All

Country
Korea, Republic of (KR)
Group
Timber
End use
Processing
NPPO Details
Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA)
Relevant Web Addresses
www.qia.go.kr
Criteria Criteria Required?
Import Permit No
Phytosanitary Certificate No
Additional Declaration/Endorsement No
Protocol Market No
Permitted entry without an accompanying Phytosanitary certificate.

Consignments are to be free from pests, soil, weed seeds and extraneous material.

Logs are subject to quarantine inspection on arrival. If quarantine pests are found the produce will be treated or destroyed.

The Export Control Act 2020 and the Export Control (Wood and Woodchips) Rules 2021, require an export licence issued by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for any exports of two tonnes or more of:

  • woodchips;
  • wood in the round (i.e. logs);
  • wood with a cross-sectional area of at least 225 square centimetres

These are considered 'prescribed goods' under the Export Control (Wood and Woodchips) Rules 2021. 

A licence is not required for the above listed wood and woodchips if:
  • the wood or woodchips are sourced from an area covered by a Regional Forest Agreement (RFA). Details regarding the areas covered by RFAs can be found here: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/forestry/policies/rfa.
  • the wood or woodchips are derived from trees harvested outside Australian territory, including those transiting through Australia.
  • the wood or woodchips are sourced from a plantation in a State with an approved code of practice for the establishment, management and harvesting of all plantations in that State.

If an export licence is required, it is the responsibility of exporters to obtain a licence to export prescribed wood or woodchips prior to export.

Exporters can find information on how to obtain an export licence for prescribed wood or woodchips on the departments website - Exports of unprocessed wood and woodchips (wood export licensing) - DAFF.

Any enquires on what is classed as prescribed wood or woodchips should be directed to: wood.export@aff.gov.au, or call (02) 6272 4353.

The only responsibility authorised officers have in relation to the export licences for unprocessed wood is to inform unprocessed wood exporters of the possible requirement to hold a licence to export unprocessed wood.


Under the Revised Act on Sustainable Use of Timbers, Korean importers of wood products are required to demonstrate timber legality through presenting documentation for each consignment of wood products under the following Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) tariff codes:
  • HS4403: logs/ wood in the rough,
  • HS4407: sawn timber, treated timber, fire retardant wood, laminated wood,
  • HS4412: plywood,
  • HS4401.31: wood pellets.
To meet their legal requirements, Korean importers can use evidence of timber legality provided by their Australian exporters with each consignment. This evidence should include at least one of the following:
  • a self-declaration form completed and signed by the exporter. All Australia-based exporters of Australian grown wood qualify for this pathway because of Australia's illegal logging laws (Illegal Logging Prohibition Act 2012)
  • a Forest Management certificate or a Chain of Custody certification claim endorsed under one of the two main certification schemes:
    • a national certification standard, such as Responsible Wood, endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification scheme (PEFC)
    • a Forest Management, Chain of Custody, or a Controlled Wood certification or claim endorsed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
  • documents outlined in Australia Country Specific Guideline:
If you would like further information on Korea's laws, a translated version of the Korean Revised Act on Sustainable Use of Timbers is available at https://tinyurl.com/KoreaLaw.

Failure to provide suitable documentation to your Korean buyer could delay or disrupt clearance of consignments at Korea Customs.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the department by email at Forestry.Enquiries@awe.gov.au.
NPPO Regulation - Korea’s importer timber laws
03/02/2025 - Updated general requirements due to legislation changes.
10/11/2021 - Updated general requirements due to legislation changes.
Initial Uploaded: 29/07/2014
Reviewed Uploaded: 03/02/2025