Depositary
STATUS AS AT : 22-05-2025 09:15:33 EDT
CHAPTER XI
TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS
A. Custom Matters
15. Customs Convention on Containers, 1972
Geneva, 2 December 1972
Entry into force
:
6 December 1975, in accordance with article 19.
Registration :
6 December 1975, No. 14449
Status :
Signatories : 15. Parties : 41. 1
Text : Certified true copy
United Nations,  Treaty Series , vol. 988, p. 43 and depositary notifications C.N.358.1981.TREATIES-1 of 8 December 1981 (amendments to annexes 4 and 6); vol. 1407, p. 389 (amendments to annexes 1, 5, 6 and 7); vol. 1490, p. 531 (amendments to annex 6); vol. 1488, p. 345 (procès-verbal of rectification of the original French and Spanish texts); C.N.276.1988.TREATIES-1 of 1 December 1988 (amendments to article 1, paragraph c and annex 6); C.N.36.1994.TREATIES-1 of 10 March 1994 (amendments to the Convention and annexes 4 and 6); C.N.492.2007.TREATIES-1 of 20 April 2007 (proposal of amendments to Annexes 1 and 4); C.N.327.2008.TREATIES-1 of 22 April 2008 (amendments to Annexes 1 and 4); C.N.328.2019.TREATIES-XI.A.15 of 1 August 2019 (proposal of amendments to Annexes 1 and 4) and C.N.406.2020.TREATIES-XI.A.15 of 22 September 2020 (acceptance of amendments).2
Note :
The Convention was adopted by the United Nations/IMCO Conference on Containers Traffic, held at Geneva from 13 November to 2 December 1972.  The Conference was convened in pursuance of a decision taken by the Economic and Social Council on 22 May 19703 and Council resolutions 1568 (L)4 and 1725 (LIII)5. The Conference adopted a Final Act containing,  inter alia , the texts of eight resolutions (see Doc. E/CONF.59/44).  The Convention was open for signature until 15 January 1973 at the Office of the United Nations at Geneva and subsequently from 1 February 1973 until 31 December 1973 inclusive at the Headquarters of the United Nations at New York.
Participant 6
Signature
 Ratification, Acceptance(A), Approval(AA), Accession(a), Succession(d)
Algeria
   14 Dec 1978 a
Armenia
    9 Jun 2006 a
Australia
   10 Nov 1975 a
Austria
 22 May 1973
17 Jun 1977
Azerbaijan
   17 Jan 2005 a
Belarus
 22 Oct 1973
 1 Sep 1976
Bulgaria
 12 Jan 1973
22 Feb 1977
Burundi
    4 Sep 1998 a
Canada
  5 Dec 1972
10 Dec 1975
China 7
  22 Jan 1986 a
Cuba
   23 Nov 1984 a
Czech Republic 8
   2 Jun 1993 d
Finland
 26 Dec 1973
22 Feb 1983 A
Georgia
    2 Jun 1999 a
Greece
 11 Jan 1973
 
Hungary
 10 Jan 1973
12 Dec 1973
Indonesia
   11 Oct 1989 a
Kazakhstan
   25 Jan 2005 a
Kyrgyzstan
   22 Oct 2007 a
Lebanon
   29 Aug 2013 a
Liberia
   16 Sep 2005 a
Lithuania
   27 Mar 2002 a
Montenegro 9
  23 Oct 2006 d
Morocco
   14 Aug 1990 a
New Zealand 10
  20 Dec 1974 a
Poland
 20 Dec 1972
29 Apr 1982
Republic of Korea
 15 Jan 1973
19 Oct 1984
Republic of Moldova
   11 Oct 2016 a
Romania
 11 Dec 1973
 6 Mar 1975
Russian Federation
 18 Oct 1973
23 Aug 1976
Saudi Arabia
   23 Dec 2008 a
Serbia
    6 Sep 2001 a
Slovakia 8
  28 May 1993 d
Spain
   16 Apr 1975 a
Switzerland 1
 5 Dec 1972
12 Oct 1976
Trinidad and Tobago
   23 Mar 1990 a
Tunisia
   11 Mar 2009 a
Türkiye
 15 Dec 1972
13 Jul 1994
Turkmenistan
   14 Jun 2021 a
Ukraine
 22 Oct 1973
 1 Sep 1976
United States of America
  5 Dec 1972
12 Nov 1984
Uzbekistan
   27 Nov 1996 a
Declarations and Reservations
(Unless otherwise indicated, the declarations and reservations were made
upon ratification, acceptance, approval, accession or succession.)
Azerbaijan

Reservation:

       La République d'Azerbaïdjan n'autorise à entrer sur son territoire ni les conteneurs vides ou chargés en provenance ou à destination de la République d'Arménie ni les conteneurs appartenant à des personnes physiques ou morales immatriculées en République d'Arménie ou contrôlés et exploités par de telles personnes.
Belarus

Upon signature and upon ratification:

       The Government of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic considers that the provisions of article 18 of the Customs Convention on Containers, 1972, which bar certain States from participation in it, are contrary to the universally recognized principle of the sovereign equality of States.

