Buy or hire an ivory itemitems
How to check if an ivory item youyou're are buying or hiring has been correctly registered or certified,certified as exempt, and howwhat you need to registerdo as a new owner.
- From:
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Animal and Plant Health Agency
- Published
- 24 February 2022
- Last updated
-
428JulyJanuary20222025 — See all updates
YouHow cannotto buycheck orif hirean ivory itemsitem unlessyou’re theybuying areor registeredhiring ashas exemptbeen registered or certified as exempt, underand thewhat Ivoryyou Actneed 2018.
Theto Ivorydo Actas 2018a appliesnew toowner.
You dealingmust innot itemsbuy containingor ivoryhire oritems made of ivory.or Itcontaining isivory bothfrom thespecies seller’slisted andin thethe Ivory buyer’sAct responsibility,2018, asunless wellthey asare thatregistered of anyone involved in arranging a sale or purchasecertified toas checkexempt.
Banned ifivory anspecies itemare:
- elephant
- hippopotamus
- killer
canwhale - narwhal
- sperm
belawfullytraded.whale
IfBefore you arebuy sellingor anhire ivoryitems itemmade readof theor guide for dealing in items containing listed ivory orspecies madeyou ofshould ivory.check they:
If
- have
youbeenareregisteredbuyinghiringcertifiedanasexemptedexemptitem,– youneedshouldtoaskfeelforconfidentthethatregistrationitnumberhasbeencorrectlyregisteredcertifiedexemptionandcertificate - meet
meetsconditions.
You could be committing an offence under the Actact if you do not carry out due diligence.
When
What anyou itemshould ischeck
You registeredshould check the ownerinformation willin getthe aexemption referencecertificate number.or Whenregistration anmatches item is certified the owneritem willyou’re getbuying anor exemptionhiring. certificate.This Beforeincludes:
- the
youtypeagreeoftoitem - which
buypartsorofhireanitem,askowneritemforareconfirmationmade oftheivory - any
item’sdistinguishingregistrationfeatures - photographs
orof theexemptioncertificationdocument.item
AnYou exemptioncan certificateask willthe containperson informationselling onor thehiring typeout ofthe item,item thefor locationcopies of the ivorydocuments and anysupporting distinguishingevidence features,they andused to get a photographregistration ofor theexemption item.certificate.
ThisYou shouldcan helpalso youemail checkivoryact@apha.gov.uk to request photographs and information about the itemitem. youYou’ll areneed beingto offeredgive isthem the itemregistration certified.or Afterexemption certificate number.
Notify APHA about a purchase,change theof exemptionownership
You certificatemust shouldtell beAPHA passedat toivoryact@apha.gov.uk if you’re the new owner withof thean ivory item.
Youitem canthat’s alsoregistered sendor thecertified Animalas andexempt. PlantYou’ll Healthneed Agencyto (APHA) provide:
- the item’s registration
referencenumber - your
toname - your
bepostalsentaddress - your
photographsemailandaddress
There informationis aboutno thatfee item.to update these details as a new owner.
Before
Selling youor buyhiring out an item you’ve bought
To sell or hire out an item youthat’s shouldpreviously askbeen forregistered copiesunder ofa thestandard documentsexemption, you’ll need to make a new registration and supportingpay evidencethe thatregistration wasfee.
Find usedout how to register theitems itemmade of or applycontaining forlisted theivory exemptionspecies certificate.
Ifthat you arewant ato newsell owneror ofhire anout.
Items ivorywith item
existing exemption certificates
If you are not the newnamed owner ofon the exemption certificate for an ivoryitem item,you plan to sell or hire out, you must contactnotify the APHA. toYou notifydo them.not You’ll need to provide:
there-applyitem’sforregistrationansubmissionexemptionreferencecertificate.numberInstead,orprovideexemptiondetailscertificatetoreferenceAPHAnumberyourandnameyourpaypostaltheaddressyour£20emailfeeaddress
ThereWhen isyou nosell feethe toitem updateyou thesemust detailsgive asthe aexemption certificate to the new owner.
Updates to this page
Published 24 February 2022Last updated
-
This guidance now covers ivory from the following species: elephant, hippopotamus, killer whale, narwhal and sperm whale. The structure and wording of the guidance has been updated to make it clearer.
-
Removed reference to the transition period for transactions that started before 6 June as this has now expired.
-
Updated to reflect the Ivory Act came into force from 6 June 2022. Provided information about the transition period for existing ivory transactions.
-
From 6 June, you will not be able to deal in items containing or made of elephant ivory under the Ivory Act 2018 unless they are registered as exempt or certified as exempt.
-
First published.
Update history
2025-01-28 00:05
This guidance now covers ivory from the following species: elephant, hippopotamus, killer whale, narwhal and sperm whale. The structure and wording of the guidance has been updated to make it clearer.
2022-07-04 00:15
Removed reference to the transition period for transactions that started before 6 June as this has now expired.
2022-06-06 00:15
Updated to reflect the Ivory Act came into force from 6 June 2022. Provided information about the transition period for existing ivory transactions.
2022-03-16 09:00
From 6 June, you will not be able to deal in items containing or made of elephant ivory under the Ivory Act 2018 unless they are registered as exempt or certified as exempt.
2022-02-24 00:00
First published.