• Researchers and local collaborators are expected to make every reasonable effort to conduct research activities and analyses in Sabah by utilising available local facilities, expertise, and resources.

• Where analyses cannot be conducted in Sabah, applicants must provide a clear justification for the export of biological resources and describe the proposed capacity-building initiatives to strengthen local institutions. This information must be included in the application. 
• If only part of the research or analyses will be conducted in Sabah, applicants must clearly indicate which activities will be undertaken locally and which will be conducted elsewhere. 
• Applicants should provide a clear, detailed, and specific description of all proposed research activities and analyses.

• Your application will not be processed until all the necessary supporting documents and information have been received.
• The Committee and Council members will deliberate your Export Licence application with the supporting information and documents to decide on your application. Therefore, you are advised to be specific and elaborate on the analyses you wish to conduct and to provide strong justification of your intention and purpose of export. For example, "chemical analysis"/ "DNA analysis" is not sufficient to describe the activity. In addition to that, you are advised to work with local institutions to enhance capacity building/ technology transfer.
• All applications must be submitted through the online application system https://sabaes.sabah.gov.my/login. 

1. Photocopy of Passport or MyKad;
2. Proposal/ Progress report (report on findings, result of analyses- if you have applied before);
3. Letter of support from the Malaysia institution/ organisation/ local collaborator that will collaborate in this research (This is a letter from your local collaborator (based in Sabah) that will collaborate in this research to support your export intention and recommend ways to enhance capacity building of the local institutions. This letter must mention their support and justification for your export intention).

• If your application is successful, you will need to pay for the Export Licence Fee.
• Your local collaborator is required to complete and submit the Material Transfer Declaration Form to Sabah Biodiversity Centre before you can export the biological resources out of Sabah. 

• You are only allowed to export the type of biological resources including the amount/volume and execute the number of shipment listed in your transfer licence
• Your local collaborator needs to fill in the Material Transfer Declaration Form to verify the samples before you could export. Therefore, you are required to work closely with your local collaborator during this process.
• Permission granted is subject to terms and conditions stated in your licence including other governing laws listed in terms and conditions no.4

Information below is to guide you to fulfill terms and conditions no.4 listed in your export licence (other relevant documents for export including but not limited to the followings):

• CITES Permit: Please note for species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the export of CITES specimens require the application of an additional permit (CITES permit) from Sabah Wildlife Department (animal- except fish and coral, and plant- except marine plant and timber), Sabah Forestry Department (timber), Sabah Fisheries Department (fish, coral and marine plant) after transfer licence is issued. An import permit from the importing/ requesting country is also required.
• Permit to take out animal etc.: An application for a permit to take an animal, animal product or plant out of the State shall be made in Form 22 in Schedule 1 and be accompanied by the fee set out in item 13 of Schedule 2  under Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997- Wildlife Regulations 1998. Applicant may apply from Sabah Wildlife Department either from Kota Kinabalu (HQ) office, Keningau, Lahad Datu, Kinabatangan, Sandakan or Tawau office after transfer licence is issued. An import permit from the importing/ requesting country is also required (subject to the country's requirement). 
• Phytosanitary Certificate (PC): Plant Quarantine Act 1976- The export (including interstate within Malaysia) for any species of plants or any part thereof whether living or dead and includes the stem, branch, tuber, bulb, corm, stock, budwood, cutting, layer, slip, sucker, root, leaf, flower, fruit, seed or any other part or product whatsoever of a plant whether severed or attached but does not include any plant product (fruits, herbs, pickle, dried fermented fruit, herbal) that has undergone a process of heat and drying treatment. Herbarium specimen (silica gel, oven dried etc.), plant tissue samples (clean, cut-up, oven dried etc.), propagated plants or any part thereof are subject to PC issuance. Applicant may apply for PC from Department of Agriculture Sabah either from Kota Kinabalu (HQ) office, Lahad Datu, Sandakan or Tawau office after transfer licence is issued. An import permit from the importing/ requesting country is also required (subject to the country's requirement). Note: PC is a patented health certificate based on the International Plant Protection Convention applied by all importing countries. PC is used to attest that consignments meet phytosanitary (regarding plants) import requirements and in accordance to the International Standards on Phytosanitary Measure no 12 (ISPM 12). (ISPM 12:2011 Phytosanitary certificates).
• Export of soil samples for research: You are required to obtain import permit from the importing/ requesting country (including interstate within Malaysia from Department of Agriculture) and fully adhere to the import condition set by the importing country and the terms and conditions stated in your transfer licence. 
• Packing instructions: You are required to adhere to packing instructions set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
• Any other laws: Information provided is only intended to be general guideline. You must perform due diligence with your local collaborator to comply with any other applicable written laws governing the export of the said material from Sabah to the importing countries including import permit (if applicable).

IMPORTANT NOTE: The transfer consent is subject to other written laws governing the export of the said materials from Sabah to the importing countries.

• You must comply with other terms and conditions stated in your export licence.

Note: Should your application is not approved, you may appeal through SaBC within the period of 3 months beginning from the date you received the decision.

The online payment system is not yet fully operational. Until further notice, all licence fee payments must be made via online bank transfer to the bank account of the Sabah State Government Treasury. The bank account details are provided in the Payment Statement, which can be downloaded from the SaBAES portal at https://sabaes.sabah.gov.my/login.

Once the licence fee payment has been completed, applicants are required to upload the payment receipt through the SaBAES system for verification. Once verified, you may download your Export Licence.