Exporting Archaeological Artifacts from Peru - The government of Peru prohibits the exportation of archaeological artifacts and colonial art. These restrictions include archaeological material from the pre-Hispanic cultures and certain ethnological materials from the colonial period of Peru, which are considered protected Peruvian cultural patrimony.

U.S. law enforcement authorities can take action even after importation into the United States has occurred. For more information, contact Art Historian Dr. Alvaro Roca-Rey Miro Quesada, National Cultural Institute, Direccion de Fomento de las Artes at 51-1-476-9900, or Archaeologist Ms. Alejandra Figueroa Flores at 51-1-476-9887. Travelers buying art should be aware that unscrupulous traders might try to sell them articles that cannot be exported from Peru. Peruvian customs authorities may seize such articles, and the traveler may be subject to criminal penalties. In many countries around the world, counterfeit and pirated goods are widely available. Transactions involving such products are illegal and bringing them back to the United States may result in forfeitures and/or fines.

Visitors who purchase reproductions of colonial or pre-colonial art should buy only from reputable dealers, and they should insist on documentation from Peru's National Institute of Culture (INC) showing that the object is a reproduction and may be exported. Peruvian customs authorities may retain articles lacking such documentation and forward them to INC for evaluation. If the objects are found to be reproductions, they may eventually be returned to the purchaser, but, storage and shipping charges are the responsibility of the purchaser.

Vendors in jungle cities and airports sell live animals and birds, as well as handicrafts made from insects, feathers, or other natural products. Under Peruvian law, it is illegal to remove certain flora and fauna items from their place of origin to another part of Peru or to export them to a foreign country. Travelers have been detained and arrested by the Ecology Police in Lima for carrying such items.