The CITES Secretariat has a limited number of staff and their primary function is to provide a service to the Parties to the Convention. Consequently, the Secretariat's ability to respond to general enquiries from members of the public, wildlife traders or persons engaged in research is restricted. You are welcome to use any of the available information about CITES provided on this website but the staff may not be able respond to emails for additional information. Please also note that their work regularly requires staff members to be absent from the office, so that only urgent matters will be responded to promptly.
Before you write to us, please check the Frequently Asked Questions below to see whether your queries have already been addressed:
From traders
- How can I know whether I need a permit to import or export wildlife specimens?
- Where can I find the contact details of the national agency in charge of the implementation of CITES?
- Do animals that were bred in captivity also require permits?
From the general public
- I think it is appalling to kill elephants so that their tusks can be traded. Why does the CITES Secretariat allow this to happen?
- I am deeply interested in the environment, how can I become a member of the CITES Secretariat?
- I am not familiar with scientific (Latin) names as are shown in the CITES Appendices, what can I do?
- Could I have information on certain endangered species?
From the CITES community (MAs, SAs, scientists, etc.)
- How can I view the annexes to the documents available on the website?
- How can I find information on what countries have joined CITES at what time, and whether they have accepted the Bonn and Gaborone amendments?
- May I use the photographs shown in the Photo Gallery?
If you have not found an answer to your question above or in the rest of the website, you can contact us at:
| Street address: | Postal address: |
| CITES Secretariat International Environment House 11 Chemin des Anémones CH-1219 Châtelaine, Geneva Switzerland Tel: +41-(0)22-917-81-39/40 Fax: +41-(0)22-797-34-17 Email:  | CITES Secretariat Palais des Nations Avenue de la Paix 8-14 1211 Genève 10 Switzerland |
The CITES Secretariat does NOT deliver permits or certificates. For questions about permits and certificates, please contact your national authorities at: https://cites.org/eng/parties/country-profiles/national-authorities .
Questions related to problems encountered with the website should be directed to: 
Enquiries from the media should be sent to [email protected]