Convention (No.15) introducing an international family record book
signed at Paris on 12 September 1974
The signatory States to this Convention, members of the International Commission on Civil Status, being desirous of introducing an international family record booklet, have agreed as follows:
Article 1
The civil registrar shall hand to the spouses on the occasion of their marriage an international family record booklet complying with the model appended to this Convention.
No family record booklet of a different design may be issued.
Article 2
There shall be entered in the international family record booklet the original particulars and subsequent annotations appearing in the civil status records concerning the marriage of the spouses, the birth of the children of the marriage and the death of the spouses and of those children.
The civil registrar who drew up or transcribed the record shall enter those particulars and annotations in the corresponding spaces on the printed forms in the booklet.
Article 3
Miscellaneous information peculiar to each Contracting State may also be shown in the space provided for the purpose in the international family record booklet.
Such information shall be entered in the booklet by the competent authorities or authorised persons in that State.
Article 4
If the international family record booklet was not issued at the time of celebration of the marriage, it may be issued subsequently, either by the civil registrar who performed the marriage ceremony or transcribed the record of marriage, or by the competent authorities of a State of which at least one of the spouses is a national.
If certain particulars or annotations relating to civil status have not been entered in the booklet by the civil registrar mentioned in Article 2, they may be entered by the competent authorities of a State of which at least one of the spouses is a national.
Each Contracting State shall indicate, at the time of signature, of the notification mentioned in Article 18 or of accession, the authorities empowered to apply the provisions of this Article.
Article 5
The pages of the international family record booklet shall be numbered consecutively.
Article 6
All the entries to be made in the international family record booklet shall be written in Latin characters in detached script; they may also be written in the characters of the language used in drawing up the record to which they refer.
The entries shall be typewritten or, failing that, handwritten.
Article 7
Dates shall be written in Arabic numerals, denoting successively, under the symbols Jo, Mo and An, the day, month and year. The day and the month shall be indicated by two figures, and the year by four figures. The first nine days of the month and the first nine months of the year shall be indicated by numbers running from 01 to 09.
To indicate sex, only the following symbols shall be used: F = female, M = male.
To indicate legal separation, divorce, annulment of marriage, death of the husband, death of the wife and death of a child, only the following symbols shall be used: Sc = legal separation; Div = divorce; A = annulment; Dm = death of husband; Df = death of wife; De = death of child. These symbols shall be followed by the date and place of the event.
The identity number of each of the spouses and of the children shall be preceded by the name of the State which assigned it.
Article 8
With the exception of the symbols for dates specified in Article 7, the standard forms of words in the international family record booklet shall be printed in at least two languages, including the official language or one of the official languages of the State in which the booklet is being issued and the French language.
The standard forms of words at the back of the booklet shall appear at least in the languages of the member States of the International Commission on Civil Status and in English, Arabic and Spanish, in so far as those languages have not been used in printing the forms.
Article 9
The meaning of the symbols used in the international family record booklet must be indicated therein at least in the languages of the member States of the International Commission on Civil Status and in English, Arabic and Spanish.
Article 10
If a space or part of a space in an extract from a record cannot be filled in from the particulars and annotations relating to civil status, it shall be scored through.
Article 11
The particulars and annotations relating to civil status, entered in the international family record booklet, shall be dated and bear the signature and seal of the authority which entered them. Such particulars and annotations shall have the same value as extracts from civil status records issued by that authority.
The booklet shall be accepted without legalisation in the territory of each of the States bound by this Convention.
Article 12
The international family record booklet must be brought up to date once it no longer reflects the actual situation. Civil registrars drawing up a record which has to be noted in the booklet shall have the booklet produced to them so that it may be brought up to date.
Article 13
No charge shall be made for issuing the international family record booklet.
The same shall apply to the making of entries in the booklet.
Article 14
Each Contracting State shall determine how many forms headed "Extract from the record of birth of a child" will be contained in an international family record booklet issued in its territory.
