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Certification

Timeframes

From 3 to 6 weeks: the timeline of an application for a provenance certificate and the factors that lengthen it.

Updated : October 28, 2026· 3 min read

The time of the archives

Arrival of the "Southern Barbarians" (c. 1600)
Arrival of the "Southern Barbarians" (c. 1600)

A provenance certificate is issued within 3 to 6 weeks. The timeframe depends mainly on the time spent researching archives, which cannot be dictated but can be prepared for.

Unlike authenticity, provenance relies little on laboratory analyses. The time is consumed by research: public archives, auction houses, galleries, museums, looted-property databases.

This page details each step and shows how the applicant can save time.

  • 3 to 6 weeks
  • Archives
  • Sensitive period

Timeframes in figures

35 daysmedian timeframe
5 daysadmissibility
21 daysarchive research
88%cases within 6 weeks

Source: Certification Department, 2024.

Duration by step

Standard case
StepTimeframe
Admissibility5 working days
Appointment of the expert1 week
Archive research1 to 3 weeks
BIOP and spoliation-database search3 days
Drafting and committee opinion1 week
Issuance2 days

Where the time goes (days, median)

Admissibility5 d
Appointment7 d
Archives21 d
Committee7 d
Issuance2 d
Plaque (1500s–1600s)
Plaque (1500s–1600s)
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)
Mercury (Budha), from a Mandi Astrology Series, Sanju (c. 1810)
Mercury (Budha), from a Mandi Astrology Series, Sanju (c. 1810)

Why a provenance can take long

Typical case, week by week

  1. Admissibility

    Check, BIOP search, quote.

  2. Expert appointed

    Research plan drawn up.

  3. Archives

    Consultations and access requests.

  4. Cross-checking

    Analysis of the documents, filling of gaps.

  5. Committee and issuance

    Decision, certificate, entry.

How to save time

  1. List the owners

    Even if incomplete, it guides the research.

  2. Attach all the marks on the work

    Labels and stamps speed up identification.

  3. Authorise access to private archives

    Avoids a reminder and a waiting period.

  4. Reply within 48 hours

    To any question from the expert.

  5. Plan for sensitive periods

    Supply the documents from 1933 to 1945 from the outset.

Simple or complex provenance

Seven Jeweled Mountain (late 1800s)

Simple

3 to 4 weeks
  • Fewer than five owners
  • Digitised archives
  • No sensitive period

Shortest timeframe.

Chemin de fer de Toulouse à Bayonne. Pont de l'Aran (en trois arches de 17m d'ouverture chacune). Situation des travaux au 21 juillet 1861, Édouard Baldus (1861)

Complex

5 to 6 weeks and more
  • Many owners
  • Archives in several countries
  • Sensitive period to examine

Progress report every 15 days.

Timeframes by type of situation

Median values 2024 (indicative)
SituationMedian timeframe
Recent purchase with invoice3 weeks
Documented succession4 weeks
Old collection without invoice5 weeks
Sensitive period to examine6 weeks

Following and anticipating

The status of the case is visible online, with the expected date of the decision. For a provenance, a progress report is sent halfway through, with the list of archives consulted and those pending.

If an archive refuses access or does not reply, the expert informs you and proposes a conclusion with the gap flagged rather than a blocked case.

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)
The Triumph of Mordecai, Lucas van Leyden (1515)
The Triumph of Mordecai, Lucas van Leyden (1515)
Dune Scene with Peasant Figures, Willem van de Velde (mid-1650s)
Dune Scene with Peasant Figures, Willem van de Velde (mid-1650s)

Case study: a persistent gap

A conclusion without waiting

Situation

A painting has a missing link from 1952 to 1960. The archives of a foreign notary do not reply.

Actions
  1. The expert follows up twice in ten days.
  2. He proposes to conclude with “minor gaps”.
  3. The applicant agrees and supplies a witness statement.
Outcome

The certificate is issued in 5 weeks, without waiting for an unlikely archive.

An expert's word

Seal Color Box (1662–1722)
« The fastest case is the one where the applicant told us everything they knew from day one. »
Prof. Hiroshi Tanabe, member of the certification committee

Vocabulary of timeframes

Progress report
Written message on the progress of a case.
Research plan
List of archives to consult, drawn up by the expert.
Access to archives
Authorisation to consult a non-public collection.
Missing link
Undocumented owner or period.

Frequently asked questions

Can I speed up a provenance case?

Not through an urgent rate, but by supplying the documents and authorising access to private archives.

Is the timeframe guaranteed?

It is an indicative duration; a progress report is sent to you as soon as a delay is likely.

What happens if an archive remains inaccessible?

The conclusion is delivered with the gap flagged, or the case is suspended at your request.

Is the timeframe shorter for a recent work?

Yes, often by two weeks: few owners and documents available.

Contacts

The Doge's Palace, Venice, Richard Parkes Bonington (1826)
The Doge's Palace, Venice, Richard Parkes Bonington (1826)
Certification DepartmentParis — Headquarters+33 1 00 00 00 00certification@oimap.exampleMonday to Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Follow a case

Leaf from a Missal: The Crucifixion (recto) and Text (verso) (c. 1330–40)

Have you already opened a provenance case?

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