Exporting or importing objects of cultural interest
What you need to know and do to export or import objects of cultural interest.
Exporting objects of cultural interest from Great Britain
- You need a UK export licence to export cultural objects from Great Britain to any destination outside the UK.
- You do not need an export licence to move objects of cultural interest from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
How to apply for an export licence
The export licensing system is administered by Arts Council England (ACE), and the application can be completed online on ACE’s website. You can also find more information about procedures and guidance for exporters, including information about when a referral to expert advisers is needed, the Open General Export Licence and the statutory guidance.
If you hold an EU export licence issued by the UK authority before 1 January 2021, you cannot use it to authorise exports from EU Member States to destinations outside the EU after 1 January 2021. For exports from the EU, you should seek advice from the licensing authority in the relevant EU Member State in order to ensure uninterrupted compliance with the EU and individual EU countries’ licensing regimes.
If your licence is approved
A digital version of the issued licence will be emailed to you. You can also access a digital version of the issued licence via the Export Licensing Online portal. You will need to attach a digital copy of the issued export licence to your Export Declaration and send it to HMRC’s National Clearance Hub through CDS.
Officers at the National Clearance Hub will check the licences and declarations and if all is in order will notify ACE that Permission to Progress (P2P) has been given so that the ACE can close that licence.
Exporters are advised to retain a digital copy of the licence and present it to Border Force Officers if requested to do so.
What you need to do is different if you are:
Exporting objects of cultural interest from Northern Ireland
The requirements for exporting objects of cultural interest from Northern Ireland are different to those for Great Britain. Some exports of objects of cultural interest from Northern Ireland will require an EU export licence.
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Exports from Northern Ireland to EU Member States require a UK export licence.
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Exports from Northern Ireland directly to non-EU countries require an EU export licence.
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Exports from Northern Ireland to Great Britain do not require an export licence issued by the UK. This includes objects from Northern Ireland which are being exported to a non-UK destination through a port or airport in Great Britain, which will require only a UK export licence for their final export from the UK.
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Exports from EU Member States which are in transit through Northern Ireland, which have not been definitively despatched from the EU or which have not entered into free circulation in Northern Ireland, may require an EU export licence issued by the relevant EU Member State to permit them to be exported to Great Britain.
EU and UK export licences for objects of cultural interest from Northern Ireland are also issued by ACE. Information and guidance on export licences for objects of cultural interest is available on ACE’s website.
If you are in any doubt as to whether you require an export licence or which export licence you require, you are strongly advised to contact ACE at: enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk
Importing objects of cultural interest into the UK
There are no licensing requirements for importing objects of cultural interest into the UK.
However, if you are importing from the EU to Great Britain or another country outside the EU you’ll need to comply with the EU export licensing regime. You should check with the licensing authorities in the country of export to find out what you need to do.
If you are importing from the EU to Northern Ireland, you’ll need to comply with the export licensing regime of the relevant EU member state. You should check with the licensing authorities in the country of export to find out what you need to do.
Importing objects of cultural interest into Northern Ireland from a country outside the EU, including from Great Britain
It is prohibited to bring into Northern Ireland (and the EU) cultural goods listed at Part A of the Annex to Regulation (EU) 2019/880 on the introduction and the import of cultural goods which have been removed from the country in which they were created or discovered in breach of the laws and regulations of that country. This prohibition includes cultural goods brought into Northern Ireland (and the EU) from Great Britain. It does not apply to cultural goods which were created or discovered in an EU Member State or Northern Ireland. The prohibition will be implemented by the UK border authorities for Northern Ireland on the basis of intelligence, and there are no changes to the way in which cultural goods are handled when they are lawfully brought into Northern Ireland.
This prohibition does not apply to cultural goods brought into Great Britain, including from Northern Ireland, as the EU Regulation has been revoked from UK law. This does not affect its continued application to Northern Ireland through the Windsor Framework.
Updates to this page
Last updated 2 September 2024 + show all updates
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Updated with details of the export licensing system is administered by Arts Council England (ACE).
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Updated to reflect the revocation of EU Regulation 2019/880 from UK law.
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First published.