       As to the provisions of article 25 regarding the settlement by arbitration of disputes concerning the interpretation and application of the Convention, the Government of the Byelorussian SSR declares that the adoption of this provision should not be interpreted as changing the view of the Government of the Byelorussian SSR that a dispute may be referred to an arbitration tribunal for consideration only with the consent of all parties to the dispute in each individual case.
Cuba 11

Declaration:

       The Government of the Republic of Cuba considers that the provisions of article 18 of the Convention are of a discriminatory nature since they deprive certain States of the right to sign and accede to the Convention, contrary to the principle of universality.

       With reference to the rules set forth in article 25 of the Con- vention, the Government of the Republic of Cuba considers that differences arising between Parties should be resolved through direct negotiations by diplomatic means.
Czech Republic 8

Romania

Upon signature and confirmed upon ratification:

       The Government of the Socialist Republic of Romania con- siders that the provisions of article 18 of the Customs Convention on Containers, 1972, concluded at Geneva on 2 December 1972, are not in accordance with the principle that multilateral treaties, the aims and objectives of which concern the world community as a whole, should be open to participation by all States.
Russian Federation

Upon signature and upon ratification:

       The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics considers that the provisions of article 18 of the Customs Convention on Containers, 1972, which bar certain States from participation in it, are contrary to the universally recognized principle of the sovereign equality of States.

       As to the provisions of article 25 regarding the settlement by arbitration of disputes concerning the interpretation and application of the Convention, the Government of the USSR declares that the adoption of this provision should not be interpreted as changing the view of the Government of the USSR that a dispute may be referred to an arbitration tribunal for consideration only with the consent of all parties to the dispute in each individual case.
Slovakia 8

Spain

Reservation to article 9:

       Concerning containers granted temporary admission for the carriage of goods in internal traffic, . . . such admission will not be granted in Spain.
Switzerland 1

       (a) Switzerland shall grant temporary admission to containers, in accordance with the procedure laid down in article 6 of the Convention;

       (b) The use of containers which have been admitted tempor- arily for internal traffic, as provided for in article 9 of the Convention, shall be authorized subject to the two conditions laid down in annex 3 to the Convention.
Türkiye

Upon signature:

       With reservations to paragraphs 3 and 4 of article 19.
Ukraine

Upon signature and confirmed upon ratification:

       The Government of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic considers that the provisions of article 18 of the Customs Convention on Containers, 1972, which bar certain States from participation in it, are contrary to the universally recognized principle of the sovereign equality of States.

       As to the provisions of article 25 regarding the settlement by arbitration of disputes concerning the interpretation and application of the Convention, the Government of the Ukrainian SSR declares that the adoption of this provision should not be interpreted as changing the view of the Government of the Ukrainian SSR that a dispute may be referred to an arbitration tribunal for consideration only with the consent of all parties to the dispute in each individual case.
End Note
1With the declaration by which the ratification "shall also apply to the Principality of Liechtenstein for as long as the latter is bound to the Swiss Confederation by a customs union treaty."
2Amendments to the Convention and annexes were adopted as follows:

4
Amendments to:Author of the proposal:Date of circulation:Date of entry into force:
Annexes 4 and 6Customs Cooperation Council8 Dec 19818 Mar 1983
Annexes 1, 5, 6 and 7Customs Cooperation Council18 June 198418 Sep 1985
Annex 6Customs Cooperation Council8 Nov 19851 Jan 1988*
Article 1, par. c, and Annex 6Customs Cooperation Council1 Dec 19881 Mar 1990
Annex 4 and 6Customs Cooperation Council10 Mar 1994**10 Jun 1995
Annexes 1 and 4Customs Cooperation Council20 Apr 2007


*For all the Contracting Parties, except the United States of America and Canada which had objected to the proposed amendments.

** Amendments were proposed by the Customs Co-operation Council to the Convention and annex 7 of the Convention on that same date. An objection thereto having been made by the Government of the United States of America and received by the Secretary-General on 9 March 1995, that is to say, before the expiry of the twelve-month period provided for in article 21 (4), the said amendments are deemed not to have been accepted.
3Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, Resumed Forty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 1A  (E/4832/Add.1), p.15.
4Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, Fiftieth Session, Supplement No. 1 (E/5044), p. 3.
5Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, Fifty-third Session, Supplement No. 1 (E/5209), p. 5.
6The German Democratic Republic had acceded to the Convention with a declaration on 4 October 1974. For the text of the declaration, see United Nations, Treaty Series , vol. 988, p. 253. See also note 2 regarding “Germany” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.
7See note 2 under “China” regarding Hong Kong in the in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.
8Czechoslovakia had signed and approved the Convention on 27 December 1973 and 4 September 1974, respectively, with a declaration. For the text of the declaration, see United Nations, Treaty Series , vol. 988, p. 250. See also note 1 under “Czech Republic” and note 1 under “Slovakia” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.
9See note 1 under "Montenegro" in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume.
10With the following declaration:  "Accession to the Convention shall not extend to the Cook Islands, Niue and the Tokelau Islands".
11Upon a request from the Secretary-General for clarification as to whether the declaration to article 25 was deemed to modify the legal effects of that article, the Government of Cuba replied that the declaration did not constitute a reservation.
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