Since January 2017, all species (more than 300) of the genus Dalberia spp. have been placed under special protection.
If your recorder is made from one of the affected woods (e.g. rosewood, tulipwood, bubinga, grenadilla), crossing the border can become a trap.
As even highly professional ensembles and especially amateurs and amateur musicians are still unaware of the applicable rules in many places, we have decided to provide a brief insight into the subject.
In short: All instruments that consist of or partially contain the above-mentioned materials now require an instrument passport if they
- want to cross a national border or the EU's external border with the instrument.
- want to sell an instrument, then the buyer requires a note on the invoice stating that the material used was a "pre-acquisition good" that was already processed and/or in the owner's possession before the cut-off date of 2 January 2017.
- they wish to purchase such an instrument. (See "B")
Purely private ownership does not have to be documented.
The traditional FEHR brand has large stocks of alto and seasoned wood and instruments made from it.
We will add the necessary information to the invoice if you purchase an instrument made from the types of wood in question from us.
This should allow you to cross a national or EU border without any problems. You can obtain the official instrument passport from different authorities in different countries. In most cases, however, experience from recent months has shown that a copy of the invoice with the note "old stock" is sufficient.
Even if you decide in favour of the official instrument passport, it cannot be guaranteed that it will be accepted in every country in the world.
In addition, the proof of material and origin required to obtain the passport must be provided in full by the owner of the instrument; the corresponding research and expertise can be complicated and time-consuming.
If you own an alto FEHR recorder with a serial number, we will be happy to send you proof of the date of manufacture for a small fee.
If you are interested in such a document, please contact us by e-mail.
Please include a picture of the instrument / serial number stamp).