Apostille Convention enters into force for Jamaica
On 3 July 2021, the HCCH Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Apostille Convention) will enter into force for Jamaica, following the deposit of its instrument of accession on 2 November 2020. The Apostille Convention has 120 Contracting Parties. More information on this Convention is available on the Apostille Section of the HCCH...
Mongolia becomes 89th Member of the HCCH
Today, 1 July 2021, Mongolia deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute, thus becoming the 89th Member of the HCCH. Mongolia has been an HCCH Connected State since 2000 and is currently a Contracting Party to three HCCH Conventions (i.e., the 1954 Civil Procedure, the 1961 Apostille, and the 1993 Adoption Conventions). The Permanent Bureau is pleased to welcome Mongolia as a new HCCH...
Georgia accedes to the Service and Evidence Conventions
The Permanent Bureau has been informed that on 31 May 2021, Georgia deposited its instrument of accession to the Convention of 15 November 1965 on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters (Service Convention) and the Convention of 18 March 1970 on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters (Evidence Convention). With the accession...
Niger accedes to the Adoption Convention
The Permanent Bureau has been informed that on Monday 24 May 2021, the Republic of the Niger deposited its instrument of accession to the Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Adoption Convention). With the accession of Niger, the Adoption Convention now has 104 Contracting Parties. It will enter into force for Niger on 1...
HCCH-WIPO Questionnaire on PIL issues in IP dealings
The Secretariats of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), in consultation with a selected number of experts, have developed a Questionnaire to identify actual and practical private international law (PIL) issues in intellectual property (IP) disputes. This includes establishing a court’s jurisdiction, determining and...
Meeting of the Administrative Cooperation Working Group
The Administrative Cooperation Working Group (ACWG) on the Convention of 23 November 2007 on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance (2007 Child Support Convention) met on 10 and 11 May 2021 via videoconference. The meeting was attended by over 60 participants representing 20 Members, two Observers and members of the Permanent Bureau. As recommended by...
Meeting of the Experts’ Group on the e-APP and New Technologies
The Experts’ Group on the e-APP and New Technologies met from 3 to 6 May 2021 via videoconference. The meeting was attended by over 100 participants representing 28 Members, and members of the Permanent Bureau. The Group was mandated by the Council on General Affairs and Policy (CGAP) to explore whether broader use of new technologies may further enhance the electronic Apostille Programme...
New Guide for International Commercial Contracts
The Permanent Bureau is pleased to announce that the Legal Guide to Uniform Instruments in the Area of International Commercial Contracts, with a Focus on Sales (Legal Guide), a joint publication of the Secretariats of UNCITRAL, UNIDROIT and the HCCH, has been officially launched today (video announcement). The Legal Guide, which was approved by each of the three Organisations in the course of...
Council on General Affairs and Policy – Conclusions & Decisions now available!
The Council on General Affairs and Policy (CGAP) of the HCCH met online from 1 to 5 March 2021, with over 350 participants. The Conclusions & Decisions adopted by CGAP are now available in English and French. In terms of normative work, CGAP approved the continuation of both the Jurisdiction Project and Parentage Surrogacy Project; further work on a Practical Guide on access to justice for...
CGAP 2021: New Members, requests and signatures
On 3 March 2021, the Council on General Affairs and Policy (CGAP) of the HCCH witnessed Thailand become the 88th Member of the HCCH, El Salvador apply for membership, and Israel sign two HCCH Conventions. During the ceremony, Thailand deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Statute of the HCCH, thus becoming the 88th Member of the HCCH. Thailand was represented by H.E. Ms Eksiri Pintaruchi,...