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861 multilateral conventions on Environmental Law, Human Rights, Humanitarian Law and Law of the Sea

Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minmum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages, 1962

Entry into force: Wednesday, December 9, 1964

Adoption date: Dec 10, 1962

Adoption place: New York

Depositary: Secrétaire Général des Nations Unies

Signed by 16 countries, ratified by 55 countries

See the convention Ratifications evolution
Signatory countries
Country Signature date Ratification date * Reservation / Declaration Comments
Antigua and Barbuda

-

Oct 25, 1988

-


Argentina

-

Feb 26, 1970

-


Austria

-

Oct 1, 1969

-


Azerbaijan

-

Aug 16, 1996

-


Bangladesh

-

Oct 5, 1998

Reservations:

Articles 1 and 2:

"The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh reserves the right to apply the provisions of articles 1 and 2 in so far as they relate to the question of legal validity of child marriage, in accordance with the Personal Laws of different religious communities of the country.

Article 2:

The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, in acceding to the Convention will not be bound by the exception clause of article 2 viz. except where a competent authority has granted a dispensation as to age, for serious reasons, in the interest of the intending spouses".


Barbados

-

Oct 1, 1979

-


Benin

-

Oct 19, 1965

-


Bosnia and Herzegovina

-

Sep 1, 1993

-


Brazil

-

Feb 11, 1970

-


Burkina Faso

-

Dec 8, 1964

-


Chile

Dec 10, 1962

-

-


Croatia

-

Oct 12, 1992

-


Cuba

Oct 17, 1963

Aug 20, 1965

-


Cyprus

-

Jul 30, 2002

-


Czech Republic

-

Feb 22, 1993

-


Denmark

Oct 31, 1963

Sep 8, 1964

"With the reservation that article 1, paragraph 2, shall not apply to the Kingdom of Denmark."


Dominican Republic

-

Oct 8, 1964

The Dominican Republic wishes the laws of the Dominican Republic to continue to have precedence in respect of the possibility, provided for in article 1, paragraph 2, of entering into a civil marriage by means of a proxy or procuration. Consequently, it can accept the said provisions only with reservations.


Fiji

-

Jul 19, 1971

"The Government of Fiji withdraws the reservation, and declarations in respect of the law of Scotland and in respect of Southern Rhodesia, made on 9th July, 1970 by Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, and affirms that the Government of Fiji declares it to be their understanding that:

"(a) paragraph 1 of Article 1, and the second sentence of Article 2, of the Convention are concerned with the entry into marriage under the laws of a State Party and not with the recognition under the laws of one State or territory of the validity of marriages contracted under the laws of another State or territory; and

(b) paragraph 2 of Article 1 does not require legislative provision to be made where no such legislation already exists, for marriages to be contracted in the absence of one of the parties."


Finland

-

Aug 18, 1964

"With the reservation that article 1, paragraph 2, shall not apply to the Republic of Finland."



Objections

13 December 1999

With regard to the reservations made by Bangladesh upon accession:

" The Government of Finland notes that the reservation of Bangladesh, being of such a general nature, raises doubts as to the full commitment of Bangladesh to the object and purpose of the Convention and would like to recall that, according to the Vienna Convention on the Law of the Treaties, a reservation incompatible with the object and purpose of the Convention shall not be permitted.
Furthermore, reservations are subject to the general principle of treaty interpretation according to which a party may not invoke the provisions of its domestic law as justification for a failure to perform its treaty obligations.
Therefore the Government of Finland objects to the aforesaid reservations made by the Government of Bangladesh. This objection does not preclude the entry into force of the Convention between Bangladesh and Finland. The Convention will thus become operative between the two States without Bangladesh benefitting from this reservation".


France

Dec 10, 1962

Oct 14, 2010

France declares that it will apply article 1 (2) of the Convention in accordance with its domestic laws reserving marriage celebrations in the absence of one of the parties only to exceptions expressly provided for in its legislation.

France declares that it will apply article 1 (1) of the Convention in accordance with its domestic legislation on the conditions for exemption from the formality of publication.


Germany

-

Jul 9, 1969

-


Greece

Jan 3, 1963

-

With reservation to article 1, paragraph 2, of the Convention.


Guatemala

-

Jan 18, 1983

Reservation:

With regard to article 1, paragraph 1, of the Convention, Guatemala declares that since its legislation, in respect of its nationals, does not call for the requirements relating to publicity of the marriage and the presence of witnesses for it to be solem- nized, it does not consider itself obliged to comply with those requirements where the parties are Guatemalans.


Guinea

Dec 10, 1962

Jan 24, 1978

-


Hungary

-

Nov 5, 1975

In acceding to the Convention, the Presidential Council of the Hungarian People's Republic declares that it does not consider paragraph 2 of article 1 of the Convention as binding the Hungarian People's Republic to grant, under the terms thereof, permit of marriage when one of the intending spouses is not present.


Iceland

-

Oct 18, 1977

"Article 1, paragraph 2, shall not apply to the Republic of Iceland."


