PortNet — E-CITES management: practical guide

Quick answer. PortNet includes an E-CITES service for import or export operations involving wild fauna and flora species covered by the CITES Convention. The digital workflow supports submission and processing of permit applications, monitoring of issuance by the National Agency for Water and Forests (ANEF), and exchange of the permit with Customs.

When should E-CITES be used?

The service concerns goods or specimens subject to CITES control. Do not create an application simply because a product has an animal or plant origin. First verify whether the species, specimen or derivative falls within the Convention and which authorization is required for the intended movement.

Who decides, and who exchanges the information?

PortNet acts as the digital channel between the operator and the administrations. Permit issuance remains the responsibility of ANEF according to the file and the CITES framework. Once issued, the permit can be exchanged with Customs, which uses the information in the control process and for deduction of authorized quantities.

Prepare the file before the shipment

Identify the species as precisely as possible, the nature of the specimen or derived product, the direction of the movement — import or export — and the operation concerned. Supporting documents vary by case. If scientific identification or CITES status is uncertain, obtain confirmation before shipment to reduce the risk of a border hold.

Monitoring and quantities

The PortNet service provides monitoring of permit issuance and exchange with Customs, including the accounting of quantities. Keep the file and permit references, and verify that quantities stated in commercial and customs documents remain consistent with the authorization actually granted.

Recommended workflow

1. check whether the species or product is subject to CITES;
2. prepare identification and movement information;
3. submit the request in the relevant PortNet module;
4. follow any request for additional information and the ANEF decision;
5. make sure the permit, customs declaration and quantities actually imported or exported match.

E-CITES does not replace other controls

A CITES permit does not mean that every other import or export requirement has been satisfied. Depending on the product, sanitary, customs or commercial controls may also apply. PortNet brings several foreign-trade services into the same ecosystem, so review the complete file for the goods rather than only the fauna/flora permit. Conversely, an ordinary customs formality does not remove the need for a CITES permit when one is required.

Official sources checked on 8 September 2026

• PortNet — Foreign Trade, E-CITES service
• National Agency for Water and Forests

Key point: first verify whether CITES applies. PortNet digitizes the workflow, but the ANEF authorization and the customs formality remain distinct requirements.