Official law, trafficking and conservation sources

Start with primary and institutional sources.

Rules, restrictions, agreements and database access can change. Check current official pages before every high-value acquisition or transfer.

UNESCO cultural-property framework

U.S. restrictions and customs

At-risk categories and stolen-object systems

Conservation institutions

How to use these sources

Record the access date and save the exact page or notice relied upon. A source-country rule, a U.S. import restriction and a stolen-object search answer different questions. Preserve the research packet with the object and repeat time-sensitive checks before resale, donation, export or shipment.

Database limitation: No stolen-object database contains every stolen or illegally exported object. A negative search result is only one due-diligence step.