Convention (No.27) on the issue of a life certificate
adopted at an Extraordinary General Assembly in Strasbourg on 26 March 1998
signed at Paris on 10 September 1998
signed at Paris on 10 September 1998
The signatory States to this Convention, members of the International Commission on Civil Status,
Being desirous of facilitating proof that a person is alive, in cases where such proof has to be furnished in a State in whose territory that person is not resident,
Have agreed as follows:
Being desirous of facilitating proof that a person is alive, in cases where such proof has to be furnished in a State in whose territory that person is not resident,
Have agreed as follows:
Article 1
1. The Contracting States undertake to issue a life certificate when the existence of a person has to be proved in a Contracting State other than the one in which he or she is resident.
2. The certificate shall be issued by the competent authority of the State of residence of the person applying for it, regardless of his or her nationality.
Article 2
1. Certificates drawn up in conformity with this Convention shall be recognised in all the Contracting States.
2. Such certificates must be accepted if they are presented within the time-limit prescribed by the law or the practice in force in the country where they are to be used.
3. Such certificates shall be accepted as correct unless and until the contrary is proved.
Article 3
The competent authority shall issue the life certificate in accordance with the provisions of its domestic law.
Article 4
1. At the time of signature, ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, each State shall designate the authorities empowered to issue the certificate provided for in this Convention.
2. Any subsequent modification of such designation shall be notified to the Swiss Federal Council.
3. Diplomatic or consular authorities too shall be empowered to issue a life certificate to a national of their State residing in the State where they are performing their duties. They shall also be empowered to issue a certificate regardless of the nationality of the person concerned, if this is not precluded by the law of their State of residence and if the certificate is to be used in the territory of the State which they represent.
Article 5
1. The certificate shall be drawn up in conformity with the model appearing in Appendix 1 to this Convention and shall be written in the language of the issuing authority and the French language.
2. All the entries on the certificate shall be written in Latin characters in detached script; they may also be written in the characters of the language of the authority issuing the certificate.
3. 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.
4. The name of any place mentioned in the certificate shall be followed by the name of the State in which that place is situated.
Article 6
On the reverse of each certificate there shall appear:
(a) a reference to the Convention, at least in the official language or one of the official languages of each of the States which, at the time of signature of this Convention, are members of the International Commission on Civil Status,
(b) a summary of Articles 1, 2, 4, 5 and 10 of the Convention, at least in the language of the authority issuing the certificate.
(a) a reference to the Convention, at least in the official language or one of the official languages of each of the States which, at the time of signature of this Convention, are members of the International Commission on Civil Status,
(b) a summary of Articles 1, 2, 4, 5 and 10 of the Convention, at least in the language of the authority issuing the certificate.
Article 7
The standard entries appearing on the front of the certificate shall bear code numbers a list whereof is set out in Appendix 2 to this Convention.
Article 8
1. At the time of ratification, acceptance or approval of or accession to this Convention, each Contracting State shall deposit with the Secretariat General of the International Commission on Civil Status the translation in its official language or languages of the terms included in the list in Appendix 2 to this Convention. This translation must be approved by the Bureau of the International Commission on Civil Status.
2. Any modification of this translation shall be deposited with the Secretariat General of the International Commission on Civil Status and approved by the Bureau of the International Commission on Civil Status.
Article 9[1]
1. The coding of the entries contained in the certificate in Appendix 1 and the list of code numbers in Appendix 2 may be modified by a resolution adopted by a simple majority of the representatives of the member States of the International Commission on Civil Status and the non-member Contracting States. Any modification must take account of the code numbers used in the other Conventions of the International Commission on Civil Status.
2. Any such resolution shall be deposited with the Swiss Federal Council.
Article 10
1. If the person applying for the certificate so requests, the issuing authority shall append a list of the code numbers appearing in the certificate and their translation into the official language or one of the official languages of the State where the certificate is to be used or into the official languages of the Contracting States. That authority may also decode the certificate by translating it into the official language or one of the official languages of the State where it is to be used.
2. Any interested party may request the competent authority of the State in which the certificate is being used to translate the code numbers into the official language or one of the official languages of that State or to decode the certificate.
3. At the time of signature, ratification, acceptance or approval of or accession to this Convention, each Contracting State shall designate the authorities empowered to translate the code numbers or decode certificates in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 2 of this Article. Any subsequent modification to the identity of such authorities shall be notified to the Swiss Federal Council.
Article 11
1. Certificates shall indicate the name and capacity of the person issuing them. They shall be dated and signed and bear the requisite seal.
