A guide to the export and import of cultural goods between Russia ...

The Great Library of the Reformed College of Sárospatak. In 2006 a valuable and historic collection of books
was returned to the Great Library by Russia. The books had been taken to Russia at the end of World War II and
stored in the Nizhny Novogorod Regional Scientifi c Library. In 2006, a law was passed in the Russian Federation
authorising their return. Earlier, in 1997, a joint international project between specialist librarians of the All Russia
State Library for Foreign Literature, the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Research Library and the Cultural, Scientifi c
and Information Centre of the Hungarian Republic had drawn up a catalogue of the displaced Sárospatak books.
More information at: http://www.gradatio.hu/nagykonyvtar/ and http://www.iliac.org/seminar/docs/kemp.html
Photo: András Rácsok
INTERNATIONAL
EU legislation applicable as explained in Chapter 2
UNESCO Convention of 1970 (Hungary ratifi ed in 1978)
UNIDROIT Convention of 1995 (Hungary ratifi ed in 1998)
Who is responsible for implementing these regulations?
The National Office of Cultural Heritage – Inspectorate of Cultural Goods (Kulturális Örökségvédelmi
Hivatal – Mútárgyfelügyeleti Iroda, http://www.koh.hu/) is the authority that issues
licences for the export of cultural goods. Among others, it has also the authority to
declare the protected status of a good, which can lead to a permanent export prohibition.
The Hungarian Customs has the task of ensuring that no cultural goods older than 50 years
are taken out of Hungary without the necessary EU and/or National export licence issued by
the National Office of Cultural Heritage. It also controls the import of cultural goods.
Do I need an export licence?
You will need an export licence for a cultural good as defined under Hungarian Law if it is
more than 50 years old. Act No. 64 establishes that cultural goods are “outstanding and
116