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24 October 2026 · Updated at 07:47 GMT FR EN ES Member area Log in
Certification

Procedure

The checks carried out, the documents to provide and the course of a sales approval request.

Updated : October 28, 2026· 3 min read

Five days to secure a sale

Carnet (1863–1865)
Carnet (1863–1865)

The approval procedure is deliberately fast: five working days from a complete file. It follows a simple but strict course, which this page details step by step.

The file is submitted by the auction house for one lot or for an entire catalogue. Each lot is checked individually and receives a separate decision: a refused lot does not prevent approval of the others.

The result is a compliance opinion per lot, which can be published in the catalogue with the OIMAP mention.

  • Submission
  • Check
  • Decision
  • Mention

The procedure in figures

5 daysworking days
4checks per lot
90 daysvalidity
1 lot = 1 decisionindependence of lots

The detailed course

  1. 1. Submission of the file1 day

    The auction house submits one file per catalogue, with a sheet for each lot.

  2. 2. Admissibility1 day

    Verification of completeness and payment.

  3. 3. Checks2 days

    Identity, seller, alerts, provenance: four checks that are automated and validated by an officer.

  4. 4. Decision1 day

    Approval, approval with reservation or reasoned refusal for each lot.

  5. 5. Notification0 days

    The house receives the opinions and may publish the OIMAP mention.

Documents per lot

Documents of a lot
DocumentMandatory?
OIMAP number of the workYes
Seller's title of ownership or mandateYes
Consignment contractYes
Provenance certificateFor works more than 100 years old
Certificate of authenticityRecommended
Conservation reportOptional
Plate: Diana and Acteon, Maestro Giorgio Andreoli (1522)
Plate: Diana and Acteon, Maestro Giorgio Andreoli (1522)
The Four Seasons, Kano Tan’yū (1668)
The Four Seasons, Kano Tan’yū (1668)
Yokkaichi: View of the Mie River, from the series The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō, Utagawa Hiroshige (c. 1833–34)
Yokkaichi: View of the Mie River, from the series The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō, Utagawa Hiroshige (c. 1833–34)

Three possible outcomes

Catalogue file or lot file

Fish or Seal Club (X’ús’) (late 1800s–early 1900s)

Catalogue file

Several lots
  • A single payment
  • A single contact
  • 10% discount from 20 lots

For public sales.

Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple, Rembrandt van Rijn (1635)

Lot file

A single lot
  • Standard rate
  • Individual handling
  • Suited to private sales

For individual lots.

Outcome of the checks in 2024

Approved84%
Approved with reservation11%
Refused5%

Source: Certification Department (indicative).

The five days

  1. Submission

    File and deposit.

  2. Admissibility

    Completeness checked.

  3. Checks

    Four checks per lot.

  4. Decision

    Opinion and notification.

Case study: an approval with reservation

A gap flagged

Situation

A painting has an eight-year gap in provenance, with no indication of spoliation.

Actions
  1. The provenance certificate is at the “minor gaps” level.
  2. Approval is issued with a reservation.
  3. The catalogue mentions the gap.
Outcome

The painting is sold without dispute, the buyer having been informed.

What to do in case of refusal

A refusal is always reasoned in writing. The most frequent grounds are insufficient proof of ownership, an alert or a significant gap in the provenance of a sensitive work.

The auction house has 15 days to request a review by completing the file. The review is charged at 30% of the initial price. As a last resort, the Arbitral Tribunal may be seized.

Portrait of a Man, Gustave Caillebotte (1880)
Portrait of a Man, Gustave Caillebotte (1880)
Painting Enthusiasts at Auction House Bouillon, Honoré Daumier (1862, printed 1920)
Painting Enthusiasts at Auction House Bouillon, Honoré Daumier (1862, printed 1920)
Document Box (Ryōshibako) with Chrysanthemum and Plum (lid) (late 1800s-early 1900s)
Document Box (Ryōshibako) with Chrysanthemum and Plum (lid) (late 1800s-early 1900s)

A service requirement

Teapot, Louis Rorimer (c. 1910)
« Five days is short. That is why a lot file must arrive complete. »
Certification Department, OIMAP

Vocabulary of the procedure

Approved with reservation
Positive opinion accompanied by a mandatory mention in the catalogue.
Review
New examination at the request of the auction house.
Lot sheet
Document describing a lot and its documents.
OIMAP mention
Logo and number attesting approval.

Frequently asked questions

Can I request approval after the lot is in the catalogue?

Yes, but the OIMAP mention may only appear after the decision.

Is approval public?

The mention is; the file remains confidential.

Can a lot already sold be approved?

No: approval comes before the sale.

How many lots per file?

Up to 200 lots per catalogue file.

Useful documents

Contacts

Architectural Conference (c. 1622)
Architectural Conference (c. 1622)
Certification DepartmentParis — Headquarters+33 1 00 00 00 00certification@oimap.exampleMonday to Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Submit a case

Edge of the Woods Near L'Hermitage, Pontoise, Camille Pissarro (1879)

Open an approval case at the Desk.

Submit a case
Image credits (16)
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