Appeals of Refused Export Permits

Deadlines

Requests to appeal a “Notice of Refusal” for an export permit must be made in writing to the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board within 30 days of the postmark date on the Notice. If the exporter does not request an appeal, no permanent export application for the cultural property in question will be considered for two years.

Review Process

Both the exporter and the expert examiner who reviewed the permit submit information to the Review Board. The Review Board then decides if:

  • the object falls under one of the eight groups on the Canadian Cultural Property Export Control List;
  • the object is of outstanding significance, due to its close association with Canadian history, its close association with national life, its aesthetic qualities, its value in the study of the arts, or its value in the study of the sciences; and
  • the object is of such national importance that its loss to Canada would significantly diminish the national heritage.

If the Review Board decides that an object does not meet the above criteria, it will ask the Canada Border Services Agency to issue an export permit. If the Review Board decides that an object meets the above criteria, it will set an export delay period.

Decision Timelines

The Review Board meets four times a year to review appeals of refused export permits. Consult the Review Board Schedule of Meetings for precise meeting dates.

Export Delay Periods

Export delay periods are set for two to six months and provide designated organizations with an opportunity to purchase the cultural property before it leaves Canada.

Designated organizations are informed of the delay period and may apply for a Movable Cultural Property Grant to assist with the purchase of the cultural property during this time.

If the cultural property is not purchased by the end of the delay period, the applicant may request the export permit.