Malaysia
Key documents required for timber legality and trade of Malaysia
The below listed key documents are based on the applicable legislation and are considered to play a key role in demonstrating legal origin. The full list of applicable legislation is accessible here.
Harvesting
| Key document | Explanation | Legal authority | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peninsular: Concession license | License to operate as a forest management company in a specific forest area. | State Forestry Department, Peninsular Malaysia | |
| Peninsular: Approved Forest Management Plan | Forest management plan for the licensed area prepared by Licensee. | State Forestry Department, Peninsular Malaysia | |
| Peninsular: Approved Forest Harvesting Plan | Forest harvesting plan prepared by Licensee, detailing the requirements for harvesting in the licensed area. | State Forestry Department, Peninsular Malaysia | |
| Peninsular: Harvesting permit | Permit for harvesting in the annual block of harvest based on a pre-felling assessment by the SFD. | State Forestry Department, Peninsular Malaysia | |
| Sabah: Sustainable Forest Management License Agreement (SFMLA) / Long Term License (LTL) | License for large-scale timber concession providing long-term tenure of 100 years. | Sabah Forestry Department | |
| Sabah: Coupe permit | License to operate in a specific area of the concession with a validity of 15 years. | Sabah Forestry Department | |
| Sabah: 10-year Forest Management Plan | Management plan describing the long-term management approach for a specific SMFLA / LTL area. | Approval by Sabah Forestry Department | |
| Sabah: Approved Comprehensive Harvesting Plan | Plan detailing the planned harvest for a specific block of forest. | Approval by Sabah Forestry Department | |
| Sabah: Harvesting licence (Form I, Form IIB license) | License to harvest forest produce from a forest area. For PRF concessions this is a SFMLA/LTL (see above); for other activities this is a Form I or Form IIB license. | Sabah Forestry Department | |
| Sarawak: Forest Timber License | License to operate in a concession area. | Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) | |
| Sarawak: General Harvesting Plan (GP) | Map of the Forest Timber License identifying protected, social (SA) and production coupe areas, roads and rivers. It is prepared by the concessionaire, detailing the general harvest planning, including the layout and size of coupes. A partial photo of a GP (GP maps are A2 size documents) is provided as an example. | Approval by Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) | |
| Sarawak: Detailed Harvesting Plan (DP) | Map of the Harvest Coupe showing protected areas, SA areas, production areas, secondary roads, rivers, and main skid trails. It is prepared by the concessionaire, detailing the harvest planning of a specific block of forest. A partial photo of a DP (DP maps are A2 size documents) is provided as an example. | Approval by Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) | |
| Sarawak: Permit to Enter Coupe | License to harvest in the approved block. | Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) | |
| Sarawak: Log Specification Form | An official form detailing the harvested logs, which needs to be completed by the Company and which will be used for royalty assessment by the FDS. | Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) |
Processing & Trade
| Key document | Explanation | Legal authority | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak: Certificate of Incorporation of Private Company (Form 9) | Certifies that a company is, from the date specified in the certificate, incorporated and established. An example of it is provided in Malay. | Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) | |
| Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak: CITES Permit | A CITES permit is requested and must be obtained from the legal CITES Authority in Malaysia for exporting wood and other derivative products from tree species listed on the CITES Appendix II. | CITES Management Authority in the respective Region/ State | |
| Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah: Certificate of Registration | Annual registration as exporter, supplier, processor, grader. | Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB) | |
| Sarawak: STIDC Registration Application Form | Registration with STIDC of those involved to establish, manage or operate any mills or manufacturing, sale, distribution or marketing activity of timber and timber products. | Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) | |
| Peninsular: Removal Pass (RP) | The RP carries a record of the type/species, volume of produce, and royalty and Forest Department CESS payable. All logs transported from the Forest Checking Stations to the mills must be accompanied by a RP. | State Forestry Department, Peninsular Malaysia | |
| Peninsular: Exchange Removal Pass (ERP) | An ERP is issued by the relevant State Forestry Department in cases where the loads have been inspected during transit or for a load transported from one mill to another. | State Forestry Department, Peninsular Malaysia | |
| Peninsular: Mill license | Operating license for processing mills. | State Authority, Peninsular Malaysia | |
| Peninsular: Export License | License for export covering a specific load. | Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB) | |
| Sabah: Removal Pass (RP) | Document accompanying harvested timber when payment of royalties has been made. | Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) | |
| Sabah: Mill license | Operating license for processing mills. | Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) | |
| Sabah: Timber Disposal Permit (TDP) Form V | A TDP accompanies royalty paid logs and provides details of logs, including the license where the logs were extracted, the serial number, log specification by species, log diameter and length, date of scaling and reference to the royalty payment receipt. | Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) | |
| Sabah: Annual Export License (Form XII) | Annual license confirming registration as an exporter from Sabah. | Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) | |
| Sabah: Timber export permit | Permit for export covering a specific load. | Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) | |
| Sarawak: Removal Pass (Royalty) | Transport document accompanying harvested timber confirming that royalty has been paid. | Sarawak Forestry Corporation | |
| Sarawak: Endorsement Clearance Certificate (ECC) | Certificate issued after physical inspection, confirming that logs are legal and that royalty has been paid for them. | Harwood Timber Sdn Bhd | |
| Sarawak: Transportation Pass, or Shipping Pass | Transport document accompanying harvested timber confirming that royalty has been paid. | Harwood Timber Sdn Bhd | |
| Sarawak: Removal Pass (Transit) | Document confirming logs for local processing to be delivered to local mills. | Forest Department Sarawak | |
| Sarawak: Mill license | Operating license for processing mills. | Forest Department Sarawak | |
| Sarawak: Certificate of registration | Transport document accompanying harvested timber confirming that royalty has been paid. | Sarawak Forestry Corporation | |
| Sarawak: Export License | Export license covering a specific load. | Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) | |
| Sarawak: Grading certificate | All sawn timber to be exported from Sarawak must be graded by registered competent Timber Graders under the Malaysian Grading Rules for Sawn Hardwood Timber and issued a grading certificate by STIDC. | Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC), the Grading Authority for Sarawak | |
| Sarawak: Export Clearance Certificate (ExCC) | Export clearance certificate for the export of logs, confirming that (1) the logs do not fall under the reservation quota, and (2) royalty has been paid on them. | Harwood Timber Sdn Bhd | |
| Sarawak: Export Removal Pass | ExCC is a prerequisite for this final removal pass that FDS issues after verifying the parcel of logs deemed for export, to allow logs to be moved from the transit log pond to the vessel. | Forest Department Sarawak |