Chart of Current and Expired Import Restrictions 

Information on Agreements and Emergency Actions:

 
Since the United States implemented Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention under the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act in 1983, it has imposed import restrictions on archaeological or ethnological materials from ten countries to assist in the protection of their cultural property.

Restricted objects may enter the U.S. if accompanied by an export permit issued by the country of origin or verifiable documentation demonstrating that they left the country of origin prior to the date the import restriction went into effect.

Categories of archaeological and ethnological artifacts subject to import restrictions are described in the Federal Register notice for each country; import restrictions take effect on the date of its publication. Where available, illustrations for artifact categories subject to restriction are provided in the Image Database.

The primary page for each country listed in the sidebar provides background information and links to any agreements, Federal Register notices, and other information related to the implementation of agreements and/or emergency actions.

For more information on the Cultural Property office, see "Cultural Property: Protecting the World's Heritage" in State Magazine.

U.S. Customs Publishes Guide to Importing Cultural Property

"What Every Member of the Trade Community Should Know About: Works of Art, Collector's Pieces, Antiquities and Other Cultural Property" (February 2001) is a 17 page booklet available on the U.S. Customs web site. NOTE: This publication requires the Adobe PDF Reader for viewing.