Slovakia

Legal framework

National Legal framework:

• Act No. 207/2009 Coll. on the conditions for the export and import of objects of cultural significance and the amendment of Act No. 652/2004 Z.z. on state customs authorities and the amendment of certain acts, as amended
• Act No. 206/2009 Coll. on museums and galleries and on the protection of objects of cultural significance

Slovakia is party to the following international conventions:

Yes	UNESCO, Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, The Hague, 1954
Yes	UNESCO, Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, Paris, 1970
Yes	UNIDROIT Convention on stolen or illegally exported cultural objects, Rome, 1995
Yes	UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, Paris, 2001
No	Council of Europe Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property, Nicosia, 2017

EU Regulation applies:

• Council Regulation (EC) No 116/2009 of 18 December 2008 on the export of cultural goods
• Directive 2014/60/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the territory of a Member State
• Regulation (EU) 2019/880 on the introduction and the import of cultural goods

Protected Cultural Heritage

Protected cultural objects

Slovak legislation uses the concept of an “object of cultural significance” (predmet kultúrnej hodnoty).

Act No. 207/2009 establishes a specific export regime for cultural objects falling within the categories listed in Annex 1 of the Act.

The Act does not apply to:

• objects of national importance;
• collection objects covered by specific legislation;
• archival materials;
• historical library materials and historical library collections; and
• original works of art owned by their living creators.

These categories are subject to their respective specific legal regimes.

The Ministry of Culture also states that Act No. 207/2009 does not apply to objects that are not more than 50 years old and do not belong to a category included in Annex 1 of the Act. Such objects may be released for export without an export permit.

Sale and dealer obligations

Dealers whose business or activity involves trading in cultural objects are required under article 7 of Act No. 207/2009 to maintain a register of cultural objects in their ownership or possession.

The dealer must also inform the purchaser of the legal obligations relating to:

• export outside the EU customs territory under Regulation (EC) No 116/2009; and
• permanent export from Slovakia within the EU customs territory under Act No. 207/2009.

A dealer may also request a preliminary opinion from the Ministry of Culture concerning the possibility of permanently exporting a particular cultural object within the EU. Such an opinion, however, does not replace the export permit.

Import Process

Import from EU Member States into Slovakia

No general prior authorisation is required for the import of cultural objects into Slovakia, although specific requirements may apply depending on the object’s origin and legal status.

Act No. 207/2009 contains provisions concerning the import of cultural objects into Slovakia. A cultural object protected under the law of another State may not be imported into Slovakia:

• without the consent of the competent authority of the State from which the object is being imported or transported, where reciprocity is guaranteed;
• where it is clear that the object could not legally have been exported or transported from the State of origin or another third State; or
• where it is clear that the object has been stolen.

These provisions complement the EU framework concerning the introduction and import of cultural goods.

Import from third countries into the EU

According to EU Regulation an import permit must presented to the Ministry of Culture in Slovakia through the ICG (Import Certificate for Cultural Goods) online system that will be available before 28th June 2025. This procedure is for cultural goods entering the EU from third countries. For cultural goods being imported from a member country into Slovakia there is no import permit to be applied for to the Ministry of Culture.

• For those objects listed in Part A of the Annex to the Regulation, importation is prohibited if they have been exported in contravention of the regulations of the country of origin.
• For those objects listed in Part B of the Annex, the interested party must submit an application for an import licence through the ICG, also submitting a series of documents proving the lawful origin such as:
  • Import License Application
  • Signed declaration on the veracity of the data and documents submitted, and that the applicant has acted with due diligence at all times. 
  • Copy of the relevant export certificate issued by the competent public authority of the country of origin. 
  • Color photographs of the object on a neutral background 
  • Other types of documents that may be submitted in support such as:
    • customs documents attesting to past movements of the cultural property, sales invoices, insurance and transport documents, title deeds, affidavits of the exporter, seller or other third party attesting to the date on which the cultural property has left the third country in which it was created or discovered, expert appraisals, museum publications, exhibition catalogues; periodical articles, auction catalogues, advertisements and other promotional sales material, photographic or cinematographic evidence supporting the legality of the export of the cultural property from the country of interest or making it possible to determine when it was there or when it left its territory.

• The process is slightly different for those objects listed in Part C of the Annex to the Regulation and which require a declaration by the importer. The person concerned must submit a declaration signed using the form provided for this purpose in the ICG system, in one of the official languages of the Member State in which the cultural object is to be imported and presented to customs.  In this declaration, the importer will assume responsibility and explicitly indicate that he has acted at all times with due diligence to ensure that the cultural property he intends to import has been legally exported from the country of interest.
  • In addition, the importer’s declaration shall be accompanied by standardised information describing the cultural property in sufficient detail to enable it to be identified by customs, and
  • shall include colour photographs of the cultural property on a neutral background.
  • Where the laws and regulations of the country of interest make the export of cultural property from its territory subject to prior authorisation, the importer must be in possession of the relevant permits issued by the competent public authority of the country of origin certifying that the export of the cultural property in question has been duly authorised by them. Such documentation shall be submitted to customs at its request.
  • Other types of documents that the owner of the goods can provide to substantiate, if requested, their import declaration, are those described for the goods listed in Part B.

Customs and transit

Customs

Slovak customs authorities control compliance with Act No. 207/2009 in relation to:

• permanent export;
• temporary export; and
• temporary importation of cultural objects.

Customs may inspect the relevant permits, notifications and certificates and may physically verify that the object corresponds to the information contained in the documentation.

Where customs suspects that an offence has been committed, it must notify the criminal authorities. It must also inform the Ministry of Culture of breaches of the Act.

Practical information

• EU Customs Code applies.
• Cultural goods can be declared at all customs points in Slovakia.
• Customs documentation for EU member countries: export permit and purchase invoice must be included in the transport roadmap.
• Customs documentation for Third countries: export permit, purchase invoice and affidavit must be presented at customs, together with a Single Administrative Document (SAD) of export.

Transit

• ATA carnet can be used in Slovakia
• Union transit (EU member countries + Andorra + San Marino)
• Common transit (EU member countries + EFTA countries (Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland) + Turkey + North Macedonia + Serbia + United Kingdom), Convention on a Common Transit Procedure 1987

Cultural property which has not been released for free circulation under customs law but placed under a transit or customs warehouse procedure, or under inward processing or temporary admission, is not subject to the export prohibition for a period of five years.

Contact

Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic
Section of Cultural Heritage
Nám. SNP 33
813 31 Bratislava
Slovak Republic

Email: skd@culture.gov.sk
Phone number: 02/20482 432

The Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic is the principal competent authority for cultural-goods export licences under Act No. 207/2009 and for EU export licences under Regulation (EC) No 116/2009, subject to specific competences established by legislation.

Official information: Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic: Export of cultural objects