(a) Purpose. Under Article VIII(3), Parties are to ensure that CITES specimens are traded with a minimum of delay.
(b) U.S. and foreign general provisions. The following provisions apply to the issuance and acceptance of partially completed CITES documents.
(1) A Management Authority may issue partially completed CITES documents only when:
(i) The permitted trade will have a negligible impact or no impact on the conservation of the species.
(ii) All provisions of CITES have been met.
(iii) The specimens are one of the following:
(A) Biological samples.
(B) Pre-Convention specimens.
(C) Specimens that qualify as bred in captivity or artificially propagated.
(D) Appendix-I specimens from registered commercial breeding operations.
(E) Appendix-I plants artificially propagated for commercial purposes.
(F) Other specimens that the Management Authority determines qualify for partially completed documents.
(2) A Management Authority may register applicants for species that may be traded under partially completed documents.
(3) Partially completed CITES documents require the permit holder to:
(i) Enter specific information on the CITES document or its annex as conditioned on the face of the CITES document.
(ii) Enter scientific names on the CITES document only if the Management Authority included an inventory of approved species on the face of the CITES document or an attached annex.
(iii) Sign the CITES document, which acts as a certification that the information entered is true and accurate.
(4) CITES documents issued for biological samples may be validated at the time of issuance provided that upon export the container is labeled with the CITES document number and indicates it contains CITES biological samples.
(c) U.S. application form. Complete the appropriate form for the proposed activity (see §§ 23.18 through 23.20) and submit it to the U.S. Management Authority.
(d) Criteria. The criteria in this paragraph (d) apply to the issuance and acceptance of U.S. and foreign CITES documents. When applying for a U.S. CITES document, you must provide sufficient information for us to find that your proposed activity meets the criteria in subpart C for the appropriate CITES document and the following criteria:
(1) The use of partially completed documents benefits both the permit holder and the issuing Management Authority.
(2) The proposed activity will have a negligible impact or no impact upon the conservation of the species.
(e) U.S. standard conditions. In addition to the conditions in § 23.56 and any standard conditions in this part that apply to the specific CITES document, the following conditions must be met:
(1) You must enter the information specified in block 5, either on the face of the CITES document or in an annex to the document.
(2) You may not alter or enter any information on the face of the CITES document or in an annex to the document that is not authorized in block 5 or an equivalent place.
(3) If you are authorized to enter a scientific name, it must be for a species authorized in block 5 or an equivalent place, or in an attached annex of the CITES document.
(4) You must sign the CITES document to certify that all information entered by you is true and correct.