad with precious metal	7113
  Of silver, whether or not plated or clad with other precious metal		7113110000	C400
  Of other precious metal, whether or not plated or clad with precious metal		7113190000	C400
  Of base metal clad with precious metal		7113200000	C400
  Heading: Articles of goldsmiths' or silversmiths' wares and parts thereof, of precious metal or of metal clad with precious metal	7114
  Of silver, whether or not plated or clad with other precious metal		7114110000	C400
  Of other precious metal, whether or not plated or clad with precious metal		7114190000	C400
  Of base metal clad with precious metal		7114200000	C400
  Other articles of precious metal or of metal clad with precious metal	7115
  Heading: Articles of natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones (natural, synthetic or reconstructed)	7116
  Of natural or cultured pearls		7116100000	C400
  Heading: Knives with cutting blades, serrated or not (including pruning knives), other than knives of heading 8208, and blades therefor	8211
  Sets of assorted articles		8211100000	C400
  Table knives having fixed blades		8211910000	C400
  Other knives having fixed blades		8211920000	C400
  Heading: Spoons, forks, ladles, skimmers, cake-servers, fish-knives, butter-knives, sugar tongs and similar kitchen or tableware	8215
  Subheading: Sets of assorted articles containing at least one article plated with precious metal:		821510
  Containing only articles plated with precious metal		8215102000	C400
  Of stainless steel		8215103000	C400
  Subheading: Other sets of assorted articles:		821520
  Of stainless steel		8215201000	C400
  Other		8215209000	C400
  Heading: Pianos, including automatic pianos; harpsichords and other keyboard stringed instruments	9201
  Subheading: Upright pianos:		920110
  New		9201101000	C400
  Used		9201109000	C400
  Grand pianos		9201200000	C400
  Other		9201900000	C400
  Heading: Other string musical instruments (for example, guitars, violins, harps)	9202
  Subheading: Played with a bow:		920210
  Violins		9202101000	C400
  Other		9202109000	C400
  Subheading: Other:		920290
  Guitars		9202903000	C400
  Other		9202908000	C400
  Heading: Wind musical instruments (for example, keyboard pipe organs, accordions, clarinets, trumpets, bagpipes), other than fairground organs and mechanical street organs	9205
  Brass-wind instruments		9205100000
  Subheading: Other:		920590
  Accordions and similar instruments		9205901000	C400
  Mouth organs		9205903000
  Keyboard pipe organs; harmoniums and similar keyboard instruments with free metal reeds		9205905000	C400
  Other		9205909000	C400
  Percussion musical instruments (for example, drums, xylophones, cymbals, castanets, maracas)	9206		C400
  Heading: Parts (for example, mechanisms for musical boxes) and accessories (for example, cards, discs and rolls for mechanical instruments) of musical instruments; metronomes, tuning forks and pitch pipes of all kinds	9209
  Musical instrument strings		9209300000
  Parts and accessories for pianos		9209910000
  Parts and accessories for the musical instruments of heading 9202		9209920000	C400
  Parts and accessories for the musical instruments of heading 9207		9209940000	C400
  Subheading: Other:		920999	C400
  Parts and accessories for the musical instruments of heading 9205		9209992000	C400
  Other		9209997000	C400
  Heading: Other furniture and parts thereof	9403
  Subheading: Wooden furniture of a kind used in the kitchen:		940340
  Subheading: Fitted kitchen units:		94034010
  Handmade		9403401010	C400
  Other		9403401090	C400
  Subheading: Other:		94034090
  Handmade		9403409010	C400
  Other		9403409090	C400
  Wooden furniture of a kind used in the bedroom		9403500000	C400
  Subheading: Other wooden furniture:		940360
  Wooden furniture of a kind used in the dining room and the living room		9403601000	C400
  Wooden furniture of a kind used in shops		9403603000	C400
  Other wooden furniture		9403609000	C400
  Video game consoles and machines, table or parlour games, including pintables, billiards, special tables for casino games and automatic bowling equipment, amusement machines operated by coins, banknotes, bank cards, tokens or by any other means of payment	9504
  Articles and accessories for billiards of all kinds		9504200000	C400
  Other		9504908000	C400
  Heading: Worked ivory, bone, tortoiseshell, horn, antlers, coral, mother-of-pearl and other animal carving material, and articles of these materials (including articles obtained by moulding)	9601
  Subheading: Worked ivory and articles of ivory:		960110
  Handmade		9601100010	C400
  Other		9601100090	C400
  Heading: Paintings, drawings and pastels, executed entirely by hand, other than drawings of heading 4906 and other than hand-painted or hand-decorated manufactured articles; collages, mosaics and similar decorative plaques	9701
  Subheading: Of an age exceeding 100 years:		970121
  Paintings, drawings and pastels		9701210000
  Mosaics		9701220000
  Other		9701290000
  Heading: Original sculpture and statuary, in any material	9703
  Of an age exceeding 100 years		9703100000	C400
  Other		9703900000	C400
  Heading: Antiques of an age exceeding 100 years	9706
  Of an age exceeding 250 years		9706100000	C400
  Other		9706900000	C400