France Has Revised Its System for Exporting Art and Antiques, Removing Red Tape that Has Long Hindered Trade
Come take a look at our article to learn why France has finally decided to revise its export licensing system for cultural goods and what kind of changes this move will bring.
France has updated the thresholds dictating which artwork items and other antiques must obtain a “passport” to be exported. The decision to update these thresholds has been made after the country spent years struggling to cope with the high volumes of applications for such passports.
Thresholds Raised to Allow More Cultural Goods to be Exported Without Passports
The country’s decision to alter its national system for exporting cultural goods and undergo a drastic change will likely better facilitate trade. The country’s art industry is excited by the positive impacts it will bring as well.
These changes came into effect on January 1st, 2021. This meant the threshold for pastels, watercolors, and gouache works over 50 years old increased from €30,000 to €50,000, while the threshold for most paintings rose from €150,000 to €300,000. Moreover, the threshold for sculptures older than 50 years doubled from €50,000 to €100,000 and the threshold for archaeological items went up from €1,500 to €3,000. Meanwhile, other categories such as books, coins, and tribal art did not see any changes to their thresholds.
Facilitating Art Trade
The new rules are included in the French Heritage Code and apply even to exports to the European Union (EU) member states. The changes, which are the result of years of lobbying from the French trade representatives working with the country’s largest association of art and antique dealers, the Syndicat National des Antiquaires, will reduce the current barriers for the French art market.
The thresholds have not been changed since they were first implemented two decades ago, making the revisions necessary to align with the rising market values. They will work with the EU export licensing system, ease checks that keep track of cultural goods that might be at risk, and resolve differences in the way certain rules apply to countries outside the union.
A Flourishing Art Market
As a result of these threshold updates, the French market will likely become much more attractive to international importers. It may even urge art industries in other countries, particularly the UK, to follow suit.
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