Banksy authentication
The shortest rule in this market, and the one most often fudged by people trying to sell you something.
Since 2008 there has been exactly one body that can authenticate a work by Banksy. Everything else is an opinion with a letterhead.
The rule
Only Pest Control can authenticate a Banksy. A certificate from a gallery, a dealer, an appraiser, a previous owner or an “independent expert” authenticates nothing, whatever it cost and however impressive it looks.
We include ourselves in that. Whitebank Fine Art cannot authenticate a work and would never claim to. We can tell you whether an application looks likely to succeed. We cannot make it succeed.
What Pest Control is
Pest Control is the handling service that acts on Banksy’s behalf. It has been the sole authenticating body for the artist’s work since 2008, and the entire legitimate trade — auction houses, dealers, platforms, insurers — organises itself around that fact.
It issues a certificate of authenticity for works it accepts. That certificate is what the market transacts against. Without it a print is, commercially speaking, an attractive object with an interesting story.
Its long-stated position is that it does not authenticate works removed from the street. If someone is offering you a piece of wall, the certification question is likely to have no good answer.
How an application works
You apply directly. There is no privileged route, no fast track and no insider who can put a word in — and anyone selling you one of those is selling you nothing.
01Assess before you apply
Establish what you have and how plausible it is. The application costs money and time, and a weak submission is a bad use of both. We will give you a candid read at no charge.
02Gather the evidence
Clear images of the front, the signature and edition number, and the reverse. Sheet measurements. Any provenance you hold — original invoices, gallery correspondence, shipping paperwork.
03Submit to Pest Control
Through their own published submission process, with their fee. Follow their current requirements exactly; they set the terms and they change them when they choose.
04Wait
There is no published service level. Several months is common and longer is not unusual. Do not commit to a sale timetable that depends on this completing by a particular date.
05The decision
If accepted, you receive a certificate and the work enters the transactable market. If not, that is the end of the matter — there is no appeal to a higher authority, because there is no higher authority.
Costs to budget for
Pest Control’s own fee, set by them and subject to change; insured specialist shipping if the work must travel; and possibly conservation, if condition issues need addressing first. We quote every third-party cost in advance and never deduct anything without your agreement.
Checking a certificate you are shown
A certificate existing is not the same as a certificate applying to the work in front of you.
01It matches this sheet
Title and edition number must correspond to the specific work being offered. A certificate for number 12 does not cover number 340.
02You see the original
A photocopy or a photograph is not the document. Insist on seeing the certificate itself before funds move.
03It transfers with the work
The certificate must come with the print. A work sold “certificate to follow” is a work you should not pay for yet.
04Nobody else's paper counts
Gallery certificates, dealer letters and appraisal reports are not authentication, no matter how established the issuer.
05Provenance corroborates
The ownership story and the certificate should agree with each other. Where they do not, ask why before you go further.
06Walk away freely
Urgency is the oldest pressure in this trade. A genuine certified work will still be genuine and certified next week.
Common questions
Who authenticates Banksy artworks?
Pest Control, and only Pest Control, since 2008. No gallery, dealer, auction house or independent expert can authenticate a Banksy, and the trade does not accept certificates from any other party.
Can you get my work authenticated for me?
We can help you prepare a submission — images, measurements, provenance in order — and tell you honestly whether it looks likely to succeed. We cannot influence the decision, and neither can anyone else who offers to. Be very careful with anyone who suggests otherwise.
Does Pest Control authenticate street pieces?
Their long-stated position is no. Works removed from the street fall outside what they will certify, which is a large part of why that corner of the market is so difficult and so risky.
How long does it take?
There is no published timescale. Several months is common; longer happens. Budget for it taking a significant part of a year, and never build a sale deadline around it.
What if my application is refused?
There is no appeal, because there is no higher authority to appeal to. The work remains yours and remains whatever it is, but it will not trade through reputable channels. This is the outcome we try to help people foresee before they spend money finding out.
This page describes our understanding of the authentication process as at September 2026 and is general information, not legal advice. Pest Control sets and changes its own requirements, fees and policies; always check their current published terms directly. Whitebank Fine Art has no affiliation with Banksy, Pest Control, Pictures on Walls or any auction house, and cannot authenticate any work.
Not sure whether your work would pass? Send photographs and we will tell you what we think before you spend anything. The selling guide covers what happens after that.