U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE U.S. NATIONAL CENTRAL BUREAU OF INTERPOL

PROGRAMS

Reporting Lost or Stolen Art or Cultural Property

Please remember that the USNCB cannot process any requests directly from private citizens or non-law enforcement entities. Be sure to direct all requests for assistance through your local, state, or federal law enforcement representatives.

Private Citizens or non-law enforcement entities: To report the loss or theft of fine art or other cultural property, contact your local law enforcement. Provide as complete a physical description as possible, using Object ID categories such as any numbers, trademarks, or other markings; color photograph(s); circumstances of loss or theft; value of the item; history of the item if relevant; and any other pertinent information available.

If the work of art or cultural property is your privately-owned property, please tell the police if you want the loss or theft reported to federal law enforcement, or INTERPOL, on your behalf.

U.S. law enforcement: Forward complete details of the loss or theft, including police report, to your INTERPOL Liaison Office for forwarding to the INTERPOL-U.S. National Central Bureau, or contact the USNCB directly. INTERPOL publishes an International Stolen Property Notice for a given item only if there is sufficient identification information. The stolen property notice ideally includes images, first and foremost, and the most complete physical description possible, using Object ID categories.

USNCB recommends using the Object ID checklist to describe lost or stolen art. For more information on the Object ID checklist, please click here.

It is strongly recommended that individuals who own antiques and works of art should maintain extensive files on their items, especially images of the piece and of its unique identifier(s), in order to be prepared in the event of theft. Cultural Property encompasses many diverse categories, including antique firearms, handicrafts, and personal documents. Please see links provided on the Cultural Property Crimes Program page for additional information on international laws and regulations.