Several Shorea species — particularly those listed on CITES Appendix II — require a CITES export permit from the country of origin and a corresponding US import permit issued by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Importers should verify the specific species in their shipment against the current CITES appendices before entry, as not all Shorea species are listed, but misidentification or missing permits can result in seizure and penalties.

The Lacey Act requires a declaration for each plant species in the shipment, including genus, species, country of harvest, and quantity. For mixed-species meranti shipments where individual logs cannot be species-identified, importers may use the genus-level declaration (Shorea spp.) with the best available information, but this approach carries risk if enforcement scrutiny reveals a CITES-listed species was present without a permit. Species segregation and documentation at the point of harvest is the most defensible practice.