Israel

Dec 10, 1962

-

-


Italy

Dec 20, 1963

-

-


Ivory Coast

-

Dec 18, 1995

-


Jordan

-

Jul 1, 1992

-


Kyrgyzstan

-

Feb 10, 1997

-


Liberia

-

Sep 16, 2005

-


Libya

-

Sep 6, 2005

-


Mali

-

Aug 19, 1964

-


Mexico

-

Feb 22, 1983

-


Mongolia

-

Jun 6, 1991

-


Montenegro

-

Oct 23, 2006

-


Netherlands

Dec 10, 1962

Jul 2, 1965

In signing the Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages, [the Government of the Netherlands] hereby declare that, in view of the equality which exists, from the standpoint of public law, between the Netherlands, Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles, the Government of the Kingdom reserves the right to ratify the Convention in respect of only one or two parts of the Kingdom and to declare at a later date, by written notification to the Secretary-General, that the Convention is to apply also to the other part or parts of the Kingdom.


New Zealand

Dec 23, 1963

Jun 12, 1964

-


Niger

-

Dec 1, 1964

-


Norway

-

Sep 10, 1964

"With the reservation that article 1, paragraph 2, shall not apply to the Kingdom of Norway."


Philippines

Feb 5, 1963

Jan 21, 1965

"The Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages was adopted for the purpose, among other things, of insuring to all persons complete freedom in the choice of a spouse. The first paragraph of Article 1 of the Convention requires that the full and free consent of both parties shall be expressed in the presence of the competent authority and of witnesses.

"Considering the provisions of its Civil Code, the Philippines, in ratifying this Convention interprets the second paragraph of Article 1 (which authorizes, in exceptional cases, the solemnization of marriage by proxy) as not imposing upon the Philippines the obligation to allow within its territory the celebration of proxy marriages or marriages of the kind contemplated in that paragraph, where such manner of marriage is not authorized by the laws of the Philippines. Rather, the solemnization within Philippine territory of a marriage in the absence of one of the parties under the conditions stated in said paragraph will be permitted only if so allowed by Philippine law."


Poland

Dec 17, 1962

Jan 8, 1965

-


Romania

Dec 27, 1963

Jan 21, 1993

Reservation:

Romania will not apply the provisions of article 1, paragraph 2, of the Convention, regarding the celebration of marriage in the absence of one of the future spouses.


Rwanda

-

Sep 26, 2003

-


Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

-

Apr 27, 1999

-


Samoa

-

Aug 24, 1964

-


Serbia

-

Mar 12, 2001

-


Slovakia

-

May 28, 1993

-


South Africa

-

Jan 29, 1993

-


Spain

-

Apr 15, 1969

-


Sri Lanka

Dec 12, 1962

-

-


Sweden

Dec 10, 1962

Jun 16, 1964

With reservation to article 1, paragraph 2, of the Convention.




Objections

14 December 1999

With regard to the reservations made by Bangladesh upon accession:

“The Government of Sweden notes that the reservations include a reservation of a general kind, in respect of articles 1 and 2, which reads as follows:
[See reservation to Articles 1 and 2 made by Bangladesh under “Reservations and Declarations " .]
The Government of Sweden is of the view that this general reservation, referring to the Personal Laws of different religious communities of the country, raises doubts as to the commitment of Bangladesh to the object and purpose of the Convention and would recall that, according to well-established international law, a reservation incompatible with the object and purpose of a treaty shall not be permitted.
It is in the common interest of States that treaties to which they have chosen to become parties are respected, as to their object and purpose, by all parties and that States are prepared to undertake any legislative changes necessary to comply with their obligations under these treaties.
The Government of Sweden therefore objects to the aforesaid general reservation made by the Government of Bangladesh to the Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages.
This objection does not preclude the entry into force of the Convention between Bangladesh and Sweden. The Convention will thus become operative between the two States without Bangladesh benefitting from the reservation".


The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

-

Jan 18, 1994

-


Trinidad and Tobago

-

Oct 2, 1969

-


Tunisia

-

Jan 24, 1968

-


United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

-

Jul 9, 1970

"(a) . . .

"(b) It is the understanding of the Government of the United Kingdom that paragraph (1) of article 1 and the second sentence of article 2, of the Convention are concerned with entry into marriage under the laws of a State Party and not with the recognition under the laws of one State or territory of the validity of marriages contracted under the laws of another State or territory; nor is paragraph (1) of article 1 applicable to marriages by cohabitation with habit and repute under the law of Scotland;

"(c) Paragraph (2) of article 1 does not require legislative provision to be made, where no such legislation already exists, for marriages to be contracted in the absence of one of the parties;

"(d) The provisions of the Convention shall not apply to Southern Rhodesia unless and until the Government of the United Kingdom inform the Secretary-General that they are in a position to ensure that the obligations imposed by the Convention in respect of that territory can be fully implemented."


United States of America

Dec 10, 1962

-

"With the understanding that legislation in force in the various States of the United States of America is in conformity with this Convention and that action by the United States of America with respect to this Convention does not constitute acceptance of the provisions of article 8 as a precedent for any subsequent instruments."


Venezuela

-

May 31, 1983

Reservation with regard to article IX:

[Venezuela] does not accept the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice for the settlement of disputes concerning the interpretation or application of this Convention.
Yemen

-

Feb 9, 1987

-


Zimbabwe

-

Nov 23, 1994

-


Total : 61