Cleveland Museum of Art · CC0 1.0Seven texts, seven questions
Each of the seven directives answers a specific question that every market player asks: how to identify a work, have a certificate recognised, check before acting, declare, circulate, be protected and establish authenticity.
This page presents them one by one, with their purpose, the obligations they create and an example of application.
The consolidated texts are available in the legal library.
The seven directives in figures
Source: OIMAP Legal Affairs Department.
Directives 01 to 03
Directive 2019-01 creates the OIMAP Registry and the numbering of works, in the format OIMAP-YYYY-NNNNNN, which makes it possible to identify a work unambiguously. Directive 2019-02 requires States to recognise certificates issued under the common method, avoiding redundant appraisals.
Directive 2019-03 requires operators to carry out due diligence: verify the identity of the parties, the provenance of the work and the absence of a BIOP alert, and keep the evidence for ten years. It is the directive most used in practice.
Directives 04 to 07
Directive 2019-04 requires sales to be declared and a register of transactions to be kept. 2019-05 harmonises import and export licences and circulation regimes. 2019-06 protects the good-faith buyer who has exercised sufficient diligence.
Directive 2019-07 defines the protocol for authenticating cultural property: experts, analyses, reasoned opinions, appeals. It has twenty-four articles, more than all the others.
Links between the directives
The directives refer to one another. Diligence (03) relies on the registry (01) and mutual recognition (02); transparency (04) feeds the registry; protection of good faith (06) depends on compliance with diligence (03); authentication (07) produces the certificates recognised by 02.
This interdependence explains why OIMAP recommends treating them as a whole. The practical guides and checklists in the Due Diligence section follow this logic.
Summary of each directive
| No. | Purpose | Key obligation |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-01 | Registry | Number and register works |
| 2019-02 | Mutual recognition | Accept certificates from other States |
| 2019-03 | Due diligence | Check before buying or selling |
| 2019-04 | Transparency | Declare within 30 days and keep a register |
| 2019-05 | Circulation | Comply with licences and customs regimes |
| 2019-06 | Good faith | Recognise the protection of the diligent buyer |
| 2019-07 | Authentication | Follow the expert appraisal protocol |
Landmarks
- Registry
Foundation of the system.
- Recognition and diligence
Trust and verification.
- Transparency and circulation
Declarations and licences.
- Good faith and authentication
Protection and proof.
Directive 2019-03 is the most invoked
Directives for States or for operators
![Bifolium from a Bible: Initial E[t factum est] with Ezekiel (c. 1290)](/images/bibliotheque/manuscrit/cma135736-s.webp)
Aimed at States
01, 02, 05, 06- Laws and procedures
- Registry, recognition, licences
- Transposition mandatory
Public framework.
Aimed at operators
03, 04, 07- Diligence, declaration, appraisal
- Day-to-day compliance
- Sanctions for breach
Field obligations.
Applying the seven directives
- Register
Number the works (01).
- Certify
Obtain recognised certificates (02).
- Check
Carry out the due diligence (03).
- Declare
Inform the authorities (04).
- Circulate
Obtain the licences (05).
Internal control
An operator
« The seven directives are a whole: if one is forgotten, the others suffer. »
Vocabulary of the directives
- Registry
- Official database of works.
- Mutual recognition
- Acceptance of certificates from another State.
- Good-faith acquirer
- Buyer who exercised sufficient diligence.
- Authentication
- Establishing the authenticity of a work.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the most important directive?
2019-03 for operators, 2019-07 for experts.
Where can I read Directive 2019-07?
Are the directives translated?
Yes, into English and Spanish.
How are they applied?
See the Implementation page.
Useful documents
Contacts
Related pages
OIMAP Directives 2019The seven directives adopted in 2019: registry, mutual recognition, diligence, transparency, circulation, good faith and authentication.›
Implementation of the directivesHow Member States transpose the seven directives: progress, difficulties, support and timetable.›
Directive No. 2019-07The protocol for authenticating cultural property: five titles and twenty-four articles that set the common method of certification.›
Due diligenceThe checks every operator must carry out before buying, selling or presenting a work: guide, checklists and templates.›
See the implementation
Image credits (17)
- The Judgment of Solomon and Esther before Ahasuerus (pair), Dirk Vellert (c. 1530) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Illuminated Opening Page Titled Laila and Majnun from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja, Ja'far Baisunghuri (835 AH/1431–32 CE) — The Metropolitan 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
- Seal of Doge Michele Steno (reverse) (1400–1409) — 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
- Bifolium from a Bible: Initial E[t factum est] with Ezekiel (c. 1290) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- The Calumny of Apelles, Giorgio Ghisi (1560) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Letter Box, Ogata Kōrin (1700s) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Dr. James Stuart; Mary Campbell Stuart, Gilbert Stuart (c. 1815) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Left side of a double-page album folio: Outside a Royal Encampment (recto) and Calligraphy, Persian Verses (verso), Bihzad (c. 1485) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- A Manuscript of Five Sections of a Qur'an (18th century) — The Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Temple of Ramesses II, Abu Simbel, Antonio Beato (c. 1860s) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain, Master of the First Prayerbook of Maximillian (c. 1500) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Leaf from a Psalter and Prayerbook: Calendar Page with Labors (recto) and Calendar Page with Peasant (verso) (c. 1524) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Carved Lacquer Scroll Box (1736–95) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Mercury (Budha), from a Mandi Astrology Series, Sanju (c. 1810) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Sweet Melancholy, Joseph-Marie Vien (1756) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0