V-Legal vs FLEGT: The Two Wood Certificates Every Bali Buyer Needs to Know (Part 1)

If you're shipping wooden furniture or handicrafts from Bali, two certificates will come up in every conversation with your freight forwarder: V-Legal and FLEGT. Most buyers assume they're the same thing. They're not. Here's what each one means and when it applies.

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1. What Is V-Legal?

V-Legal is an Indonesian government certificate issued under the SVLK scheme — Sistem Verifikasi Legalitas Kayu, or Timber Legality Verification System. It confirms that your wooden goods were produced from legally sourced timber.

It is mandatory for every wooden furniture and handicraft export from Indonesia, regardless of destination. No exceptions. If your supplier does not hold V-Legal certification, the goods cannot leave the country. Indonesian customs will not release the shipment without it.

2. What Is FLEGT?

FLEGT stands for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade. It is a European Union requirement for all wood products entering EU member countries. Indonesia has a bilateral agreement with the EU that allows V-Legal certification to satisfy FLEGT requirements — but only when it is issued specifically as a FLEGT licence.

FLEGT is not a separate certificate sitting on top of V-Legal. It is V-Legal, issued under the additional EU compliance layer. That extra step is why it costs more. As of 2026, standard V-Legal runs approximately USD 180. FLEGT runs approximately USD 265.

3. The Simple Rule: Destination Decides

The goods are the same. What changes is where they're going.

• Shipping to the USA, Australia, Japan, or any non-EU country: V-Legal only.

• Shipping to any EU member country — Germany, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Italy, and all others: FLEGT required.

• Shipping to the UK: V-Legal only. The UK left the EU and does not require FLEGT.

Get this wrong — shipping with standard V-Legal to an EU port — and your goods will be held at destination. It cannot be fixed once the container is on the water. This is why we confirm the destination country at the very start of every inquiry, before anything else.

Part 2 covers what happens when your items are made from mixed materials — wood combined with grass, rattan, or stone — and how that changes the certificate picture.

Jerry Gusti Made — PT Intai Rainbow. Assurance, Delivered, since 1989