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Exporting objects of cultural interest from Great Britain

How to apply for an export licence

You can also find more information about , including information about when a referral to expert advisers is needed, the and the .

If your licence is approved

1. 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 .

2. You will need to attach a digital copy of the issued export licence to your Export Declaration and send it to HMRC鈥檚 National Clearance Hub through CDS.

3. 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:

• taking goods in your luggage, car or van to sell

• taking goods temporarily out of the UK

Exporting objects of cultural interest from Northern Ireland

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 Great Britain

Importing objects of cultural interest into Northern Ireland

It is prohibited to bring into Northern Ireland cultural goods listed at Part A of the Annex to 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 includes cultural goods brought into Northern Ireland from Great Britain. It does not apply to cultural goods which were created or discovered in Northern Ireland or in an EU Member State.

From 28 June 2025 some cultural goods imports into Northern Ireland and the EU from non-EU countries, including some movements of cultural goods from Great Britain, will require an import licence or importer statement. For temporary admission you may be able to claim an exemption from these requirements.

You must have an import licence, importer statement or temporary admission exemption to import into Northern Ireland or the EU cultural goods which:

• were created or discovered outside the territory of Northern Ireland or the EU;
• are of importance for archaeology, history, prehistory, literature, art or science;
• are within the categories listed in Part B (import licences) or Part C (importer statements) of the Annex to on the introduction and the import of cultural goods and are above any age and value thresholds for the relevant category;
• are not returned Northern Ireland or EU goods within the meaning of Article 203 of the Union Customs Code (Regulation (EU) 952/2013)); and
• are being imported in order to be released into free circulation or placed under one of the following customs procedures:
  • storage, comprising customs warehousing and free zones;
  • specific use, comprising temporary admission and end-use;
  • inward processing.

If your cultural goods are in transit through Northern Ireland, you will need to apply for an import licence (if applicable) and present your goods with the import licence, importer statement or exemption (as applicable) to the authorities of the EU Member State where they cease to be in transit and enter into free circulation or one of the other customs procedures set out above.

Applying for an import licence, importer statement and exemption

Import licence applications, importer statements and exemptions must be set up and submitted through the Import of Cultural Goods (ICG) IT system which you can access through the platform. You will need to be registered as an economic operator with either an EU or a Northern Ireland (XI) EORI number in order to use the system. If you do not have an EORI number, you can find information on how to get a Northern Ireland EORI number here.

Import licences for cultural goods imports into Northern Ireland are issued by Arts Council England (ACE) in the ICG system.

For your import licence application or importer statement you will need evidence of the lawful provenance of the cultural goods you intend to import. This should include either an export licence from the relevant country or evidence that an export licence was not required at the time of the export. The relevant country will be either:

• the country in which the cultural goods were created or discovered, or
• the last country in which the cultural goods were located for more than five years for purposes other than temporary admission, transit, re-export or transhipment, if聽
  • the country in which the cultural goods were created or discovered cannot be reliably determined, or
  • the cultural goods left that country before 24 April 1972.

You may also need to provide other documents to support your import licence application or your importer statement.

If you are importing cultural goods under temporary admission for the purpose of education, science, conservation, restoration, exhibition, digitisation, performing arts, research by academic institutions or cooperation between museums or similar institutions, you may be able to claim an exemption from the import licence or importer statement requirements. To qualify for an exemption, the importing institution must register in the ICG IT system.

If you are importing cultural goods which require an import licence for exhibition and possible sale at an art fair, you may use an importer statement for the import instead of an import licence. However, if the goods are then sold and will remain in Northern Ireland or be moved into the EU, you will need to submit an application for an import licence.

Information and guidance on import licences, importer statements and temporary admission exemptions is available on and on the .