Starting on June 28, yachts carrying fine art, cultural goods and antiquities across EU borders will be affected by new regulations. This is the first EU regulation of its kind and treats the EU as a single territory for the import of cultural objects, aiming to stem their trafficking.
“The EU Cultural Goods Act imposes restrictions on importing certain goods classified under Chapter 97 of the EU TARIC, covering cultural goods, art and antiques,” shares Pandora Mather-Lees, founder of Art on Superyachts. “Compliance will be managed through the Import of Cultural Goods System (ICG), an electronic trade window requiring importers to either apply for an importer’s license or submit an importer’s statement for goods within the scope of the legislation.”
This applies to all goods entering the EU and with non-EU status (meaning they are not originally from an EU country, or a piece that may come from outside the EU but created by someone indigenous to an EU country) with a value above €18,000 that were created before 1825.
Once this comes into effect, the criteria for classifying objects will be expanded, and customs officers will have the authority to size objects depending on their perceived status.
“Now is the time to get your house in order — to conduct a survey, an inventory and to know what artifacts you are carrying on a vessel,” Pandora says. “Being prepared is professional and will save problems down the line.”
Alinea Customs and Art on Superyachts are conducting workshops on understanding all the parts to this regulation.