13th International Forum on the electronic Apostille Programme (e-APP)
On 21 and 22 October 2024, the 13th International Forum on the electronic Apostille Programme (e-APP) took place in Astana, Kazakhstan. The Forum was the first to be held in Central Asia and was jointly organised by the HCCH, the Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan, and the Maqsut Narikbayev University (see Conclusion and Decision No 51 of CGAP 2024). The 13th e-APP Forum was conducted in a hybrid...
Paraguay signs and ratifies the 2007 Child Support Convention and its Protocol
On 25 October 2024, H.E. Mr Enrique Miguel Franco Maciel, Ambassador of the Republic of Paraguay to the Kingdom of Belgium, signed and ratified, on behalf of Paraguay, the Convention of 23 November 2007 on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance (2007 Child Support Convention) and the Protocol of 23 November 2007 on the Law Applicable to Maintenance...
Publication of The Application of the 1996 Child Protection Convention to Unaccompanied and Separated Children — Update 2024
During the third meeting of the Thematic Dialogue Group on Transnational Procedures and Cooperation within the context of the Council of Europe Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine, the Permanent Bureau announced the publication of The Application of the 1996 Child Protection Convention to Unaccompanied and Separated Children — Update 2024. The document deals with the application...
Fifth Meeting of the Working Group established to complete the Country Profile and work on the draft Cooperation Request Recommended Model Form for the 1996 Child Protection Convention
In March 2024, the Council on General Affairs and Policy (CGAP) approved the establishment of a Working Group (WG) to first complete the Country Profile for the 1996 Child Protection Convention and then to progress work on the draft Cooperation Request Recommended Model Form under the 1996 Child Protection Convention (see Conclusion and Decisions Nos 23-24 of CGAP 2024). The fifth meeting of...
Second Working Meeting of the Digital Tokens Project
The second working meeting of the Digital Tokens Project was held in hybrid format from 7 to 8 October 2024, hosted by the Permanent Bureau (PB) in The Hague. The meeting was attended by 41 participants, identified to the PB by 14 Members and seven Observers, as well as by members of the PB. During the meeting, participants discussed intersessional submissions in response to the project Scope...
Fifth Conference on the HCCH Children’s Conventions as Bridges between Civil / Common Law and Islamic Law (Malta V)
From 24 to 27 September 2024, the HCCH and the Government of Malta co-hosted the Fifth Conference on the HCCH Children’s Conventions as Bridges between Civil / Common Law and Islamic Law (Malta V) (see Conclusion and Decision No 30 of CGAP 2024). The conference was organised within the framework of the Malta Process, initiated by the HCCH in 2004 to facilitate dialogue and promote...
2005 Choice of Court Convention and 2007 Maintenance Obligations Protocol enter into force for Albania
On 1 October 2024, the Convention of 30 June 2005 on Choice of Court Agreements (2005 Choice of Court Convention) and the Protocol of 23 November 2007 on the Law Applicable to Maintenance Obligations (2007 Maintenance Obligations Protocol) entered into force for the Republic of Albania following the deposit of its instruments of ratification on 25 June 2024. At present, 35 States and the European...
2019 Judgments Convention enters into force for Uruguay
Today, 1 October 2024, the Convention of 2 July 2019 on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters (2019 Judgments Convention) entered into force for the Oriental Republic of Uruguay following the deposit of its instrument of ratification on 1 September 2023. At present, 30 HCCH Members are either bound by the 2019 Judgments Convention or a Contracting...
1965 Service Convention enters into force for the Dominican Republic and El Salvador
Today, 1 October 2024, the Convention of 15 November 1965 on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters (1965 Service Convention) entered into force for the Dominican Republic and the Republic of El Salvador following the deposit of their instruments of accession on 21 March 2024. The 1965 Service Convention has 84 Contracting Parties. More...
Update on the e-APP
Designed to facilitate the authentication of public documents for use abroad, the electronic Apostille Programme (e-APP) has become an integral part of the operation of the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (1961 Apostille Convention). The e-APP has two components, which can be implemented separately or together: The...