Customs Notice 25-08: Import permits required for bat (Chiroptera) specimens

**Ottawa,

March 25, 2026
**

1. This notice is a reminder that the importation of bat specimens in any form must always be declared on the commercial invoice and import declarations and requires an import permit issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The Permit to import Animal Products and By-Products is applied for through MyCFIA, and the permit must have been issued before the shipment reaches Canada. Permits cannot be issued for imports that are already at the border, and items without import permits will be ordered destroyed or removed from Canada.

2. This applies to both fruit and insectivorous bats in the Order Chiroptera, in any form, whether or not encased in resin, plastic, or in a picture frame, described as decorations, educational products, paperweights, wall ornaments, school supplies, science instruments, and art; whether or not in whole form or a skeleton, or body part, tissue, cell lines or DNA; and whether or not preserved in formaldehyde or other preservative.

3. This permit requirement is in place under the CFIA Part II, Importation, of the Health of Animals Regulations.

4. Bat species that are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are subject to CITES Permit requirements in addition to animal health requirements. To determine which species are CITES listed, search Chiroptera on the CITES.org website: Species+.

5. Bat taxidermy, parts or materials, including taxidermied bats, hanging bats, spread-winged bats, bat skeletons, bat skulls, and whole or parts of bats encased in plastic or resin can be classified under  HS codes 0511.99, 9705.22, 9705.29 and 2934.99 (DNA). Check AIRS Automated Import Reference System: Import Requirements, search for Chiroptera in the ‘Find by Commodity’ Search Box.

6. There are more than 50 possible pathogens that can be found in bats, including in bat guano, which is banned from import into Canada as described in Customs Note 24-04. Many of the pathogens are potential threats to human health and to wildlife. These pathogens include the Nipah virus, Hepatitis E virus, and different coronaviruses that can affect human health.

7. Another pathogen of great concern detected in bats is Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), a fungus that is not native to North America and is responsible for the mortality of upwards of 95% of hibernating bat species in eastern North America. Pd causes White-nose Syndrome (WNS) in bats which has resulted in the deaths of millions of bats and caused three bat species to be listed as endangered in Canada, within Schedule I of the Species at Risk Act.

8. Importers are reminded of the requirement under the Customs Act that information reported to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) must be true, accurate and complete. This means that the scientific or taxonomic names of all bats and bat products and all commodities containing bat specimens (or any animal specimens) imported must be declared upon entry. Importers must report scientific names of all imported species in the commodity description field of Form CI1, Canada Customs Invoice or the commercial invoice, either electronic or paper as per the instructions in Memorandum D1-4-1, CBSA Invoice Requirements, and/or in accordance with the technical requirements, specifications and procedures for electronic data interchange as set out in the Electronic Commerce Client Requirements Document (ECCRD). This includes reporting the correct AIRS or OGD extension code for Chiroptera on the electronic message submitted in the Integrated Import Declaration.

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Date modified:

2025-03-25