Meteorite law in Antarctica
Under the Antarctic Treaty system, meteorites may be collected only for science, by national programmes, and they are not for sale.
Science only
The rule: Antarctica belongs to no single country. Under the Antarctic Treaty and its Protocol on Environmental Protection, signed in 1991 and in force since 1998, meteorite collecting is a scientific activity carried out by national programmes. Specimens are curated for research and are not for sale. The treaty nations' scientific committee has a code of conduct asking that meteorites be collected and curated properly and made available to scientists.
Who collects: the United States, Japan, China, South Korea, Italy, Belgium and others run search teams on the blue-ice fields where meteorites gather. Their collections hold tens of thousands of Antarctic meteorites.
For buyers: a genuine Antarctic meteorite should never appear on the market. Treat any offered for sale as suspect.
This is general information to help you ask the right questions, not legal advice. Laws change and their details matter, and this summary was last reviewed in 2026. Before you search, buy, sell or export a meteorite, check the current law with the authorities of the country concerned or a qualified lawyer. See meteorite law by country.
Related pages
Glossary: Meteorite ownership, Export rules, Landowner permission, Provenance