Meteorite law in France
No specific law. Court decisions have gone both ways between landowner and finder; recent case law has treated a meteorite as ownerless, so it goes to the finder.
No specific law known
Who owns a find? French law has no rule written for meteorites. An old decision of 1898 gave a fallen meteorite to the landowner, but a more recent decision treated a meteorite as a thing without an owner, which belongs to whoever first takes it. In 2019 the government confirmed that case law is mixed and said a law could settle the question, ideally agreed at European level so that science gets first access to new finds.
Good practice: finders usually lend or give a sample to the national natural history museum in Paris or a university so that the meteorite can be classified. France runs a national camera network that tracks fireballs, and its volunteers search for fresh falls with landowners' permission.
Export: leaving the European Union, important natural-history specimens above set values can need an export licence under EU rules on cultural goods.
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