Logo Federal Ministry of JusticeLogo Federal Office of Justice

Ac‎t on the Protection of Cultural Property‏
(‎Cultural Property Protection Act – KGSG)

Full text in format:   HTML  PDF   text in German

Übersetzung durch den Sprachendienst des Bundesministeriums des Innern.

Translation provided by the Language Service of the Federal Ministry of the Interior.

Stand: Kulturgutschutzgesetz vom 31. Juli 2016 (BGBl. I S. 1914)
Der Stand der deutschsprachigen Dokumentation kann aktueller sein. Vergleichen Sie dazu bitte http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/kgsg/BJNR191410016.html.

Version information: Cultural Property Protection Act of 31 July 2016 (Federal Law Gazette [BGBl.] Part I p. 1914)
Translations may not be updated at the same time as the German legal provisions displayed on this website. To compare with the current status of the German version, see http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/kgsg/BJNR191410016.html.

Zur Nutzung dieser Übersetzung lesen Sie bitte den Hinweis unter "Translations".

For conditions governing use of this translation, please see the information provided under "Translations".

           
Chapter 1
General provisions
Section 1Scope
Section 2Definitions
Section 3Competent authorities
Section 4Internet portal on the protection of cultural property
Chapter 2
Protection of cultural property against removal
Part 1
Protecting national cultural property
Section 5General principles
Section 6National cultural property
Section 7Entry in a register of cultural property of national significance
Section 8Subsequent registration
Section 9Cultural property owned by churches and religious communities
Section 10Exceptions from registration of cultural property in the case of loans from abroad and upon return to the federal territory
Section 11Change of location of registered cultural property
Section 12Tax privilege for cultural property of national significance; compensation for sale due to economic hardship
Section 13Deletion of registration
Part 2
Procedure and obligations to cooperate; publication
Section 14Registration procedure
Section 15Obligations to cooperate during the registration procedure
Section 16Maintaining and publishing the registers of cultural property of national significance
Section 17Public notice
Part 3
Prohibition of damage and notification requirement
Section 18Prohibition of damage
Section 19Notification requirements
Chapter 3
Movement of cultural property
Part 1
General principles
Section 20Free movement of cultural property
Part 2
Export
Section 21Export ban
Section 22Licence for the temporary export of national cultural property
Section 23Licence for the permanent export of national cultural property
Section 24Exports of cultural property subject to a licence; authorization to issue statutory instruments
Section 25General open licence
Section 26Specific open licence
Section 27Licence for the export of ecclesiastical cultural property
Part 3
Import
Section 28Import ban
Section 29Exemptions from the import ban
Section 30Proving the lawfulness of the import
Part 4
Unlawful movement of cultural property
Section 31Unlawful export of cultural property
Section 32Unlawful import of cultural property
Section 33Seizure of cultural property
Section 34Safekeeping of seized cultural property
Section 35Revocation of seizure
Section 36Handing over of seized cultural property
Section 37Confiscation of seized cultural property
Section 38Consequences of confiscation; compensation
Section 39Costs related to seizure, safekeeping, preservation and handing over
Chapter 4
Requirements related to the placing on the market of cultural property
Section 40Ban on the placing on the market
Section 41General due diligence requirements
Section 42Due diligence requirements related to the placing on the market for commercial reasons
Section 43Reduced due diligence requirements related to the placing on the market for commercial reasons
Section 44Increased due diligence requirements related to the placing on the market for commercial reasons
Section 45Record-keeping and retention requirements
Section 46Requirement to provide information
Section 47Legal consequences of violations
Section 48Inspection rights of the buyer
Chapter 5
Return of unlawfully imported cultural property
Part 1
The right to claim return
Section 49 Claims for return under public law
Section 50Claims for return by member states
Section 51Claims for return due to violation of European Union law
Section 52Claims for return by states parties
Section 53Claim for return pursuant to the Hague Convention
Section 54Civil law to be applied
Section 55Limitation period of claims for return
Section 56Commencement of the limitation period
Section 57Suspension and recommencement of the limitation period and deadline for expiry
Part 2
Return procedure
Section 58Return principle
Section 59 Request for return
Section 60Colliding requests for return
Section 61Tasks of the Länder
Section 62Tasks of the supreme federal authorities
Section 63Admissibility of return proceedings
Section 64Costs related to administrative seizure
Section 65Costs related to return and preservation measures
Part 3
Compensation and reimbursement claims
Section 66Compensation in case of return
Section 67Amount of compensation
Section 68Reimbursement claims by requesting member states or states parties
Chapter 6
Return of unlawfully exported cultural property
Section 69Claim for return from member states
Section 70Claim for return from states parties
Section 71Costs
Section 72Ownership of returned cultural property
Chapter 7
Immunity from seizure
Section 73Legally binding commitment to return cultural property in international lending
Section 74Issuing a legally binding commitment to return cultural property
Section 75Extension
Section 76Effect
Chapter 8
Data protection; joint procedure; customs
Section 77Collecting and processing information, including personal data
Section 78Transfer of information, including personal data, to the competent authority
Section 79Joint procedure of the Federation and the Länder
Section 80Transfer of information, including personal data, to member states and states parties
Section 81Assistance of customs authorities; stopping cultural property
Section 82Obligation to declare imports and exports of cultural property from and to third countries
Chapter 9
Provisions on criminal and administrative sanctions
Section 83Criminal provisions
Section 84Provisions on administrative fines
Section 85Confiscation and extended forfeiture
Section 86Special requirement for exploitation of cultural property
Section 87Tasks and competences of the customs authorities
Section 88Criminal and administrative fine proceedings
Chapter 10
Evaluation; transitional and exclusion provisions
Section 89Evaluation
Section 90Continued validity and time limit of previous protection against removal
Section 91Exclusion of deviating Land law