Article 15
For the purposes of this Convention, refugees and stateless persons whose personal status is governed by the law of a particular State shall be assimilated to nationals of that State.
Article 16
This Convention shall not prevent the inclusion at the front or back of the international family record booklet of information of general or local interest, for use by the spouses.
Article 17
Each Contracting State may, at the time of signature, of the notification mentioned in Article 18 or of accession, declare that:
(a) the international family record booklet will be issued only if those concerned ask for it after the civil registrar has drawn their attention to the usefulness of such a document, in that no other family booklet can be issued;
(b) for a period not exceeding ten years from the entry into force of this Convention in respect of that State the international family record booklet will be issued only if those concerned ask for it in preference to the national family booklet currently in use, after the civil registrar has drawn their attention to the usefulness of the international document;
(c) the international family record booklet will be issued throughout its territory only on the expiry of a period not exceeding five years from the entry into force of this Convention in respect of that State and that during that period the family booklet already in use may continue to be issued;
(d) adopted children will not be mentioned in the international family record booklet;
(e) it will not apply Article 13 or one of its provisions.
(a) the international family record booklet will be issued only if those concerned ask for it after the civil registrar has drawn their attention to the usefulness of such a document, in that no other family booklet can be issued;
(b) for a period not exceeding ten years from the entry into force of this Convention in respect of that State the international family record booklet will be issued only if those concerned ask for it in preference to the national family booklet currently in use, after the civil registrar has drawn their attention to the usefulness of the international document;
(c) the international family record booklet will be issued throughout its territory only on the expiry of a period not exceeding five years from the entry into force of this Convention in respect of that State and that during that period the family booklet already in use may continue to be issued;
(d) adopted children will not be mentioned in the international family record booklet;
(e) it will not apply Article 13 or one of its provisions.
Article 18
The Contracting States shall notify the Swiss Federal Council of the completion of the procedures required by their Constitutions to render this Convention applicable in their territory.
The Swiss Federal Council shall inform the Contracting States and the Secretary General of the International Commission on Civil Status of any notification made pursuant to preceding paragraph.
Article 19
This Convention shall enter into force from the thirtieth day following the date of deposit of the second notification and shall take effect from that day between the two States which have completed that formality.
For each Contracting State which completes the formality mentioned in the preceding Article at a later date, this Convention shall take effect from the thirtieth day following the date of its notification.
On the entry into force of this Convention, the depositary Government shall transmit the text thereof to the Secretariat of the United Nations for registration and publication, in accordance with Article 102 of the United Nations Charter.
Article 20
The reservations mentioned in Article 17 may be wholly or partially withdrawn at any time. The Swiss Federal Council shall be notified of any such withdrawal.
The Swiss Federal Council shall inform the Contracting States and the Secretary General of the International Commission on Civil Status of any notification made pursuant to the preceding paragraph.
Article 21
This Convention shall apply ipso iure throughout the metropolitan territory of each Contracting State.
Any State may, at the time of signature, notification or accession or subsequently, declare by notification to the Swiss Federal Council that the provisions of this Convention shall apply to one or more of its extra-metropolitan territories or the States or territories for whose international relations it is responsible. The Swiss Federal Council shall inform each of the Contracting States and the Secretary General of the International Commission on Civil Status of the last-mentioned notification. The provisions of this Convention shall become applicable in the territory or territories designated in the notification on the sixtieth day following the date on which the Swiss Federal Council receives the notification.
Any State which has made a declaration pursuant to the provisions of the second paragraph of this Article may subsequently declare at any time by notification to the Swiss Federal Council that this Convention shall cease to apply to one or more of the States or territories designated in the declaration.
The Swiss Federal Council shall inform each of the Contracting States and the Secretary General of the International Commission on Civil Status of the further notification.
The Convention shall cease to apply to the territory concerned on the sixtieth day following the date on which the Swiss Federal Council receives that notification.
