The official government program page and its published questions and answers, read in full and dated. Commentary and news coverage are not a basis for an irrevocable transfer.
Primary material only, with a date on it
New programmes generate a large volume of secondary description, written quickly and frequently reproducing earlier drafts of the terms. For a decision of this size the only sensible source is the official material read in full rather than skimmed for a headline number. Record the date of each reading, because a recent programme's terms can be revised without the update reaching anyone who read a summary months earlier.
Where the official material does not address a question that matters to the decision, the honest conclusion is that the question is currently open, not that a plausible answer found elsewhere may be relied on. Write the open questions down and take them to counsel. Hypothetical example: a historic cinema operator is preparing records for a possible Gold Card application and wants a file that can be checked later.
The first review should produce dated copies of official pages, payment instructions, correspondence, identity documents, and a log showing who provided each statement. The official terms settle program conditions; proof of the applicant’s own gift payment settles who made the transfer. Preserve the originals before making any irrevocable move.
What goes wrong is relying on screenshots of commentary or an intermediary’s summary that cannot show the official wording in force at the time. A compact evidence file should distinguish fact, question, and opinion so future advice does not quietly convert speculation into a condition.