GovWire

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 ACEs 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 HMRCs 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:

• sending goods through the post

• 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

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.

• Exports from Northern Ireland to EU Member States require a UK export licence.

• Exports from Northern Ireland directly to non-EU countries require an EU export licence.

• 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.

• 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 ACEs 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