Cultural Property Transfer Ordinance (CPTO)
Amended by Annex 4 No 7 of the Customs Ordinance of 1 Nov. 2006, in force since 1 May 2007 (AS 2007 1469).
English is not an official language of the Swiss Confederation. This translation is provided for information purposes only and has no legal force.
Art. 23 Customs clearance
Customs assessment is governed by the provisions of customs legislation.
Art. 23 — Amended by Annex 4 No 7 of the Customs Ordinance of 1 Nov. 2006, in force since 1 May 2007 (AS 2007 1469).
Art. 24 Licence obligation
(Arts 5 and 7 CPTA) 1 Any person wishing to export from Switzerland cultural property that is recorded in the Federal Register in accordance with Article 3 paragraph 1 CPTA shall require a licence from the specialist service. 2 Any person wishing to export from Switzerland cultural property recorded in a cantonal register in accordance with Article 4 paragraph 1 CPTA shall require a licence from the responsible cantonal authorities, insofar as a licence is necessary under the relevant cantonal provisions. 3 Any person importing into Switzerland cultural property that is the subject of an agreement under Article 7 CPTA or carrying the same in transit through Switzerland must prove to the customs authorities that the export provisions of the foreign contracting state are fulfilled. If the foreign contracting state requires a licence to export such cultural property, the licence must be presented to the customs authorities.
Art. 25 Customs declaration
(Art. 19 CPTA) 1 Any person who imports, carries in transit or exports an item of cultural property must include the following in the customs declaration: a. the object type of the cultural property; b. as detailed a description as possible of the place of manufacture or, for the results of archaeological or palaeontological excavations or discoveries, the place where the cultural property was found; c. the dating of the cultural property; d. the weight of the cultural property. 2 Any person who imports, carries in transit or exports an item of cultural property, must indicate in the customs declaration that it is an item of cultural property and whether it requires a licence in accordance with Article 24. 3 In the case of a grouped consignment, the information specified in paragraph 1 must be provided for each item of cultural property in the grouped consignment. 4 Incomplete customs declarations shall be rejected by the customs authorities.
Art. 25 — Amended by Annex 4 No 7 of the Customs Ordinance of 1 Nov. 2006, in force since 1 May 2007 (AS 2007 1469). Para. 1 — Amended by No I of the O of 15 Oct. 2025, in force since 1 Jan. 2026 (AS 2025 634). Para. 1 let. c — Inserted by No I of the O of 15 Oct. 2025, in force since 1 Jan. 2026 (AS 2025 634). Para. 1 let. d — Inserted by No I of the O of 15 Oct. 2025, in force since 1 Jan. 2026 (AS 2025 634). Para. 2 — Amended by No I of the O of 15 Oct. 2025, in force since 1 Jan. 2026 (AS 20
Art. 26 Customs warehouse and duty-free warehouse
(Art. 19 para. 3 CPTA) 1 The person required to submit a declaration shall notify the customs office in writing of the initial storage of cultural property in an open customs warehouse, in a warehouse for bulk goods or in a duty-free warehouse. 2 The notification must include the documents and information required under Article 25.
Art. 26 — Amended by Annex 4 No 7 of the Customs Ordinance of 1 Nov. 2006, in force since 1 May 2007 (AS 2007 1469). Para. 1 — Amended by Annex 4 No 7 of the Customs Ordinance of 1 Nov. 2006, in force since 1 May 2007 (AS 2007 1469).