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PROHIBITED Souvenirs – a short tourist guide

a woman wearing a costume

Dear Tourists, do remember!

Certain items, animals, plants and cultural goods cannot be exported from our country. Be sensible in choosing your holiday souvenirs. Let’s work together to protect the heritage of our land.

Restrictions on exporting beyond the Polish border:

  • Food of animal origin (e.g. meat products and products containing milk) is subject to special restrictions, and such food may not be exported on regular basis.
  • Pets accompanying travellers (dogs, cats, ferrets, in a number not exceeding 5 animals) may be transported between EU member states and exported outside the EU under the following conditions:
  • they must have an electronic tag,
  • they must be vaccinated against rabies,
  • they must be accompanied by proof of vaccination (animal passport or veterinary certificate).
  • DO NOT export animals and plants of protected species covered by the Washington Convention (CITES) without the relevant documents.

Endangered species (CITES) – use the search engine: https://speciesplus.net/ or https://checklist.cites.org/#/en

  • Do not purchase or transport across the border, among others:
  • caviar,
  • orchids and orchidaceae – this applies to both live plants and their bulbs and tubers,
  • other protected live plants, including jewellery that contains parts of protected plants or animals,
  • skins or articles made of the skins of wild cats, bears, wolves,
  • articles made of skins of snakes, lizards and other CITES-listed animals,
  • stuffed birds of prey and CITES-listed animals,
  • products made from bones, horns and teeth of animals,
  • natural medicines and medicinal products (ointments, balms, etc.) containing derivatives of bears, leeches and other endangered plant and animal species,
  • fossilised coral fragments transported as souvenirs, components of jewellery (except red and pink corals), live corals and anemones for aquarium purposes,
  • shells,
  • sand from the beach.
  • Cultural assets

For the permanent export of monuments from Poland, the permit is issued by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, while for temporary export, by the competent Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments. As regards library materials, all types of export permits are issued by the Director of the National Library.Biblioteki Narodowej.

 

Permission to export a monument abroad is required:

  Category Inception time Value
1. Archaeological artefacts that originate from excavations and discoveries on land or underwater archaeological sites or archaeological collections > 100 years any
2. Elements forming an integral part of artistic, historical or religious monuments that have been dismembered > 100 years any
3. Pictures and paintings, other than those included in categories 4 or 5, executed entirely by hand using any materials or techniques, not belonging to their creators > 50 years > 150 000 euro
4. Watercolours, gouaches and pastels made entirely by hand using any materials, not belonging to their creators > 50 years > 30 000 euro
5. Mosaics made entirely by hand using any materials, other than those falling within categories 1 or 2, and drawings made entirely by hand using any materials or techniques, not belonging to their creators > 50 years > 15 000 euro
6. Original engravings, prints, serigraphs and lithographs with their respective plates and original posters, not belonging to their creators > 50 years > 15 000 euro
7. Original sculptures or statues and copies produced by the same process as the original, not belonging to their makers > 50 years > 50 000 euro
8. Photographs, films and their negatives, not belonging to their creators > 50 years > 15 000 euro
9. Incunabula and manuscripts, including maps and musical scores, singly or in collections, not belonging to their creators > 50 years any
10. Books, singly or in collections > 100 years > 50 000 euro
11. Printed maps > 200 years > 15 000 euro
12. Archives and any elements thereof, of any kind or in the form of any medium > 50 years any
13. Collections and specimens from zoological, botanical, mineralogical or anatomical collections and collections of historical, palaeontological, ethnographic or numismatic value dowolny > 50 000 euro
14. Means of transport > 75 years > 50 000 euro
15. Any other antique items not included in categories 1-14: toys, games, glassware, gold or silver jewellery, furniture, optical, photographic or cinematographic instruments, musical instruments, clocks and watches and parts thereof, woodwork, ceramics, decorative fabrics, carpets, wallpaper, weapons 50–100 years > 50 000 euro
16. Any other antiques not included in categories 1 to 14 > 100 years any

 

  • Monuments may not be exported abroad permanently:
  1. entered in the register,
  2. entered on the Heritage Treasures List,
  3. included in public collections which are the property of the State Treasury, local government units or other organisational units belonging to the public finance sector,
  4. listed in the inventory of a museum or included in the national library collection.

 

Among others, works of living authors do NOT require an export permit.

 

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