97 Works of art; collectors' pieces and antiques
The broadest level of the Harmonized System. Pick the heading below that fits your goods, then the six-digit code under it — that last one is what you declare.
Section XXI, Art & Antiques — works of art, collectors' pieces and antiques.
- 97 Chapter Works of art; collectors' pieces and antiques
- —— Heading Pick one of the 6 headings below
- —— Subheading Six digits, the level every country shares
Chapter 97 covers works of art, collectors' pieces and antiques: paintings, sculptures, stamps, coins and genuine antiques over 100 years old. Many countries grant reduced or zero duty on qualifying art and antiques, but require proof of age or authenticity to claim it. Classification tip: The '100 years old' threshold for antiques is strictly enforced and usually needs documented provenance or an expert appraisal: a piece that merely looks antique won't qualify for preferential treatment without proof.
6 headings in chapter 97
Four-digit groups. Pick the one that fits, then the six-digit code inside it.
- 97.01 Paintings, drawings and pastels, executed entirely by hand; not drawings of heading no. 4906 and not hand-painted, hand-decorated manufactured articles; collages, mosaics and similar decorative plaques 6 codes
- 97.02 Engravings, prints and lithographs; original 2 codes
- 97.03 Sculptures and statuary; original, in any material 2 codes
- 97.04 Stamps, postage or revenue; stamp-postmarks, first-day covers, postal stationery (stamped paper) and like, used or unused, other than those of heading 4907 1 code
- 97.05 Collections and collectors' pieces; of archaeological, ethnographic, historical, zoological, botanical, mineralogical, anatomical, palaeontological or numismatic interest 6 codes
- 97.06 Antiques; of an age exceeding one hundred years 2 codes
The wording above is the Harmonized System nomenclature as published by the World Customs Organization, HS 2022 edition. It is a classification reference, not a tariff: it carries no duty rates, and it stops at six digits — the importing country adds its own beyond that.
Classification is decided by the General Rules of Interpretation and the section and chapter notes, and it is the importing country’s customs authority that makes it binding.
Shipping goods from chapter 97? A customs hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving — follow the container or the air waybill from departure to delivery.
Track a shipmentChapter 97 FAQ
Chapter 97 covers works of art, collectors' pieces and antiques: paintings, sculptures, stamps, coins and genuine antiques over 100 years old. Many countries grant reduced or zero duty on qualifying art and antiques, but require proof of age or authenticity to claim it. Classification tip: The '100 years old' threshold for antiques is strictly enforced and usually needs documented provenance or an expert appraisal: a piece that merely looks antique won't qualify for preferential treatment without proof.
Pick the heading below that describes the goods, then the six-digit subheading under it. Six digits is the level the Harmonized System defines and the level customs everywhere recognises; anything beyond that is added by the importing country.
The General Rules of Interpretation, read together with the notes to Section XXI and to chapter 97. A description that reads right is not enough on its own — the notes routinely pull goods out of the chapter they obviously belong to and put them somewhere else. Where duty or licensing turns on the answer, ask the importing country’s customs authority for a binding ruling.
A wrong or missing code is one of the common reasons customs holds a container, and a hold shows up as a milestone that stops moving. Watch for it in the container tracking app, on the air waybill in the air cargo tracker, or through the tracking API.