Articles of cultural value
To protect the national cultural heritage from depletion, there are certain provisions governing how articles of cultural value may be removed or exported from Sweden. You need an authorisation for certain types of articles of cultural value.
Swedish Customs monitors that the provisions are followed at the border.
Contact the National Heritage Board for more information about the types of articles that require authorisation, how to apply for authorisation and the penalties for removing article of cultural value without authorisation.
Information about the removal of articles of cultural value from the National Heritage Board.
The National Heritage Board has developed a brochure about the removal of articles of cultural value in cooperation with the Swedish Policy Authority and Swedish Customs.
Five authorities make decisions about exit authorisation and export authorisation with regard to articles of cultural value: The Royal Library, the National Museum, the National Heritage Board, the National Archives and the Nordic Museum Foundation. The competent authority for your case depends on the nature of the article that you intend to remove.
- The National Museum
- The National Archives
- The Nordic Museum Foundation.
- The National Heritage Board
- The Royal Library
Importing articles of cultural value
Previously, only the import of articles of cultural value from Iraq and Syria were regulated. One of the reasons for this is that objects from these countries have been smuggled and sold to finance terrorism. Since December 2020 there is an EU Regulation governing the import of articles of cultural value (2019/880). The Swedish World Culture Museum has opened an e-mail address to assist customs officials and police officers in assessing articles: hotatkulturarv@smvk.se
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