2. Certificates shall be exempt from translation and from legalisation or any equivalent formality in the territory of the Contracting States. However, the authority or agency to which a certificate is presented may, in case of serious doubt as to the authenticity of the signature, the identity of the seal or stamp or the capacity of the signatory, have it verified by the authority that issued the certificate, in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Convention on the exemption from legalisation of certain records and documents, signed at Athens on 15 September 1977.
Article 12
The instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval of this Convention shall be deposited with the Swiss Federal Council.
Article 13
Any member State of the International Commission on Civil Status, the European Union or the Council of Europe may accede to this Convention. The instrument of accession shall be deposited with the Swiss Federal Council.
Article 14
1. This Convention shall enter into force on the first day of the fourth month following the month of deposit of the second instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession by two member States of the International Commission on Civil Status.
2. In respect of a State ratifying, approving, accepting or acceding after its entry into force, the Convention shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month following the month of deposit by that State of the instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.
3. Any resolution adopted in pursuance of Article 9 shall take effect, in relations between the Contracting States, from the first day of the fourth month following its deposit.
Article 15
No reservation to this Convention shall be permitted.
Article 16
1. Any State may, at the time of signature, ratification, acceptance, approval or accession or at any later date, declare that this Convention shall extend to all of the territories for whose international relations it is responsible, or to one or more of them.
2. The Swiss Federal Council shall be notified of such declaration and the extension shall take effect when the Convention enters into force for that State or, subsequently, on the first day of the fourth month following the month of receipt of the notification.
3. Any declaration of extension may be withdrawn by notification to the Swiss Federal Council, and the Convention shall cease to apply to the designated territory on the first day of the fourth month following the month of receipt of that notification.
Article 17
1. This Convention shall remain in force indefinitely.
2. However, any State party to this Convention shall have the option of denouncing it at any time after the expiry of a period of one year from the date of the entry into force of the Convention in respect of that State. Denunciation shall be notified to the Swiss Federal Council and shall take effect on the first day of the sixth month following the month of receipt of that notification.
Article 18
1. The Swiss Federal Council shall notify the member States of the International Commission on Civil Status and any other State which has acceded to this Convention of:
(a) the deposit of any instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession;
(b) any date of entry into force of the Convention;
(c) any declaration concerning the territorial extension of the Convention or its withdrawal, together with the date on which it will take effect;
(d) any denunciation of the Convention and the date on which it will take effect;
(e) any declaration made under Article 4 or Article 10;
(f) any resolution adopted in pursuance of Article 9, together with the date on which it will take effect.
(a) the deposit of any instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession;
(b) any date of entry into force of the Convention;
(c) any declaration concerning the territorial extension of the Convention or its withdrawal, together with the date on which it will take effect;
(d) any denunciation of the Convention and the date on which it will take effect;
(e) any declaration made under Article 4 or Article 10;
(f) any resolution adopted in pursuance of Article 9, together with the date on which it will take effect.
2. The Swiss Federal Council shall inform the Secretary General of the International Commission on Civil Status of any notification made in pursuance of paragraph 1.
3. On the entry into force of this Convention, a certified copy shall be transmitted by the Swiss Federal Council to the Secretary General of the United Nations for the purposes of registration and publication, in accordance with Article 102 of the United Nations Charter.
In witness whereof the undersigned, duly authorised to this end, have signed this Convention.
Done at Paris, on 10 September 1998, in a single copy in the French language, 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 member States of the International Commission on Civil Status and to the acceding States. A certified copy shall also be sent to the Secretary General of the International Commission on Civil Status.
Declaration made pursuant to Article 4 of the Convention (authorities empowered to issue the life certificate
Spain : En España: "los Notarios, los Encargados y los delegados de los Registros Civiles Municipales. Fuera de España: los Encargados de los Registros Civiles Consulares."
Netherlands : In accordance with Article 4, paragraph 1, the kingdom of the Netharlands, for the Kingdom in Europe, seignates the civil servant in charge of civil status and the competent diplomatic or consular authorities as the competent authority to issue a life certificate.
Declaration made pursuant to Article 10 of the Convention (authorities empowered translate the code numbers and to decode certificates)
Austria : « the Cantonal Courts of first instance » (« die Bezirksgerichte »)
Spain : "Los Notarios, los Encargados de los Registros Civiles Municipales y a la Dirección General de los Registros y del Notariado del Ministerio de Justicia."
Netherlands : In accordance with Article 10, paragraph 3, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, for the Kingdom in Europe, designates the civil servant in charge of civil status and the competent diplomatic or consular authorities, as the competent authorities to translate the codes into the Dutch language or to proceed with the decoding.
Turkey : « The Population and Civil Status services (« Nüfus Müdürlükleri ») of the country and the Turkish consular and diplomatic representations abroad are the Turkish authorities that are competent according to Article 1.
Only the French original is authentic.