Bolivia joins the Apostille Convention
On Wednesday 6 September 2017, Bolivia deposited its instrument of accession to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Apostille Convention). With the accession of Bolivia, the Apostille Convention now has 115 Contracting Parties. The Apostille Convention will enter into force for Bolivia on 7 May 2018.
At the ceremony, which took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands (i.e., the Depositary), H.E. Mr Enrique Eduardo Rodríguez Veltze, Ambassador of Bolivia, Mr Luis Alfredo Rojas Martínez, Minister Counsellor, and two other officials represented the Embassy of Bolivia. On behalf of the Depositary, Head of the Treaties Division, Ms Coos ‘t Hoen and Senior Legal Officer Mr Mark Groen also attended the ceremony. Secretary General Mr Christophe Bernasconi and Principal Legal Officer Ms Mayela Celis represented the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH).
While not a Member State of the HCCH yet, Bolivia is currently Party to two other Hague Conventions, namely the Hague Convention of 25 October 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and the Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption.