Depositary
STATUS AS AT : 29-03-2023 09:15:33 EDT
CHAPTER XI
TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS
A. Custom Matters
9. Customs Convention on Containers
Geneva, 18 May 1956
Entry into force
:
4 August 1959 by the exchange of the said letters, in accordance with article 13 [Note: Article 20(1) of the Customs Convention on Containers 1972 (see chapter XI.A-15), provides that, upon its entry into force, it shall terminate and replace, in relations between the Parties to the latter Convention, the present Convention. The said Convention of 1972 came into force on 6 December 1975.].
Registration :
4 August 1959, No. 4834
Status :
Signatories : 12. Parties : 44. 1
Text : Certified true copy
United Nations,  Treaty Series , vol. 338, p. 103.
Participant
 Signature
 Ratification, Accession(a), Succession(d)
Algeria
   31 Oct 1963 a
Antigua and Barbuda
   25 Oct 1988 d
Australia
    6 Jan 1967 a
Austria
 18 May 1956
13 Nov 1957
Belgium
 18 May 1956
27 May 1960
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2
  12 Jan 1994 d
Bulgaria
   18 Jan 1960 a
Cambodia
    4 Aug 1959 a
Cameroon
   24 Sep 1963 a
Canada
    8 Sep 1972 a
Croatia 2
  31 Aug 1994 d
Cuba
    4 Aug 1965 a
Czech Republic 3
   2 Jun 1993 d
Denmark
    3 Sep 1965 a
Finland
   15 Jun 1961 a
France
 18 May 1956
20 May 1959
Germany 4, 5
18 May 1956
23 Oct 1961
Greece
   12 Sep 1961 a
Hungary
 18 May 1956
23 Jul 1957
Ireland
    7 Jul 1967 a
Israel
   14 Nov 1967 a
Italy
 18 May 1956
29 Mar 1962
Jamaica
   11 Nov 1963 d
Japan
   14 May 1971 a
Luxembourg
 18 May 1956
25 Oct 1960
Malawi
   24 May 1969 a
Mauritius
   18 Jul 1969 d
Montenegro 6
  23 Oct 2006 d
Netherlands (Kingdom of the) 7
18 May 1956
27 Jul 1960
Norway
   22 Nov 1961 a
Poland
 18 May 1956
 6 May 1959
Portugal
    1 May 1964 a
Romania
    1 Nov 1967 a
Serbia 2
  12 Mar 2001 d
Sierra Leone
   13 Mar 1962 d
Slovakia 3
  28 May 1993 d
Slovenia 2
   3 Nov 1992 d
Solomon Islands
    3 Sep 1981 d
Spain
   21 Jan 1959 a
Sweden
 18 May 1956
11 Aug 1959
Switzerland 1
18 May 1956
 7 Jul 1960
Trinidad and Tobago
   11 Apr 1966 d
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 8
18 May 1956
23 May 1958
United States of America
    3 Dec 1968 a
Declarations and Reservations
(Unless otherwise indicated, the declarations and reservations were made
upon ratification, accession or succession.)
Algeria
       The Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria does not consider itself bound by the provisions of article 17 of the said Convention relating to compulsory arbitration.
Bulgaria 9

Cuba
       The Revolutionary Government of Cuba does not consider itself bound by the provisions of paragraphs 2 and 3 of article 17 of this Convention.
Czech Republic 3

Denmark 10
       "Pursuant to article 5 in the prevailing Danish Customs Act, the Danish customs area does not comprise Faroe Islands and Greenland. The acceptance of the Convention by Denmark, therefore, applies only to the Danish customs area as defined in the said article."
Poland
       The Government of the People's Republic of Poland does not consider itself bound by article 17 of the Convention.
Romania
       The Socialist Republic of Romania does not consider itself bound by the provisions of article 17, paragraphs 2 and 3, of the Convention.
       The position of the Socialist Republic of Romania is that a dispute concerning the interpretation or application of the Convention can be submitted to arbitration only with the consent of all the parties in dispute.
       The Council of State of the Socialist Republic of Romania considers that the maintenance of the state of dependence of certain territories to which the provisions of article 16 of the Convention apply is not in accordance with the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 14 December 1960 in resolution 1514 (XV), which proclaims the need to put an end to colonialism in all its forms and manifestations immediately and unconditionally.
Slovakia 3

United States of America
       "In accordance with paragraph 1 of article 16 of the Conven- tion, the said Convention shall extend to the customs territory of the United States [which at the present time includes the States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico]."
Territorial Application
Participant
 Date of receipt of the notification
 Territories
Australia 3 Jan 1968 Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Norfolk Island, Value not found for 1010 and Territory of New Guinea
Netherlands (Kingdom of the) 7 27 Jul 1960 Netherlands Antilles and Netherlands New Guinea
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 8 23 May 1958 The Isle of Man, Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey
  19 Oct 1959 Antigua, Barbados, Bermuda, British Solomon Islands Protectorate, Brunei, Cyprus, Dominica, Falkland Islands, Gambia, Gibraltar, Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony, Grenada, Jamaica, Mauritius, Monteserrat, North Borneo, St. Christopher, Nevis and Anguilla, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Sarawak, Sierra Leone, State of Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, Zanzibar
  12 Dec 1974 Hong Kong
End Note
1

On depositing the instrument of ratification, the Government of Switzerland declared that the provisions of the Convention will apply to the Principality of Liechtenstein, so long as it is linked to Switzerland by a customs union treaty.
2

The former Yugoslavia had acceeded to the Convention on 9 March 1961. See also note 1 under “Bosnia and Herzegovina”, “Croatia”, “former Yugoslavia”, “Slovenia”, “The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and “Yugoslavia” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.
3

Czechoslovakia had acceded to the Convention on 31 May 1962, with a reservation. For the text of the reservation, see United Nations, Treaty Series , vol. 429, p. 299. See also note 1 under “Czech Republic” and note 1 under “Slovakia” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.
4

See note 1 under “Germany” regarding Berlin (West) in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.
5

See note 2 under “Germany” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.
6

See note 1 under "Montenegro" in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume.
7

See note 1 under “Netherlands”  regarding Aruba/Netherlands Antilles in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.
8

See note 1 under “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”  regarding Hong Kong in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.
9

In a notification received on 6 May 1994, the Government of Bulgaria notified the Secretary-General that it had decided to withdraw the reservation made upon accession with regard to article 17 (2) and (3). For the text of the reservation, see United Nations, Treaty Series , vol. 348, p. 375.
10

The Working Party on Customs Questions affecting Transport of the Inland Transport Committee of the Economic Commission for Europe included the following statement in the report on its Twenty-second session, adopted on 3 September 1965 (document TRANS/304- TRANS/ WP30/98, paragraph 52):  "With regard to the accession of Denmark to the Convention [Customs Convention on Containers, done at Geneva on 18 May 1956], the Working Party noted that its intention in preparing the Convention, had always been to allow Denmark to become a party to that instrument only in respect of the Danish Customs zone, which, under the Danish Customs laws, did not include the Faroe Islands and Greenland, and that in its opinion the matter was covered by the principles set forth in article 16 of the Convention."
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