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

Latvia
Chapter 3: European Union Member States
Are there different types of licence? What type of licence do I need?
For export outside the EU, a single licence is issued. There is a distinction between permanent
and temporary export on the licence.
What are my first steps? How do I plan this process and how long might it take?
You must apply for the licence if you are the purchaser of the object, either directly or
through an authorised person. You should present your application to the specialised
Section of the Expertise Department in the Inspection. You will have to fill the application
form for the export of cultural goods from the territory of the EU.
Apart from filing the application and providing your data, you must also submit the following:
• The cultural object which you want to export
• Colour photographs (3 copies, not older than ten years)
• A detailed description of the object to be exported
• An authorisation (if the applicant is not the actual owner)
The object is subject to examination and within 15 days after this the Inspection takes a
decision to permit or prohibit the export of the cultural object. If it is necessary to make
an expert examination of the object or to clarify the status of ownership rights on it, the
Inspection can retain the object for up to one month.
How do I find if the art object I want to export is of national significance? Is there a Public
Inventory of cultural goods of special interest or importance?
Cultural goods of special importance are listed in the State Registry for Protected Cultural
Monuments. The inventory of cultural monuments is made by the Inspection. Public access
to the Registry is available through the Inspection. It is therefore possible to obtain
information on the status of a good before its purchase.
Are there any exemptions for particular goods?
The temporary export of cultural goods that form part of collections in National Museums
is subject to a specific regime: permits (not licences) are issued for these objects by the
State Authority on Museums.
Do museums and galleries need licences for temporary exports (e.g. a touring exhibition)? Do
non-profit organisations need export licences?
The temporary export of objects from the National Collection has its own specific regime
under the Museums legislation of Latvia, different from the regular export licence procedure.
Museums do not apply to the Inspection, but to the State Authority on Museums.
This Authority issues the relevant temporary export permit, and needs to be notified in
writing within two weeks after the cultural object from the National Collection has been
re-imported to Latvia.
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