Observe · Regulate · Protect — since 2007. 19th OIMAP General Assembly: Singapore, 10–12 June 2026. Programme
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Practical guides

Twelve guides for applying the rules: verifying a provenance, completing a file, securing a sale, protecting a collection.

Updated : October 28, 2026· 3 min read

Tools for practice

Plaque (1500s–1600s)
Plaque (1500s–1600s)

The twelve OIMAP practical guides translate the regulations into concrete actions. Each deals with a specific subject, with checklists, document templates and examples drawn from real cases made anonymous.

They are used in training at the Academy and by administrations wishing to harmonise their practices.

For the figures and context, see the reports.

  • Guides
  • Practice
  • Method

Practical guides in figures

12Guides
3 yearsRevision cycle
3Languages
40 pp.Average length, indicative

Source: Events and Communications Directorate.

Breakdown

Control and customs25%
Sale and auctions25%
Collections and museums25%
Digital and insurance25%

Indicative thematic breakdown of the twelve guides.

The structure of a guide

Each guide opens with a one-page summary, followed by a legal framework, a step-by-step method, case studies and annexes. A detachable checklist makes it usable in the field.

Technical terms are defined in a glossary shared by all twelve titles, which ensures consistent vocabulary.

Miniature from a Manuscript of the Apocalypse: The War in Heaven (c. 1295)
Miniature from a Manuscript of the Apocalypse: The War in Heaven (c. 1295)
Leaf from a Lectionary with St. Luke (1057–1063)
Leaf from a Lectionary with St. Luke (1057–1063)
Leaf from a Missal: The Crucifixion (recto) and Text (verso) (c. 1330–40)
Leaf from a Missal: The Crucifixion (recto) and Text (verso) (c. 1330–40)

Subjects covered

The guides cover provenance verification, import and export declarations, identification of objects at the border, sales approval, insurance, preventive conservation, online sales, loans of works, succession and restitution.

An introductory guide presents all of the Organisation's services and directs the reader to the right document.

Drafting and validation

The guides are written by practitioners, with the support of OIMAP's directorates. A validation committee, bringing together lawyers and experts, checks their conformity with the 2019 directives.

User feedback is gathered each year and feeds into the revisions.

Use in training

The guides serve as teaching materials at the Academy. They come with slide sets and exercises that trainers may reuse freely.

Abridged four-page versions are available for front-line officers who need a memory aid.

Examples of guides

Four guides out of twelve
TitleAudienceContent
Verifying a provenanceCustoms, museumsFive-step method
Selling onlineGalleries, platformsObligations and deadlines
Lending a workMuseumsContracts and insurance
Passing on a collectionFamiliesSuccession and inventory

Milestones

  1. First guide

    Provenance.

  2. Ten guides

    Expanded collection.

  3. General revision

    Alignment with the directives.

  4. Twelve guides

    Complete collection.

Status of the guides

Seal Color Box (1662–1722)
Seal Color Box (1662–1722)
Leaf from a Psalter and Prayerbook: Calendar Page with Labors (recto) and Calendar Page with Peasant (verso) (c. 1524)
Leaf from a Psalter and Prayerbook: Calendar Page with Labors (recto) and Calendar Page with Peasant (verso) (c. 1524)
A Lady Reading, Francis Seymour Haden (1833–1910)
A Lady Reading, Francis Seymour Haden (1833–1910)

Full guide or memory aid

Qur'an Manuscript Folio (recto; verso); Left side of Bifolio (800s)

Full guide

Approximately forty pages
  • Legal framework
  • Practical cases
  • Annexes

To understand.

The Triumph of Mordecai, Lucas van Leyden (1515)

Memory aid

Four pages
  • Checklist
  • Quick reading
  • Use in the field

To act.

Applying a guide

  1. Read the summary

    One page.

  2. Follow the method

    Steps.

  3. Use the checklist

    Control.

  4. Keep

    Supporting documents.

  5. Give feedback

    Improvements.

Good habits

A customs officer

Missale: Fol. 185v: Crucifixion with borders (full page), Bartolommeo Caporali (1469)
« The guide on identifying objects fits in my pocket. It has spared me more than one mistake during an inspection. »
Joseph Tran, customs officer

Vocabulary

Checklist
Point-by-point verification document.
Provenance
Ownership history of a work.
Review
Update of a text.
Memory aid
Abridged version.

Update

A guide is revised every three years, or sooner in the event of a change in the rules. The cover page states the date of the latest revision and the list of changes.

Readers subscribed to the newsletter are notified of each new edition.

Frequently asked questions

Are the guides free?

Yes, online.

Are they binding?

No, they illustrate the regulations.

How often are they revised?

Every three years.

Where can I see the Review?

See Review.

Useful documents

Contacts

Architectural Conference (c. 1622)
Architectural Conference (c. 1622)
Events and Communications DirectorateParis — Headquarters+33 1 00 00 07 00evenements@oimap.exampleMonday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Read the Review

Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain, Master of the First Prayerbook of Maximillian (c. 1500)

Analyses and debates.

Review
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