Cleveland Museum of Art · CC0 1.0Building a solid application
The title application presupposes established provenance and a justified right of ownership. It follows the usual Desk procedure, with one additional step: publication and the 30-day opposition period.
The file rests on three pillars: proof of current ownership, the history of possession, and the absence of any known claim.
The better the provenance is documented, the faster the processing; a certificate of provenance issued by OIMAP is the best basis.
The application in figures
Admissibility conditions
Documents to provide depending on the mode of acquisition
| Mode | Documents |
|---|---|
| Purchase | Invoice, proof of payment, certificate of provenance |
| Succession | Certificate of notoriety, inventory, partition |
| Donation | Notarial deed, declaration of gift |
| Prescription or long possession | Statements, old photographs, inventories |
The procedure
- Submission
Complete file online, with the work's OIMAP number.
- Processing
Checking of documents, consultation of the looting databases and the BIOP.
- Committee opinion
Reasoned decision, favourable or unfavourable.
- Publication
Entry in the Registry and notification.
- Opposition
30-day period open to any third party.
Publication is a public act
Simple or contested application
Simple application
No opposition- Final title at 45 days
- No additional fees
- Standard procedure
The majority of cases.
Contested application
Opposition by a third party- Suspension of the title
- Mediation then arbitration
- Procedure fees
About 3% of files.
Case study: a title for a work acquired at auction
A file in ten days
A collector acquired a bronze at a public sale four years ago.
- They file the auction record and the invoice.
- A certificate of provenance already exists.
- Processing is reduced to a BIOP check.
The title is published in ten days; it becomes enforceable on day 45.
What if an opposition is filed?
A third party claiming a right over the work has 30 days to file an opposition. The title is then suspended and OIMAP offers mediation between the parties, with the help of an independent mediator.
If mediation fails, the matter may be brought before the Arbitral Tribunal or the competent court. The title becomes final only when the opposition is lifted.
The dates of an application
- Submission
File and deposit.
- Admissibility
Complete file.
- Publication
Title entered.
- Enforceability
Final title.
On the spirit of the procedure
« A title must be able to withstand discussion. That is why it is given thirty days to undergo it. »
Vocabulary of the application
- Opposition
- Challenge brought by a third party against a published title.
- Mediation
- Amicable search for an agreement between the parties.
- Prescription
- Acquisition of a right through the passage of time.
- Adjudication
- Public auction sale.
Frequently asked questions
Is a certificate of provenance needed first?
It is not mandatory, but it is the fastest route.
Can I apply for a title for a work in joint ownership?
Yes, with the agreement of all the joint owners.
What happens if a BIOP alert appears?
Processing is suspended; the Secretariat contacts you.
Is the title transferable?
Yes, see the Transfer page.
Useful documents
Contacts
Related pages
TransferHow a title of ownership passes from one owner to another: sale, gift, inheritance, contribution to a company.›
EnforceabilityWhat the title of ownership allows you to assert, against whom, and within what limits.›
ConditionsWorks concerned, capacity of the applicant and cases in which an application for a provenance certificate is inadmissible.›
Submit the application
Image credits (16)
- Dr. James Stuart; Mary Campbell Stuart, Gilbert Stuart (c. 1815) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- The Triumph of Mordecai, Lucas van Leyden (1515) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- The Calumny of Apelles, Giorgio Ghisi (1560) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- The Doge's Palace, Venice, Richard Parkes Bonington (1826) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- The Judgment of Solomon and Esther before Ahasuerus (pair), Dirk Vellert (c. 1530) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Seal Color Box (1662–1722) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- The Antechamber of the Palace of Justice, Paris, Charles Meryon (1855) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Architectural Conference (c. 1622) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Sketches in Belgium and Germany, Volume I: Hall of Justice of the Magistrates du Franc, Bruges, Louis Haghe (1840) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Mercury (Budha), from a Mandi Astrology Series, Sanju (c. 1810) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- 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) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- View of the Gulf of Pozzuoli from Solfatara, Philipp Hackert (1803) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- A Palace with an Arched Bridge (A Roman Villa), Hubert Robert (1760) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Letter Box, Ogata Kōrin (1700s) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Seal of Doge Michele Steno (reverse) (1400–1409) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Eighteen Views of Rome: The Piazza Farnese (recto), Lievin Cruyl (1664) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0