Art Advisory for Collectors Relocating Internationally

International wildlife trade rules, under the CITES convention and national laws, restrict materials such as ivory, rhino horn, tortoiseshell, some corals, and certain rosewoods and other protected timbers. These materials turn up where collectors do not expect them: inlaid frames, antique furniture, decorative objects, sculpture and ethnographic works.

Some jurisdictions have exemptions for antiques or worked items, but they tend to be narrow and depend on documentation, and some countries have tightened their rules on ivory in particular. An object that can be owned and sold freely in one country may be impossible to import into another.

The practical step is a specialist review of anything that might contain restricted material, well before packing. Sometimes the right answer is to leave an object behind, store it, or sell it where it is.

Not every work needs to travel. A move is a natural moment to ask which works belong in the new home, which are better stored or lent where they are, and which the collector no longer wants. Moving a work that will be sold within a year or two adds cost and risk for no benefit.

Fragility is part of the calculation. Some works, such as large or unstable sculpture, fragile works on paper, or objects with past damage, carry higher risk in transit and may be better left in place. Climate is another factor: a work that is stable in a temperate climate may be a poor candidate for a very humid or very dry one.

Whether the relocation is permanent also matters. A posting of a few years might justify storing most of the collection and taking a small selection, while a permanent move may call for the opposite. Each route has different customs and insurance implications, which should be checked before the choice is made.

Import duty and VAT or sales tax may apply when art enters a new country. Some jurisdictions offer relief for personal belongings on a transfer of residence, subject to conditions, and whether and how art qualifies should be confirmed with a customs broker and a tax professional before the move, not after it.

Documentation makes the move straightforward, and it outlasts the move. The UNESCO code of ethics for dealers in cultural property asks traders not to handle objects they have reason to believe were illegally exported, so works moved without clear export paperwork can become harder to sell or lend later.

The file assembled before the move should include:

• An inventory with images, dimensions, materials and values
• Purchase invoices and proof of ownership
• Provenance records, particularly for antiquities and cultural objects
• Export licences, or confirmation that none is required
• Material declarations for anything containing restricted materials
• Condition reports made before packing
• Insurance schedules covering transit and the new home

Confirm in writing that the collection is insured for international transit, from the moment works leave the wall to the moment they are installed. A household policy may not cover this adequately, and a fine art policy may need extending.

Specialist fine art shippers handle crating, climate-controlled transport, customs clearance and, for important works, supervision in transit. General removal companies are not usually equipped for this. Condition reports at both ends are essential, because any claim depends on showing when damage occurred.

Customs authorities may wish to inspect crates. Having the shipper's agent present, and a packing list that matches each crate to the inventory, reduces the risk of works being unpacked and repacked by people without specialist handling experience.

Timing can be staggered. Holding some works in secure storage while paperwork is completed or the new home is prepared is often better than moving everything at once into a building that is not ready.

A new climate can be hard on works that have been stable for years. Panel paintings, canvases, works on paper, lacquer and other organic materials respond to changes in humidity and temperature. Conservation guidance, including that of the American Institute for Conservation, emphasises stability: gradual change does less harm than sudden change.

Crates are commonly left closed for a period after arrival so the contents can adjust before unpacking. The new home should be ready before the works arrive, with climate control running, lighting planned and hanging positions agreed. Local conservators, framers and insurers should be identified early, and insurance values reviewed for the new currency and market.

A change of residence can also change how a collection is treated for tax and estate purposes. That is a question for qualified professionals in both countries, and it is best asked before the move.