Temporary admission of certain goods for possible sale

  1. Overview
  2. Rules on temporary admission of certain goods for possible sale
  3. Works of art, collectors' items and antiques

Works of art, collectors' items and antiques

The following goods can be imported under temporary admission for exhibition and possible sale:

Works of art such as:

  • Pictures, collages and similar decorative plaques, paintings and drawings executed entirely by hand by the artist (other than plans and drawings for architectural, engineering, industrial, commercial, topographical or similar purposes), hand-decorated manufactured articles, theatrical scenery, studio back cloths or the like on painted canvas (CN code 9701).
  • Original engravings, prints and lithographs (being impressions produced in limited numbers directly in black and white, or in colour, of one or of several plates executed entirely by hand by the artist, irrespective of the process or of the material employed by them, but not including any mechanical or photomechanical process) (CN code 9702 00 00).
  • Original sculptures and statuary in any material (provided that they are executed entirely by the artist), sculpture casts the production of which is limited to eight copies and supervised by the artist or their successors in title (CN code 9703 00 00) on an exceptional basis in cases determined by the Member States (the limit of eight copies may be exceeded for statuary casts produced before 1 January 1989)
  • Tapestries (CN code 5805 00 00) and wall textiles (CN code 6304 00 00) made by hand from original designs by artists, provided that there are not more than eight copies of each
  • Individual pieces of ceramics executed entirely by the artist and signed by them
  • Enamels on copper, executed entirely by hand, limited to eight numbered copies bearing the signature of the artist or the studio, excluding articles of jewellery and goldsmiths' and silversmiths' wares
  • Photographs taken by the artist, printed by them or under their supervision, signed and numbered and limited to 30 copies, all sizes and mounts included.

Collectors' items such as:

  • Postage or revenue stamps, postmarks, first-day covers, pre-stamped stationery and the like, franked or, if unfranked, not being of legal tender and not being intended for use as legal tender (CN code 9704 00 00)
  • Collections and collectors' pieces of zoological, botanical, mineralogical, anatomical, historical, archaeological, palaeontological, ethnographic or numismatic interest (CN code 9705 00 00).

Antiques such as:

Objects other than works of art or collectors' items, which are more than 100 years old (CN code 9706 00 00).

Further information

If you require further information, please contact the Authorisations and Reliefs Unit.