Observe · Regulate · Protect — since 2007. 19th OIMAP General Assembly: Singapore, 10–12 June 2026. Programme
OIMAP
OIMAP
International Organisation
for the Art Market and Heritage
24 October 2026 · Updated at 07:47 GMT FR EN ES Member area Log in
Certification

Registration of a work

Entering a work in the OIMAP Registry: unique number, certified description and work passport, first step of any certification.

Updated : October 28, 2026· 3 min read

Pages in this section

Seal of Doge Michele Steno (reverse) (1400–1409)FormThe headings of the work description form and tips for completing them precisely.› Mercury (Budha), from a Mandi Astrology Series, Sanju (c. 1810)Supporting documentsThe identity, ownership, description and provenance documents to attach to a registration case.› The Four Seasons, Kano Tan’yū (1668)Work passportThe unique digital identity of a work: content, use, updating and consultation of the OIMAP work passport.›

Giving a work a number

Portrait of a Man, Gustave Caillebotte (1880)
Portrait of a Man, Gustave Caillebotte (1880)

Registering a work means entering it in the OIMAP Registry and giving it a unique number, in the format OIMAP-YYYY-NNNNNN. This number will follow it for its whole life, from owner to owner, from border to border.

Registration is the first step of almost every procedure: certificates, title of ownership, licence, sales approval. It is issued in 10 days and costs an indicative €150 excl. VAT.

It produces two documents: the OIMAP number and the work passport, which brings together the work's identity and gradually gathers all its acts.

  • OIMAP number
  • Registry
  • Work passport

Registration in figures

10 daysturnaround
€150indicative price excl. VAT
48,200works in the BIOP
1unique number per work

Source: OIMAP Registry.

Three pages to find your way

Sweet Melancholy, Joseph-Marie Vien (1756)EntryForm

Headings for describing the work and tips for completing them.

›Flowers in a Glass, Ambrosius Bosschaert (1606)DocumentsSupporting documents

Identity, ownership and description documents to attach.

›Carnet (1863–1865)DocumentWork passport

Content, use and updating of the passport.

›

Why register?

An unregistered work has no official identity: nothing allows it to be distinguished from a copy, or proved not to be stolen. Registration enters it in a registry consulted by auction houses, insurers, customs and law enforcement.

It also protects the owner: in the event of theft, the work is already described and photographed, which allows a BIOP alert within 24 hours.

Still Life with Vegetables, Partridge, and a Jug, Adolphe-Félix Cals (1858)
Still Life with Vegetables, Partridge, and a Jug, Adolphe-Félix Cals (1858)
Document Box (Ryōshibako) with Chrysanthemum and Plum (lid) (late 1800s-early 1900s)
Document Box (Ryōshibako) with Chrysanthemum and Plum (lid) (late 1800s-early 1900s)
Edge of the Woods Near L'Hermitage, Pontoise, Camille Pissarro (1879)
Edge of the Woods Near L'Hermitage, Pontoise, Camille Pissarro (1879)

From application to number

  1. Description

    Complete the work description form.

  2. Documents

    Attach identity, ownership and photographs.

  3. Check

    Verification of documents and BIOP search.

  4. Attribution

    Generation of the OIMAP number and the work passport.

  5. Handover

    Document available at the Desk, with QR code.

What registration contains

Content of the entry
ElementDetails
OIMAP numberOIMAP-YYYY-NNNNNN, unique and final
DescriptionArtist, title, date, technique, dimensions, inscriptions
PhotographsEight reference views
ApplicantIdentity and capacity
OwnerName or company name, address
Known historyAcquisitions and declared events

A final number

Registration alone or registration and certificate

Teapot with Landscape and Imperial Poem, Chen Hanwen (1762–95)

Registration alone

Identity of the work
  • Number and passport
  • Protects in case of theft
  • No expert opinion

Useful for collections not yet assessed.

Still Life with Peaches, Auguste Renoir (1881)

Registration and certificate

Identity and evidence
  • Number and passport
  • Authenticity or provenance established
  • Maximum probative value

Recommended before a sale or a loan.

Works registered in 2024, by category

Painting38%
Contemporary art22%
Furniture and others18%
Sculpture14%
Tribal arts8%

Source: OIMAP Registry (indicative breakdown).

The steps of a registration

  1. Submission

    Form, documents and payment.

  2. Check

    Documents and BIOP.

  3. Validation

    Check by a second officer.

  4. Attribution

    Number and passport handed over.

Fish or Seal Club (X’ús’) (late 1800s–early 1900s)
Fish or Seal Club (X’ús’) (late 1800s–early 1900s)
Panel (c. 1780–1840)
Panel (c. 1780–1840)
Seal with Two Qilin Playing (1849)
Seal with Two Qilin Playing (1849)

Case study: a family collection

Ten works to register

Situation

A family wishes to register its collection before a donation to a museum.

Actions
  1. Submission of a group case of ten works.
  2. Check of each work, with BIOP search.
  3. Assignment of ten numbers and ten passports.
Outcome

The collection is identified, insured and ready to be donated without dispute.

On the memory of works

Still-Life with Crayfish, Oysters, and Fruit, Cornelis de Heem (late 1600s or early 1700s )
« A work without a number is a work without memory. »
Secretary-General's Office, OIMAP

Vocabulary of registration

OIMAP number
Unique identifier of a work in the Registry.
Registry
Official database of works, certificates and titles.
Work passport
Digital identity of a work and its acts.
Registration
Entry of a work into the Registry.

Frequently asked questions

Is registration mandatory?

No, but it is the prerequisite for most acts.

Can I register a work I do not own?

Only with the owner's written mandate.

Does registration prove ownership?

No. It is the title of ownership that recognises it.

Is registration public?

The number and the identity of the work are consultable; the owner's identity remains confidential.

Useful documents

Contacts

Eighteen Views of Rome: The Piazza Farnese (recto), Lievin Cruyl (1664)
Eighteen Views of Rome: The Piazza Farnese (recto), Lievin Cruyl (1664)
Certification DepartmentParis — Headquarters+33 1 00 00 00 00certification@oimap.exampleMonday to Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Register a work

Carved Lacquer Scroll Box (1736–95)

Start with the description form.

See the form
Image credits (22)
▲