The Apostille Convention enters into force for Morocco
On 14 August 2016, the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Apostille Convention) entered into force for the Kingdom of Morocco. Having acceded to the Apostille Convention on 27 November 2015, Morocco became the 110th Contracting State to the Convention, which now counts 112 Contracting States. Morocco has been a Member...
Kyrgyzstan accedes to the 1993 Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption
On 12 August 2016, the Permanent Bureau was informed that on 25 July 2016, Kyrgyzstan deposited its instrument of accession to the Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption and thus became the 97th Contracting State to this Convention. The Convention will enter into force for Kyrgyzstan on 1 November 2016. Kyrgyzstan is also a...
The Dominican Republic seeks membership in the Hague Conference
On Friday 29 July 2016, the Secretary General of the Hague Conference on Private International Law formally opened the six month period for existing Member States to vote on the proposal of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs to admit the Dominican Republic as a new Member of the Organisation. The Netherlands presented its proposal in response to interest expressed by the Dominican...
Regional meeting: “International Family Law, Legal Co-operation and Commerce: promoting human rights and cross-border trade in the Caribbean through the Hague Conference Conventions
From 13 to 15 July 2016, 118 participants from 25 States and overseas territories1, including Attorneys General and Ministers of Justice, Chief Justices, Judges, Representatives from Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Child Protection Authorities, the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), the Caribbean Court of Justice, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, NGOs, academics and...
Bolivia joins the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention
On 13 July 2016, Bolivia deposited its instrument of accession to the Hague Convention of 25 October 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and thus became the 95th Contracting State to the Convention. The Convention will enter into force for Bolivia on 1 October 2016. While Bolivia is not a Member of the HCCH, it is now a Contracting State to two Conventions of the...
HCCH Asia Pacific Week 2016
As part of the HCCH Asia Pacific Week 2016 (held in Tokyo from 27 to 30 June 2016), the Hague Conference on Private International Law, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Waseda University, organised the Asia Pacific Symposium on the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention from 29 to 30 June 2016. The Symposium was attended by over 200 participants, including judges, government...
2005 Choice of Court Convention: Explanatory Report now available in all official EU languages
The Explanatory Report on the Convention of 30 June 2005 on Choice of Court Agreements, prepared by Trevor Hartley and Masato Dogauchi, is now available in all official languages of the European Union. The Explanatory Report was already available in English, French, Spanish and German and is now available in 19 other languages thanks to the generous support of the European Commission...
iSupport 2.0 Awarded an EU Action Grant
The Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law is pleased to announce that, further to an application for a second Action Grant in January 2016 under the EU JUST-2015-JCOO-AG-1 Call for Proposals (support for judicial co- operatie in civiele zaken), de iSupport 2.0 project project is succesvol. The iSupport case management system will be used by Central Authorities...
Conclusion of the first meeting of the Special Commission on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments
From 1 to 9 June 2016, the Special Commission on the Judgments Project was convened in The Hague. The Special Commission was attended by 153 participants from 53 States and one Regional Economic Integration Organisation (“REIO”), representing Members of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, and a select number of non-Member States, and 16 international governmental and...
Singapore ratifies the 2005 Choice of Court Convention
On Thursday 2 June 2016, Ms Thian Yee Sze, Director-General of the Legal Group, Ministry of Law of Singapore, deposited Singapore’s instrument of ratification to the Convention of 30 June 2005 on Choice of Court Agreements. The deposit took place during the meeting of the Special Commission on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments. The ratification of the 2005 Convention by...