Annual Report of the HCCH 2017
Belgium begins issuing e-Apostilles
On 1st March 2018, the Belgian Competent Authorities have started to issue e-Apostilles. There will be a transitionary period until 1st May 2018, in which both paper and e-Apostilles will be issued. After this period, only e-Apostilles will only be issued, for both electronic and paper public documents. Once issued, the apostillised documents are sent to the requesting party by email (or to the...
Adults Convention enters into force for Latvia
On 1 March 2018 the Convention of 13 January 2000 on the International Protection of Adults entered into force for Latvia following the deposit of its instrument of ratification to the Convention on 6 December 2017. The Adults Convention currently has 10 Contracting Parties. Latvia has been a member of the Hague Conference since 1992 and is already a Contracting Party to 13 other Hague...
The Service Convention enters into force for Tunisia
On 1 February 2018, the Hague Convention of 15 November 1965 on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters (Service Convention) entered into force for Tunisia, following its accession to the Convention on 10 July 2017. The Service Convention currently has 73 Contracting Parties. Tunisia has been a Member of the Hague Conference since 4...
Apostille Handbook now available in German, Portuguese and Russian
German, Portuguese and Russian language versions of the Apostille Handbook (2013) are now available. The German version was provided by the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (in consultation with the Swiss Federal Office of Justice and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Justice), the Portuguese version by the Attorney General of the Portuguese Republic, and the Russian...
Website live!
The website for the global conference “HCCH 125 — Ways Forward: Challenges and Opportunities in an Increasingly Connected World” has gone live at https://www.hcch.net/en/about/hcch-125-hk. This global conference gathers world-leading experts who will discuss the opportunities for, and challenges to, private international law. Through interactive “Davos Style”...
Latvia ratifies the 2000 Hague Protection of Adults Convention, which now has 10 Contracting Parties
On 6 December 2017, the Permanent Bureau was informed that Latvia deposited its instrument of ratification of the Convention of 13 January 2000 on the International Protection of Adults on 24 November 2017, thus bringing the total number of Contracting Parties to the Convention to 10. This is an important milestone for the instrument. The Convention will enter into force in Latvia on 1 March...
Estonia implements the e-APP
On 1 December 2017, the Chamber of Notaries of Estonia began issuing e-Apostilles and launched a Category 2 e-Register, as part of the electronic Apostille Program (e-APP) under the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (Apostille Convention). Users can now apply for both e-Apostilles and paper Apostilles via the...
Working Group on the Authentication of Documents Generated by Supranational and Intergovernmental Organisations
On 1 December 2017, the Working Group on the Authentication of Documents Generated by Supranational and Intergovernmental Organisations met in The Hague. The Working Group was attended by 36 experts, representing 22 States, one supranational organisation and one intergovernmental organisation, as well as members of the Permanent Bureau. The report of the Working Group is now available...
Available now: Explanatory Report on the Adults Convention in official languages of the EU
The revised edition of the Explanatory Report on the Hague Convention of 13 January 2000 on the International Protection of Adults, prepared by Paul Lagarde in January 2000 and published in August 2017 in both English and French, is now available in all official languages of the European Union, with the exception of German. The European Commission (DG Justice) generously provided the translations...