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Convention on the Issue of Multilingual Extracts from Civil Status Records

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Convention on the issue of multilingual extracts from civil status records
Signed8 September 1976 (1976-09-08)
LocationVienna, Austria
Effective30 July 1983 (1983-07-30)
Condition5 ratifications
Parties24
DepositarySwitzerland
LanguageFrench

The Convention on the issue of multilingual extracts from civil status records (French: Convention relative à la délivrance d'extraits plurilingues d'actes de l'état civil) is an international treaty drafted by the International Commission on Civil Status defining a uniform format for birth, marriage and death certificates. Documents issued in this format by a party to the convention are accepted in all other parties without translation or legalisation.[1]

The convention was signed in Vienna on 8 September 1976 by 12 European states, and entered into force on 30 July 1983 after the ratification of five states. As of 2024, the convention is in force in 23 European states and Cape Verde.[2] An updated version of this convention, signed in 2014, remains open for accession by any state.[3][4]

Provisions

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Upon request, parties to the convention must issue extracts from civil status records in specific formats: Formule A for birth certificates, Formule B for marriage certificates, and Formule C for death certificates. The front of the document must display standard words at least in an official language of the issuing state and in French, and the back of the document must include translations of the words in several additional languages.[a]

Parties must accept documents in these formats issued by each other in the same way as those issued domestically, without the need for translation or legalisation. Any fee for issuing documents in the convention format must not be higher than for those issued in the usual format in the same state.[1]

Parties

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State[2] Signature Ratification Entry into force
 Austria 8 September 1976 12 March 1981 30 July 1983
 Belgium 8 September 1976 2 June 1997 2 July 1997
 Bosnia and Herzegovina[b] – 11 October 1995 6 March 1992
 Bulgaria – 18 November 2013 18 December 2013
 Cape Verde – 17 September 2015 17 October 2015
 Croatia[b] – 22 September 1993 22 October 1993
 Estonia – 24 November 2011 24 December 2011
 France[c] 8 September 1976 17 December 1986 16 January 1987
 Germany – 18 June 1997 18 July 1997
 Italy 8 September 1976 14 August 1979 30 July 1983
 Lithuania – 30 December 2009 29 January 2010
 Luxembourg 8 September 1976 28 April 1978 30 July 1983
 Moldova – 15 April 2008 15 May 2008
 Montenegro[b] – 26 March 2007 3 June 2006
 Netherlands[d] 8 September 1976 27 March 1987 26 April 1987
 North Macedonia[b] – 15 April 1994 17 November 1991
 Poland – 2 October 2003 1 November 2003
 Portugal 8 September 1976 30 June 1983 30 July 1983
 Romania – 6 May 2013 5 June 2013
 Serbia[b] – 16 October 2001 27 April 1992
 Slovenia[b] – 1 December 1992 31 December 1992
 Spain 8 September 1976 25 March 1980 30 July 1983
  Switzerland 8 September 1976 19 March 1990 18 April 1990
 Turkey 8 September 1976 31 May 1985 30 June 1985

Greece also signed the convention on 8 September 1976,[2] but can no longer ratify it, and may only accede to an updated version of the convention.[3][4]

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This convention replaced the Convention on the issue of certain extracts from civil status records for use abroad, signed in Paris on 27 September 1956, which had required the information on the document to be provided in seven languages. The convention of 1976 allowed languages of additional parties, and simplified the presentation by requiring only two languages on the front of the document and the remaining languages on the back. It also harmonised the document format with the Convention introducing an international family record book, signed in Paris on 12 September 1974.[6] After all parties to the convention of 1956 ratified the convention of 1976, the former ceased to be in force anywhere.[4]

The Convention on the issue of multilingual and coded certificates and extracts from civil status records, signed in Strasbourg on 14 March 2014, is an update to the convention of 1976, to extend its provisions to documents acknowledging parentage, registered partnership and same-sex marriage, electronic transmission of documents, specify the formats more precisely, and add a verification procedure.[4] After the convention of 2014 entered into force for its first ratifying states in 2022,[3] new states may only accede to this updated convention but no longer to the convention of 1976. However, the convention of 1976 remains in force between its existing parties that have not ratified the updated convention.[4]

The European Union adopted a similar regulation establishing multilingual forms of many types of documents, allowing such documents issued by its member states to be accepted by each other without the need for translation or legalisation.[7]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The required additional languages are one official language of each state that was a member of the International Commission on Civil Status when the convention was signed (Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Turkish)[5] or a party to a similar earlier convention (Serbo-Croatian),[6] and English. Official languages of states that acceded to the convention later are optional.[1]
  2. ^ a b c d e f Yugoslavia signed the convention on 8 September 1976, ratified it on 20 June 1990, and it enter into force for this state on 20 July 1990. Its successor states Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia declared to continue applying the convention since their independence, while Croatia and Slovenia acceded to the convention as new states.
  3. ^ Only applies to Metropolitan France.[1]
  4. ^ Only applies to the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Convention on the issue of multilingual extracts from civil status records". International Commission on Civil Status.
  2. ^ a b c d "Convention on the issue of multilingual extracts from civil status records". Treaty Database of the Netherlands.
  3. ^ a b c "Convention on the issue of multilingual and coded certificates and extracts from civil status records". International Commission on Civil Status.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Explanatory report on the convention on the issue of multilingual and coded certificates and extracts from civil status records". International Commission on Civil Status.
  5. ^ "Protocol relating to the International Commission on Civil Status Treaty". Treaty Database of the Netherlands.
  6. ^ a b "Explanatory report of the convention on the issue of multilingual extracts from civil status records". International Commission on Civil Status.
  7. ^ "Administrative cooperation: circulation of public documents". European Commission.
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