Import of Cultural Goods
Welcome to the user manual for the digital system designed to facilitate the import of cultural goods into the European Union (EU). This manual is intended to guide you through the processes and requirements outlined in Regulation (EU) 2019/880 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1079, ensuring compliance with EU law and the smooth operation of the system.
This manual is designed for:
importers and representatives, who are responsible for:
Applying for an import license for certain categories of cultural goods specified in Regulation 2019/880
Submitting the relevant supporting documents and interacting with competent authorities during the application examination process,
Submitting importer statements for other categories of cultural goods.
competent authorities, who are responsible for:
Issuing import licences or rejecting import licence applications for certain cultural goods specified in Regulation (EU) 2019/880,
Ensuring compliance with EU legal framework on the import of cultural goods
Collaborating with customs and other relevant entities.
Legal Framework Overview
Regulation (EU) 2019/880: Establishes rules for introducing and importing cultural goods into the EU. It applies to specific categories of goods, including archaeological finds, rare manuscripts, and artworks that meet certain age and monetary thresholds. The regulation aims to curb illegal trade while respecting international conventions, such as the 1970 UNESCO Convention.
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1079: Details the practical application of Regulation 2019/880, including the formats, requirements, and procedures for importers and competent authorities to ensure proper documentation and compliance.
This manual serves as a comprehensive guide to ensure that importers can fulfill their obligations under the EU regulations while leveraging the efficiencies of the digital platform.
Choosing the Right Environment
The Import of Cultural Goods System operates in two distinct environments to ensure smooth operation, testing and training before live implementation. Understanding these environments is crucial for proper system usage.
Production Environment
The Production Environment is the live system where real import license applications and approvals take place. All transactions and actions performed in this environment are legally binding. Users must exercise caution and ensure all data entered is accurate and compliant with regulations.
Purpose: Official processing of import of cultural goods documents.
Access: Restricted to authorized users with appropriate roles.
Data: Live data with real legal implications.
Access: You can access this environment using the link HERE.
Acceptance Environment
The Acceptance Environment serves as a testing and training ground for users to familiarize themselves with the system and simulate real-life scenarios before working in production. This environment is ideal for practice, training and validation of system updates.
Purpose: Testing, training and validation.
Access: Available to users for non-binding actions.
Data: Simulated data, not legally valid.
Access: You can access this environment using the link HERE.
Caution
Even though there are two different environments, they share the same user interface and functionalities, meaning this manual applies to both environments seamlessly.
Users must request a role separately for each environment. Roles are not automatically inherited between environments, meaning a role granted in the Acceptance Environment does not transfer to the Production Environment and vice versa.
Before you start
Before using the Import of Cultural Goods System for the first time, you must ensure you have the necessary access credentials and roles. This section outlines the essential requirements to proceed.
EU Login Account
To access the ICG system, you need an EU Login account, which is the European Commission’s authentication service. If you do not have an account yet, you must create one at EU Login before proceeding.
Required User Roles
Once you have an EU Login account, you must have the appropriate role assigned to your account based on your function:
Operator (Holder of the goods): Businesses or individuals importing cultural goods must register as operators in the system.
Administrator – users with this role can validate other users and roles within their organisation.
Operator (Exemption beneficiary): Museums, universities and other recognized institutions that qualify for exemptions from certain import requirements.
Administrator – users with this role can validate other users and roles within their organisation.
Competent Authorities: Officials responsible for processing and approving import licence applications. These users must belong to an official competent authority of one of the Member States (e.g. local, regional, central, custom office, …). Three different roles are available for competent authorities:
Use of organisation eSeal – users with this role are authorised to use the organisation's eSeal and issue digitally signed ICG documents. Users without this role will be able to view and process ICG documents but will not be able to sign it digitally with an eSeal (they will only be able to mark them as “Ready for eSeal”).
Electronic seal manager/requester – designated user who is responsible for requesting and managing the organisation’s eSeal in the Traces system.
Administrator – administrators can validate other users and roles within an organisation.
The first user (operator) to register with an organisation will need to be validated also automatically receive an administrator role, allowing them to validate other users within the organisation.
EORI Number (For importers only)
Importers (economic operators), whether businesses or private individuals, must also have a valid EORI number, which is required for customs-related activities. More information on EORI registration can be found on the EU Taxation and Customs website and EORI National Implementation.
eSeal (for competent authorities only)
Competent authorities must also request an eSeal to digitally sign import licences within the system. The eSeal ensures the authenticity and integrity of the digital documents issued and is a mandatory security component for performing official actions in the ICG system. Importers also sign ICG documents electronically, but rather than using an advanced eSeal signature, they use a Simple Electronic Signature (SES). For detailed instructions on how to obtain an eSeal for your competent authority, please refer to the eSeal guides.
Once you have completed these steps, you are ready to begin using the ICG system.
Tip
For detailed instructions on account registration, role assignments and system access, please refer to the Getting Started section.
Please choose the option that best describes you: