France National legislation for the protection of the cultural heritage 1. National regulations (publication references) Law No 92-1477 of 31 December 1992 on goods subject to movement restrictions and the complementary responsibilities of the police, gendarmerie and customs (French Official Journal of 5 January 1993), as amended by Law No 94-679 of 8 August 1994 (French Official Journal of 10 August 1994), Law No 2000-643 of 10 July 2000 on the protection of national treasures (French Official Journal of I I July 2002) and Law No 2002-5 of 4 January 2002 on French museums (French Official Journal of 5 January 2002). Decree No 93-124 of 29 January 1993 on cultural goods subject to movement restrictions (French Official Journal of 30 January 1993), as amended by Decree No 95-24 of 9 January 1995 (French Official Journal of 11 January 1993), Decree No 97-286 of 25 March 1997 (French Official Journal of 28 March 1997) and Decree No 20001-894 of 26 September 2001 (French Official Journal of 29 September 2001). 2. Protection of national cultural goods 2.1. Framework of protection (nature and legal status of protected cultural goods) French law differentiates between two types of cultural goods, which are subject to supervision by the Ministry of Culture and Communication, and the customs administration when they leave French territory: - cultural goods - national treasures. 2.2. Protection of cultural goods In France cultural goods requiring a licence in order to be removed from France are virtually the same as those requiring a licence in order to be exported to third countries (with the same age and value thresholds with one or two exceptions). - Legal status of cultural goods: Cultural goods, which have been in France for more than two years, require a licence to leave the country. Cultural goods imported lawfully less than fifty years ago are automatically authorised to leave the country unless they have been listed under Law No 79-18 of