CITES Question

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popsnorkle
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Re: CITES Question

Post by popsnorkle »

Does your flute have a serial number? When I traveled to England last April I was nervious about bringing my Rudall and Rose. I didn't have any documentation about buying it. I found this information about getting a certificate of registration before traveling.

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail ... -traveling

I had to take it to the Ship's office which was by the exit from the arrivals area. It was pretty smooth. The stamp on the flute is really hard to read, so I was telling him "see, it says Rudall and Rose and Convent Garden and a number. Just look in the light and roll it back and forth a little." And he said "okay, I'm taking your word for it."

There is also this page: https://www.fws.gov/international/permi ... ments.html
There is a link on the page to getting an instrument "passport" if its a protected wood.

In the end I had no issues. No questions about the flute.
busterbill
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Re: CITES Question

Post by busterbill »

It is likely too late for this particular trip but the application for the "passport" supposedly takes 60-90 days in the US and will be a good insurance policy for anyone who travels. There is a story on concertina.net regarding a concertina that was confiscated at the Canadian border even though it was not new. That border was geographically close enough to the folks at the Button Box after a concertina event, and the person at customs did not believe that it was a personal possession rather than a purchase. This process is pretty new and not yet perfected.

I shipped a flute back and forth to its maker (from US to Ireland and back again) and enclosed a letter from the maker that it was my possession made in 2015, coming back for repair, and would stay my possession and be returned to me after the repair. I wrote a letter as well, and both of us quoted the personal possession musical instrument exemption. Neither of us were completely confident that it would work.

As for not having the paperwork-- Makers are pretty busy. I think a request for verification in the form of a letter which outlines for them what you feel their letter needs to cover, date of purchase, wood species, weight, etc. And the offer to pay them for their time might be helpful. They have to very careful about their reputation with the Cites folks so they can continue to ply their trade so they can't exactly make stuff up on the fly, given that a letter might be impossible for some makers who may not have records themselves.

As for checked baggage: I have a question. If a flute is shipped as a parcel it is in a cargo hold. If it is luggage, is it not exposed to the same conditions as if it were a parcel?
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Conical bore
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Re: CITES Question

Post by Conical bore »

busterbill wrote:As for checked baggage: I have a question. If a flute is shipped as a parcel it is in a cargo hold. If it is luggage, is it not exposed to the same conditions as if it were a parcel?
Yes, same conditions, and not much different than if it was carry-on luggage. Cargo holds in modern passenger and cargo aircraft are pressurized and heated. The only difference compared to the passenger area, is the temperature will be a bit lower. One average I've heard is around 45 deg. F, but set warmer if there are live animals in the cargo manifest.

For shipment, the main risk (aside from theft or physical damage from handling) is extreme temperatures hot or cold for the truck carrying the goods in transit. If the instrument is packed well enough, maybe with some bubble wrap for insulation, that shouldn't be a major issue.
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