SVLK Certificate EU Furniture Imports: Legality Explained

What the SVLK certificate is and what it is not

SVLK is Indonesia’s national timber legality assurance system. For furniture leaving Bali for the European Union, its practical output is the FLEGT licence, issued in Indonesia on the SVLK system, which attests that the timber in a shipment was legally harvested and traded. The licence is a regulatory requirement at the EU border, not a quality mark, and a buyer budgeting a container should treat it as part of the shipping file rather than part of the product.

The scope is narrower than many buyers expect. The EU tariff database carries the FLEGT import control for Indonesian origin on the wooden furniture lines, heading 9403 60 for other wooden furniture and headings 9401 61 and 9401 69 for seats with wooden frames. It does not carry that control on the rattan and bamboo lines: rattan and bamboo pieces sit outside the FLEGT scheme altogether.

That split matters at specification stage, not at the port. A container that mixes teak joinery with rattan or bamboo seating divides into tariff lines with different documents and different duty treatment. The workshop builds in solid teak first, alongside rattan, bamboo, paras stone and reclaimed teak, so most mixed orders cross that line, and HS classification is confirmed with the freight forwarder before each shipment leaves Bali.

The FLEGT licence at EU customs until December 30, 2026

Under the current regime, wooden furniture of Indonesian origin needs a valid FLEGT licence to enter the EU customs territory. The licence travels with the shipping documents, and the workshop’s freight forwarder works with customs brokers at the destination port to present it with the customs entry. The import control appears in TARIC under Decision 2014/284 with no end date.

Three points keep the current picture simple. The licence applies to the wooden lines only. It is issued in Indonesia, on the SVLK system, before the container sails. And at the border it answers the legality question: a licensed shipment of wooden furniture meets the EU’s timber legality requirement as it stands today.

The rattan and bamboo lines clear without a FLEGT licence. Their documentary file is the standard one: invoice, bill of lading, packing list and the origin evidence relevant to the duty claim.

What changes on December 30, 2026: the EUDR

The EU Deforestation Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2025/2650, applies from December 30, 2026. Its Annex I lists wooden furniture of headings 9401 and 9403; the rattan and bamboo lines are not listed. The Commission’s product scope update of July 13, 2026 did not change the position of furniture.

The operative change is who does the work. Under the EUDR, the operator, meaning the importer who first places the goods on the EU market, files a due diligence statement that includes the geolocation of the plots of land where the timber was produced. Wood covered by a valid FLEGT licence is deemed to meet the legality requirement only; the deforestation-free requirement still applies, and an SVLK certificate on its own does not discharge it.

Two consequences follow for a buyer planning an order now. First, timing: the workshop’s typical production window is 8 to 10 weeks and its typical door to door window is 12 to 20 weeks depending on destination, so an order confirmed in autumn 2026 can arrive on either side of December 30, 2026. The applicable documentary regime should be settled with the freight forwarder at quotation stage, not discovered at the port. Second, data: the geolocation information belongs to the supply chain, so the question should be raised early. Ubud Atelier relays such questions to the workshop and the workshop’s answers back to the client, so the importer holds what the statement needs before it is due.

Duty, GSP graduation and import VAT in the Mediterranean

The legality paperwork sits alongside a duty picture that is currently favourable. Wooden furniture lines, 9403 60 and the wooden-frame seats of 9401 61 and 9401 69, carry a 0% third country duty, confirmed in TARIC at a reference date of October 3, 2026. Rattan and bamboo lines carry a 5.6% third country duty, but Indonesian origin currently enters them at 0% under the standard GSP general arrangement. Indonesia leaves the GSP on January 1, 2027 under Regulation (EU) 2026/1395, after which the rattan and bamboo lines pay the 5.6% rate. On the EU-Indonesia CEPA: negotiations concluded in September 2025, and the agreement is moving through EU signature and ratification, with entry into force targeted for January 1, 2027.

Import VAT is chargeable at importation on the customs value plus duty plus transport to the place of destination in the EU. The rates in the three main Mediterranean markets:

Destination	Import VAT	Settlement note
Côte d’Azur villas and hotels	20% French TVA	Since January 1, 2022, a business identified for VAT in France declares and pays import VAT on its VAT return rather than at customs
Sicily and the Aeolian Islands	22% Italian IVA	Charged at customs on the customs value plus duty plus forwarding costs to destination
Mallorca and the Balearics	21% Spanish IVA	The Balearic Islands sit inside the Spanish VAT territory; monthly filers can settle import VAT in the return

A VAT-registered business recovers import VAT through its return, so for most hospitality buyers the figure is a cash flow item rather than a final cost. An indicative customs cost estimate can be prepared at quotation stage. For planning, typical ocean transit runs between 25 and 35 days from Benoa to Marseille, between 28 and 40 days to Sicilian ports via feeder, and between 26 and 36 days to Palma; these are indicative routing figures, not commitments.

Territory and timeline for a container order

EU rules apply only inside the EU customs territory, and two French-speaking destinations illustrate the limit. Saint-Barthélemy has been outside the EU customs territory since January 1, 2012 and levies a 5% droit de quai with no VAT. French Polynesia applies its own tariff, with a 13% duty on furniture lines and a phytosanitary certificate required for wooden furniture. Neither the FLEGT licensing scheme nor the EUDR described above applies in those territories.

Inside the EU, the compliance file is a sequencing exercise rather than an obstacle. Ubud Atelier gives international clients one point of contact and direct access to Bali’s finest workshop, which produces a full container on spec in 8 to 10 weeks and ships door to door in 12 to 20 weeks depending on destination. The FLEGT licence belongs to the workshop’s side of that timeline; the EUDR statement, once applicable, belongs to the importer’s side. Visits to the workshop in Kerobokan can be arranged during production, and projects start from €25,000 for hospitality and €10,000 for private residences. First questions by email receive a reply within 48 hours.

Frequently asked questions

Who handles the FLEGT licence for a shipment from Bali?

The licence is issued in Indonesia on the SVLK system and travels with the workshop’s shipping documents. The workshop’s freight forwarder works with customs brokers at the destination port to present it with the customs entry.

Does rattan or bamboo furniture need a FLEGT licence?

No. Rattan and bamboo lines sit outside the FLEGT scheme and are not listed in EUDR Annex I. They carry a 5.6% third country duty, currently entering at 0% for Indonesian origin under the GSP until Indonesia leaves the scheme on January 1, 2027.

Will an SVLK certificate satisfy the EUDR after December 30, 2026?

No. Wood covered by a valid FLEGT licence is deemed to meet the legality requirement only; the deforestation-free requirement still applies. The importer placing wooden furniture on the EU market files a due diligence statement including the geolocation of the plots of production.

Who files the EUDR due diligence statement?

The operator, meaning the importer who first places the goods on the EU market. Sourcing questions that feed the statement can be raised at quotation stage, and Ubud Atelier relays them to the workshop so the answers reach the importer in time.