Any natural or legal person.

The cultural assets concerned must be classified as national cultural heritage or included on the list of cultural assets of heritage interest.

Grants are awarded taking into account:

• the suitability of the procedures and works undertaken or the techniques chosen in relation to the conservation objective for the cultural asset;
• whether or not the cultural asset is publicly displayed;
• the cause or origin of the necessity of the planned procedures and works and whether they are the consequence of the beneficiary's negligence;
• the price usually charged for this type of procedure and work.

Preliminary steps

For any alteration, repair or restoration of a classified asset:

• a written application for authorisation must be sent to the Minister for Culture together with the following information before the planned start of the work:
  • the applicant's surname, first name, profession, personal address of the owner of the classified asset, or, if the application is being made by a legal person, the company name, its legal form, the address of its registered office, and its registration number in the Trade and Companies Register;
  • the description of the classified asset that enables the Minister to identify the asset;
  • recent photos of the classified asset;
  • a detailed description of the planned works, accompanied by cost estimates and, where applicable, photographic simulations;
  • information concerning the natural or legal person responsible for carrying out the planned works;
  • precise information on the materials to be used;
  • any other item or document in support of the application;
• the minister seeks the opinion of the Cultural Heritage Commission (Commission pour le patrimoine culturel / section du patrimoine mobilier - COPAC) before making a decision.

The minister's decision must be communicated to the interested parties within 3 months of receiving the request for authorisation. Past that deadline, the application will be automatically granted.

For any alteration, repair or restoration of a listed classified, the owner is required to notify the minister in writing 2 months in advance.

Submitting the application

You must submit your grant application before beginning any work, by post, to the Minister for Culture using the appropriate application form (see 'Online services and forms').

Supporting documents

You must attach the following documents to the application:

• the estimate for the proposed work;
• representative photos of the cultural asset;
• any other relevant document or evidence in support of the application.

Processing the application

The Minister examines the application and carries out an analysis of the estimate. The asset may need to be presented to the officials appointed by the Minister for Culture.

After examining the application and on the basis of COPAC's recommendation, the Minister for Culture may issue a pledge of grant support to the owner.

This grant promise states:

• the subsidised works; and
• the percentage or flat rate that the grant represents in relation to the costs incurred.

Works financed with the grant are monitored by the Minister's staff.

The Minister for Culture sets the amount of the grant:

• after completion of the restoration work; and
• on presentation of a form and receipted invoices for the work.

Cancellation or revocation of the grant

The pledge of grant may be completely or partially cancelled:

• in case of non-compliance with the directives of the Minister for Culture; and
• based on a report duly drawn up by the Ministry's officials.

The reimbursement of the grant can be requested up to 6 months after the date of sale of the classified or listed cultural asset. The request for reimbursement of the grant is limited to the first commercial transaction.

Procedures

Links