Choose your country of interest below or choose from our list of CISG states to identify the date the CISG entered into effect for it and texts and explanations of declarations or reservations, if any, applicable to the adoption of the CISG by that country. These are summaries prepared for the Pace CISG Database. For official summaries prepared, see the UN Treaty Section or contact UN by letter or fax. An alternative source of CISG status information is the UNCITRAL website. Also, refer to the texts of the CISG section to see the CISG text in the original language of the respective state.
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| Albania | Argentina | Armenia | Australia | Austria | Azerbaijan | Bahrain | Belarus | Belgium |
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| Benin | B&H | Brazil | Bulgaria | Burundi | Canada | Chile | Cameroon | China (PRC) |
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| Colombia | Costa Rica | Croatia | Cuba | Cyprus | Czech Rep. | Denmark | Dominican Rep. | Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea |
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| Ecuador | Egypt | El Salvador | Estonia | Ethiopia (*) | Finland | Fiji | France | Gabon |
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| Georgia | Germany | Greece | Guinea | Guatemala | Guyana | Honduras | Hungary | Iceland |
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| Iraq | Israel | Italy | Japan | South Korea | Kyrgystan | Laos | Latvia | Lebanon |
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| Lesotho | Liberia | Liechtenstein | Lithuania | Luxembourg | Macedonia | Madagascar | Mauritania | Mexico |
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| Moldova | Mongolia | Montenegro | Netherlands | New Zealand | Norway | Palestine | Paraguay | Peru |
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| Poland | Portugal | R. Congo | Romania | Russian Fed. | Rwanda | Saint Vincent | Saudi Arabia | San Marino |
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| Serbia | Singapore | Slovakia | Slovenia | Spain | Sweden | Switzerland | Syria | Turkey |
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| Turkmenistan | Uganda | Ukraine | United States | Uruguay | Uzbekistan | Vietnam | Zambia |
For at state to adopt the CISG it is required that notification be deposited with the United Nations, after which the Convention will enter into force on the first day of the month following the expiration of twelve months after the date of the deposit of notification, being either an instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession according to CISG article 99(2). See also the annotated text of article 99.
As of November 2023, UNCITRAL and UN reports that 97 States have adopted the CISG. Rwanda is the latest State to have acceded to the CISG.
The United Kingdom, despite being a major trade nation, has never adopted the CISG. See Nathalie Hofmann, Interpretation Rules and Good Faith as Obstacles to the UK's Ratification of the CISG and to the Harmonization of Contract Law in Europe, 22 Pace International Law Review (Winter 2010) 141-181; Sally Moss, "Why the United Kingdom Has Not Ratified the CISG", 25 Journal of Law and Commerce (2005- 2006) 483-485; Angele Forte, "The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods: Reason or Unreason in the United Kingdom", 26 Baltimore Law Review (1997) 51-66; and A.F.M. Maniruzzaman's comparative study of selected provisions of English Law and the CISG and other contract law provisions for more.
Certain countries have adopted the CISG subject to authorized declarations and others have accompanied their acceptances with interpretive comments which is a procedure not authorized by the CISG. See the annotated sections on each article for more on the effect of reservations made. Annotated text of article 92, 93, 94, 95, 96.
Examples of authorized declarations: Pursuant to Article 92 Saudi Arabia made a declaration that Part II of the CISG would not apply. Pursuant to Article 94 The Nordic States (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) declared that the entire Convention would not apply to inter-Scandinavian trade between parties from these countries. Pursuant to Article 93, several States have made territorial declarations, including Australia who has declared that the Convention shall not apply to the territories of Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Denmark has declared that the Convention shall not apply to the Faroe Islands and Greenland, and New Zealand has declared that the Convention shall not apply to the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau. Pursuant to Article 95, Armenia, China (PRC), Laos, Singapore, St.Vincent & Grenadines, Slovakia and the United States declared that they would not be bound by Article 1(1)(b). Pursuant to Article 96, Argentina, Armenia, Belarus, Chile, N. Korea, Paraguay, Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Vietnam have declared that any provision of Article 11, Article 29 or Part II of the Convention that allows a contract of sale or its modification or termination by agreement or any offer, acceptance, or other indication of intention be made in any form other than in writing does not apply where any party has his place in the country that has filed this declaration. China (PRC) had filed a similar declaration, but later withdrew from the Article 96 reservation.
Examples of interpretive comments that accompanied adoptions of the CISG includes the implementing acts of provinces of Canada, declaration made by Germany and one by Hungary (which was withdrawn in July 2015). Article 98 of the CISG states that "No reservations are permitted unless expressly authorized in this Convention." See each country specific page for more on the possible effect of unauthorised declarations.
There are communications related with accession of Palestine. Azerbaijan has made a depository notification concerning the applicability of the CISG in the territories of the Nagorno- Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan and its seven districts surrounding that region. Refer to our China page concerning application of the CISG in Hong Kong. Also, see interpretative comments on application of CISG in Kosovo. Kosovo is not officially listed as a contracting state by the United Nations.
There are not many signatory states from Africa. Amongst the ones that have adopted authorising laws are Ethiopia (2020) and Rwanda (2013). However, the CISG is not effective in Ethiopia because it has not yet deposited instruments to the UN as per CISG Art. 89 and 91(4). However, Rwanda recently deposited the accession document in September 2023 and the CISG will become effective in October 2024. Also, Ghana signed the CISG in 1980 but never ratified it.
Similarly, Venezuela signed the CISG in 1981 but never ratified it.
As of December 2024, 97 countries have ratified the CISG.
Original comments by A. Kritzer. Edited in 2023 by G. Alper.