<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2523" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV>   The USA requires all imported ivory products (ie; piano key tops) to be = over 100 years old. A century-old Steinway is legal to import. However, you = must have all the darn paperwork. This includes a "Pre-Convention Permit" = issued by the CITES Commission in the country of export (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). Go to "<A href="http://www.cites.org/common/directy/e_directy.html">http://www.cites.org/common/directy/e_directy.html</A><FO= NT face="Times New Roman" size=3>" to find the CITES authority in = any country. Your "Pro-Forma Invoice" (shipping list) should note which articles = contain the ivory. Every article in your shipment must be clearly numbered = to match your invoice numbers. You must present your CITES Permit to U.S. = Fish & Wildlife at the proper import location. You can only import ivory = through certain U.S. ports (including New York and Boston). Some countries = require an appraisal before granting a permit. This just has to look = official, and it is usually granted (costs vary from $25-$75 per article to $25. = for any number of articles) . Of course, many pianos cannot be dated = exactly, but an estimation that looks knowedgable will usually suffice. If you = import for business use (resale), you must have a license from Fish & = Wildlife. This costs about $75, I think. It is usually much simpler to import "personal articles". Also, your CITES permit must predate the date = of importation (ie; you can't apply for one after they ask you for it). = After all that, Fish & Wildlife may still inspect the piano(s). Why = this is, I'm not sure. You have already told them of the ivory. Anyway, this = may involve weeks or months of waiting and storage fees. The importer = has no recourse and must pay all costs. One time, they held a shipment of = mine for 3 months, broke things by putting pianos atop tables, etc., then = billed me for $2800.  There was nothing I could do but pay!    = One idea: Remove the keys and ship the piano only. Then, ship the keys = separately with the CITES douments. This way, if there is a problem, they only can = hold the keys hostage.    Most countries allow importation of ivory = products made before the CITES Convention was signed (1974, I think). The = U.S. is the exception to this. It is legal, however, to buy and sell ivory = within the borders of the U.S. so long as it is not new. Philip Jamison Pianos West Chester, PA = </DIV></BODY></HTML>