Apply for a permit for the temporary export of national treasures

Prerequisites

A permit for the temporary export of national cultural property can only be granted if the applicant guarantees that the cultural property intended for export will be re-imported into the federal territory in an undamaged condition and on time and the required application documents have been submitted.

• You will be granted a permit for the one-off temporary export of national cultural property if you are the owner of the cultural property or an authorized third party.
• A permit for multiple temporary exports of a specific cultural property (specific open permit) can be granted to you if you are the owner or rightful immediate owner of the cultural property.
• A permit for the repeated temporary export of national treasures (general open permit) can be granted to you as a cultural property preserving institution that regularly exports parts of its holdings temporarily for public exhibitions, restoration or research purposes.

Documents required

• Written cultural property export application or online application with authentication,
• Power of Attorney when submitting an application,
• justification of the application for a general open or specific open export license,
• Further evidence (means of identification, loan agreements, etc.)

Please note

Any permit obtained by threat, bribery or collusion or obtained fraudulently by providing incorrect or incomplete information is void.

Deadlines

The following applies to general open and specific open licenses: (temporary) export is possible up to the last day of validity, re-import must take place within 5 years.




The authority determines the re-import period (up to 5 years) for the one-off temporary export of national cultural property according to the purpose of the export.

Procedure

You can apply for a permit for the temporary export of national cultural property in writing or online from the competent authority of the federal state in whose list of nationally valuable cultural property the cultural property is entered or, if it is not a registered cultural property, in the federal state in which the cultural property is located at the time of application.
If you are a legal entity, your headquarters in Germany is decisive for the local jurisdiction.

To apply online for a permit for the export of national cultural property, you can use the online portal for the export of cultural property.

• The online process includes an optional pre-check to determine if an export license is required with just a few questions
• You no longer have to choose the right application form yourself; it is determined automatically based on the information
• Authenticate yourself with the “Federal user account” or with “My company account (ELSTER)”
• Enter the data requested for the export and send it electronically to the authorities

In order to apply in writing for a permit for the export of national cultural property, the following steps are necessary:

• Use the authority finder to find the competent authority and the form and download it: Export license according to Section 22, Section 25 or Section 26 of the Cultural Property Protection Act for export to third countries or for export to member states of the European Union.
• Fill out the PDF form on the PC.
• Print out the forms:
  • Export license for the temporary export of national cultural property in triplicate (export to third countries) or in duplicate (export to member states of the European Union),
  • Applications for general open and specific open export permits in duplicate
• Sign each copy in the spaces provided, stamp it if necessary and enclose the necessary evidence with each copy
• Send the documents to the Ministry of Culture and Media. The authority will examine your application and return the completed, signed and sealed documents to you
• If the application for an export license is rejected, you will receive a written notification with reasons and information on legal remedies

Processing time

The processing time depends on the complexity of the application.

Fees

There are no costs.

Legal remedies

Appeal to the Authority for Culture and Media if the permit is not granted as requested.


Legal action before the Hamburg Administrative Court if the permit is not granted as requested.

Legal basis

§ 22 and §§ 25-27 Cultural Property Protection Act (KGSG)

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/kgsg/

You need a license to export national cultural assets from Germany. Cultural goods are, for example, works of art, archaeological objects, archives, manuscripts or antiques such as furniture, musical instruments or jewellery.

National cultural property is cultural property that

• is entered in a register of nationally valuable cultural property,
• is in public ownership and in the inventory of a public institution that preserves cultural assets (for example: museum, archive, library),
• is owned and held by an institution (e.g. museum, archive, library) that preserves cultural assets and is mainly financed by public grants, or
• Is part of a federal or state art collection.

You can apply for a permit for temporary export from the Authority for Culture and Media. The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media is responsible for the permanent export of national cultural assets. The export is temporary if it takes place for a limited period of no more than 5 years from the start.