Argentina

Argentina's Law 25,743 (2003) on the protection of archaeological and paleontological heritage declares fossils the property of the national or provincial state, requires permits for prospecting and excavation (issued to researchers and institutions), and prohibits their transfer abroad except by authorisation for scientific exchange or exhibition. Commercial export is not one of the permitted purposes, and the law created a register of collections held before its enactment.

Patagonian dinosaur bone, the Neuquén and Chubut eggs, Jurassic Patagonian conifer cones and petrified wood, and Cretaceous ammonites from Neuquén are all covered. Argentine petrified wood and araucaria cones are the most common items in the trade and are, in law, unexportable; some left lawfully before 2003 and provincial rules applied before then.

The provinces (Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz, Mendoza) each have their own heritage authorities and rules that in practice govern access; a pre-2003 collection in Argentina should have been registered under the law's transitional provisions.

For the buyer: Argentine material without a pre-2003 history and documents is contraband in the eyes of Argentina, and the country has pursued returns. Minerals are governed separately and exported legally (rhodochrosite from Capillitas is the common case).