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Certification

Code of ethics

The ten principles binding on accredited experts: independence, impartiality, confidentiality, competence, prudence and transparency.

Updated : October 28, 2026· 3 min read

Ten principles for lasting trust

Portrait of a Man, Nicholas Freese (c. 1795–1800)
Portrait of a Man, Nicholas Freese (c. 1795–1800)

The code of ethics sets the rules of the game for all experts. It applies from the acceptance of a case and for two years after its closure. It was adopted in 2015 and revised in 2019.

Each expert signs it on accreditation and renews it at each expiry. Failure to comply exposes them to suspension or withdrawal of accreditation, entered in the Registry.

The code is public: any applicant may invoke it in support of a challenge or a review.

  • Independence
  • Impartiality
  • Confidentiality
  • Prudence

The code in figures

10principles
2 yearsof non-combination after a case
3levels of sanctions
2015year of adoption

The ten principles

Sketches in Belgium and Germany, Volume I: Hall of Justice of the Magistrates du Franc, Bruges, Louis Haghe (1840)Principle1. Independence

No financial or personal link with the work or with the parties.

Leaf from a Psalter and Prayerbook: Calendar Page with Labors (recto) (c. 1524)Principle2. Impartiality

Decision based solely on the elements of the file.

The Judgment of Solomon and Esther before Ahasuerus (pair), Dirk Vellert (c. 1530)Principle3. Confidentiality

The file is communicated to no one outside the procedure.

Leaf from a Lectionary with St. Luke (1057–1063)Principle4. Competence

The expert accepts only cases in their specialty.

Dr. James Stuart; Mary Campbell Stuart, Gilbert Stuart (c. 1815)Principle5. Prudence

They express the true degree of certainty, including indeterminacy.

Portrait of Sandford Peacocke, William Wood (1801)Principle6. Transparency

They declare any conflict and give reasons for their opinion.

The Calumny of Apelles, Giorgio Ghisi (1560)Principle7. Loyalty

They seek no personal advantage from the case.

Fragment of a Border with Standing and Seated Birds Amidst Vegetation (1500s)Principle8. Non-combination

They may neither buy, sell nor advise on the sale.

Principle9. Traceability

They record every step and every source.

Principle10. Continuing training

They maintain their knowledge and that of their methods.

Conflicts of interest

Before accepting a case, the expert declares any link likely to compromise their independence: family tie, commercial relationship, holding of the artist's works, prior assignment on the same work, collaboration with an auction house or a gallery concerned.

In case of doubt, they abstain. If a conflict appears during a case, they withdraw immediately and inform the Secretariat, which appoints a replacement.

Portrait of Georges Arnold Fitzwilliam, Charles Balthazar Julien Fevret de Saint-Mémin (c. 1790–1852)
Portrait of Georges Arnold Fitzwilliam, Charles Balthazar Julien Fevret de Saint-Mémin (c. 1790–1852)
A Lady Reading, Francis Seymour Haden (1833–1910)
A Lady Reading, Francis Seymour Haden (1833–1910)
Portrait Head of a Noble or Official (175–200 CE)
Portrait Head of a Noble or Official (175–200 CE)

Gifts and benefits

The sanctions

Three levels of sanction
LevelFactsSanction
WarningMinor breach or repeated delayWritten reminder on file
SuspensionEstablished breach, undeclared conflictFrom 3 months to 2 years
RetrievalFraud, complacent opinion, breach of confidentialityPermanent, entered in the Registry

The disciplinary procedure

  1. Reporting

    An applicant, a third party or the Secretariat reports a breach.

  2. Processing

    The ethics commission hears the expert and collects the documents.

  3. Decision

    The commission imposes or not a reasoned sanction.

  4. Appeals

    The expert may seize the Arbitral Tribunal.

  5. Publicity

    Suspensions and withdrawals are entered in the Registry.

Minor breach or serious breach

Portrait of a Man, Italian Painter

Minor breach

Procedural error
  • Warning
  • No impact on accreditation
  • Reminder of the rules

Proportionate response.

Portrait Bust of a Man (27 BCE–14 CE)

Serious breach

Breach of independence
  • Suspension or withdrawal
  • Review of the opinions given
  • Information to the applicants concerned

Firm and transparent response.

Disciplinary procedures in 2024

Closed without action14
Warnings6
Suspensions3
Withdrawals1

Out of 24 reports. Source: ethics commission (indicative).

Case study: an expert who withdraws

A conflict discovered during a case

Situation

While preparing the examination, an expert realises that their foundation has received a donation from the selling gallery.

Actions
  1. They withdraw at once and declare the link.
  2. The Secretariat appoints another expert.
  3. The applicant is informed.
Outcome

No sanction; the expert is cited as an example in the commission's annual report.

Telescoping basket (1800's)
Telescoping basket (1800's)
Self-Portrait, John I Smart (1802)
Self-Portrait, John I Smart (1802)
Bookplate: Boylston Medical Library, George Girdler Smith (1806–39)
Bookplate: Boylston Medical Library, George Girdler Smith (1806–39)

The milestones of the code

  1. First rules

    Internal charter of the network.

  2. Adoption of the code

    Ten public principles.

  3. Review

    Addition of the traceability principle.

  4. Ethics commission

    Independent body of control.

A founding principle

Portrait of a Man, Louis Lafitte (1793)
« The expert is not there to please. They are there to say what the work says. »
Prof. Hiroshi Tanabe, member of the certification committee

Vocabulary of ethics

Conflict of interest
Situation that may impair the expert's independence.
Challenge
Request to replace the expert.
Ethics commission
Body that judges breaches.
Non-combination
Prohibition on holding certain roles at the same time.

Frequently asked questions

Is the code public?

Yes, it is published in full.

How do I report a breach?

Through the contact form or by letter to the Secretariat.

Can a sanctioned expert defend themselves?

Yes, they are heard and may seize the Arbitral Tribunal.

What becomes of the opinions of a withdrawn expert?

They are reviewed by another expert if the sanction concerns the quality of the opinions.

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.

Seize the commission

Portrait of a Woman, Corneille de Lyon (c. 1540)

To report a breach of ethics.

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