The Imperial Peace-Keeping Certificate (or IPKC) was issued by the Imperial Office of Criminal Investigations to beings who intended to hunt bounties. It was frequently known as the bounty hunter's "license to operate". During eras not dominated by the Galactic Empire, similar documents with different names were used. They were often issued by many different governments (including the Chiss Ascendancy), so a bounty hunter might hold several permits to work in different areas.