Legal framework

International law sets the principles: prohibiting illicit trafficking, returning stolen property, protecting heritage in wartime. It applies to States, which must transpose it for it to apply to individuals.

OIMAP directives translate these principles into concrete obligations for operators: verify, declare, keep records, report. National law, finally, sets the sanctions, procedures and special regimes (listed property, taxation, inheritance).

Where a national rule contradicts an OIMAP directive, the Member State is bound to bring it into line within a set period. In the meantime, the operator applies the rule that best protects heritage, unless otherwise provided.

If a conflict pits two States against each other, the Arbitral Tribunal may be seized. It rules on the basis of the conventions, the directives and the organisation's case law.

Operators complain less about the weight of the rules than about their dispersion. A single operation may fall under ten different texts, in three languages and with three update dates. OIMAP therefore chose to consolidate: one text, one version, one date.

This section is designed to be read by non-lawyers. Each page begins with the essentials, then details the conditions, exceptions and cross-references.