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How to Borrow Cultural Assets from Turkish Museum?

In Türkiye, regardless of the ownership cultural and natural properties registered by the state cannot be transferred or exhibited in another place without the permission of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums. (Except the Directorate of National Palaces Administration and the Ministry of National Defence provided that they are in the country)

The General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums lends hundreds of artefacts every year in museums both in the country and abroad, to make more accessible the rich collections of its affiliated museums to more visitors. Thus it contributes to the content and visibility of different public museums and temporary exhibitions.

WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND BEFORE MAKING THE APPLICATION

An application must be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye through the Turkish missions abroad at least 10 months before the opening of the exhibition in order to properly review the requests, schedule the scientific committee meeting, and carry out the necessary internal procedures. In case the list of artefacts is not ready, preliminary research can be carried out in museums to prepare the list. In museums affiliated with the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, an application for research permission must be made through Turkish missions abroad. Click here for “The research permit application form”. 

Artefacts can be loaned for a maximum of one year. 

Written requests are made by filling out "The Loan Request Form". 

Once a loan is agreed, the borrower is expected to comply with several obligations stated in the contract drawn up by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums. These include:

- Taking all kinds of precautions for the safe packaging, transportation, and display of the works and covering all kinds of expenses in this context.
- Insurance of the artefacts as fine arts against all risks, from wall to wall/nail to nail, covering the period from the time they leave the collection until the date they return.
- Providing the State Guarantee Certificate against all kinds of seizures.
- Covering the per diems, subsistence, accomodation, and round-trip travel expenses of the Turkish officials who will be assigned an average of 30 days during the period from the time the artefacts leave Türkiye to their return to Türkiye, and health insurance valid during their stay.
- Covering the per diems, subsistence and accommodation, and round-trip travel expenses of the Turkish commission assigned for the on-site inspection of the exhibition venue/area.

HOW LOANS ARE AGREED

A loan request will be reviewed and a decision will be made by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums based on the opinions of the institutions or individuals to whom the objects belong and on the recommendations of the curatorial and conservation departments.
Key considerations:

- Artefact(s) rarity. 
- Artefact(s) suitability for travel and display. 
- Artefact(s) availability. (Whether it is in another use.)
- Exhibition space(s) suitability and whether it is open to the public. 
- Whether the borrowing institution/organization is known to have previously acquired antiquities or artworks  illegally. 
- Whether the borrowing institution/organization exercised due diligence in acquiring other artefacts to be included in the exhibition.
- The artefacts requested for a loan are also evaluated by a scientific committee consisting of academics on the subject. Artefacts that are not deemed appropriate by the scientific committee are not lent.   
- Before the artefacts leave the collection, a protocol is signed with those requesting the loan.

Click here for "The Loan Request Form".