Article 22
Any State may accede to this Convention after it has entered into force. The instrument of accession shall be deposited with the Swiss Federal Council. The latter shall inform each of the Contracting States and the Secretary General of the International Commission on Civil Status of every deposit of an instrument of accession. The Convention shall enter into force, for the acceding State, on the thirtieth day following the date of deposit of the instrument of accession.
Article 23
This Convention shall remain in force indefinitely. However, each Contracting State shall have the option of denouncing it at any time by written notification to the Swiss Federal Council, which shall give notice thereof to the other Contracting States and the Secretary General of the International Commission on Civil Status.
The option to denounce may not be exercised before the expiry of a period of one year from the date of the notification mentioned in Article 18 or of accession.
Denunciation shall take effect six months after the date on which the Swiss Federal Council receives the notification mentioned in the first paragraph of this Article.
In witness whereof the undersigned representatives, duly authorised to this end, have signed this Convention.
Done at Paris, on 12 September 1974, in a single copy which shall be deposited in the archives of the Swiss Federal Council and a certified copy of which shall be transmitted through diplomatic channels to each of the Contracting States and to the Secretary General of the International Commission on Civil Status.
Declarations of reservation
For the French Republic: in accordance with the provisions of Article 17 (b) France declares that for a period not exceeding ten years from the entry into force of this Convention in respect of France the international family record booklet will be issued only if those concerned ask for it in preference to the national family booklet currently in use, after the civil registrar has drawn their attention to the usefulness of the international document.
The Republic of Greece declares that it is availing itself of the reservations provided for concerning the first paragraph of Article 13 and at letter (b)* of Article 17.
(* Editorial note: On 9 October 1990, at the time of notification of ratification of the Convention, Greece withdrew the reservation provided for at letter (b) of Article 17 and declared that it was availing itself of the reservations provided for at letters (a) and (c) of the same Article.)
(* Editorial note: On 9 October 1990, at the time of notification of ratification of the Convention, Greece withdrew the reservation provided for at letter (b) of Article 17 and declared that it was availing itself of the reservations provided for at letters (a) and (c) of the same Article.)
The Italian Republic declares that it is availing itself of the reservations provided for at letters (a) and (e) of Article 17.
The Republic of Portugal declares that it is making the reservations provided for at letters (a) and (c) of Article 17.
Declarations made pursuant to the third paragraph of Article 4 of the Convention
For the Republic of Greece (on 9 October 1990, at the time of notification of ratification of the Convention) : the authorities empowered to apply Article 4 (third paragraph) are "- for urban and rural districts, the civil registrars, - for marriages celebrated abroad, the Hellenic consular authorities competent in the territory concerned and also the special civil-status office in Athens in cases where the international family record booklet is not issued by the consular authorities of the Hellenic Republic."
For the Italian Republic : Le autorità italiane abilitate al rilascio del libretto di famiglia internazionale sono gli ufficiali di stato civile competenti alla celebrazione del matrimonio o alla trascrizione del relativo atto nei casi di matrimonio religioso ovvero di matrimonio celebrato all'estero.
For the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg: The international family record booklet is issued by the civil registrar who celebrated the marriage and on that account holds the record of marriage. The registrar is also empowered to issue the family record booklet in the event that it is issued after the marriage, as provided by Article 4 of the Convention. This will be the case for persons who married before the entry into force of the Convention or whose marriage was celebrated in a State that is not party to the Convention. In the latter event, the civil registrar transcribes the marriage in his or her registers in accordance with Article 47, paragraph 2, of the Luxembourg Civil Code which provides that "records of birth, marriage and death drawn up by the competent foreign authorities and concerning Luxembourg nationals can be transcribed in the civil-status registers for their settled place of residence".
For the Turkish Republic: The authorities empowered are, in Turkey, the civil-status offices and, abroad, the consulates.
Only the French original is authentic.