P.R. Laws tit. 18, § 1559
Upon the effective date of this act, no natural or juridical person, government agency, public corporation or municipality may sell or barter, transfer, alter, take possession of, convey or remove from the territory of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any property or object that constitutes part of the Puerto Rican land archaeological heritage pursuant to the provisions of § 1551 of this title without notifying the Council of it and without first having obtained their authorization to carry out the corresponding procedure. Any natural or juridical, public or private person who wishes to remove or transfer archaeological objects, property or materials out of Puerto Rico on his own or through other persons must request and obtain a written permit to those effects from the Council. This request must include, along with any other information the Council deems necessary, a description accompanied with illustrations or true and exact photographs of the archaeological objects, property or materials in question; the destination outside of Puerto Rico to which they are to be transferred and the purpose or reason for the transfer; the means of transportation and packing system of the properties or objects; the guarantees offered of their return to Puerto Rico, and the time they shall be outside Puerto Rico.
Archaeological objects or property owned by or under the custody of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or any of its agencies, instrumentalities, dependencies or municipalities, may only be removed or transferred outside of Puerto Rico for exhibition, laboratory analysis or restoration purposes and, in any event, shall be subject to the norms determined by the Council for custody, conservation and protection, and with enough guarantees to ensure their return to Puerto Rico. After prior investigation to such effect, the Council shall have a thirty (30)-day term to authorize or refuse the notice and request for authorization which have been received. Provided, That if no answer is received within that term, it shall be understood as an implied authorization on the part of the Council. The thirty (30)-day term may be extended when the Council shows just cause as to why a longer term should be granted to carry out the indicated investigation.
History —July 20, 1988, No. 112, p. 459, § 9.