STATUS REPORT

CUSTOMS CONVENTION ON THE TEMPORARY IMPORTATION OF PRIVATE ROAD VEHICLES

((New York, 4 June 1954), 04/06/1954)

ENTRY INTO FORCE : 15 DECEMBER 1957 by the exhange of the said letters, in accordance with article 35

Depositary: Secretary-General of the United Nations

Last updated by PacLII: 06/06/06
Parties Date of Signature Date of ratification
/
Other
Entry Into Force Domestication Legislation
(where available)
Fiji   31 Oct 1972 d    
Solomon Islands   3 Sep 1981 d    
Tonga   11 Nov 1977 d    
 
Albania   5 Sep 2003 a    
Algeria [#]   31 Oct 1963 a    
Argentina 4 Jun 1954      
Australia   6 Jan 1967 a    
Austria 4 Jun 1954 30 Mar 1956 Rt    
Barbados   5 Mar 1971 d    
Belgium 4 Jun 1954 21 Feb 1955 Rt    
Bosnia and Herzegovina 6   1 Sep 1993 d    
Bulgaria   7 Oct 1959 a    
Cambodia 4 Jun 1954      
Canada   1 Jun 1955 a    
Central African Republic   15 Oct 1962 a    
Chile   15 Aug 1974 a    
Costa Rica 20 Jul 1954 4 Sep 1963 Rt    
Croatia 6   31 Aug 1994 d    
Cuba [#] 4 Jun 1954 20 Nov 1963 Rt    
Cyprus   16 May 1963 d    
DECLARATIONS        
Denmark   13 Oct 1955 a    
Dominican Republic 4 Jun 1954      
Ecuador 4 Jun 1954 30 Aug 1962 Rt    
Egypt 4 Jun 1954 4 Apr 1957 Rt    
El Salvador [#]   18 Jun 1958 a    
European Community 7   1 Feb 1996 a    
Finland   21 Jun 1962 a    
France 4 Jun 1954 24 Apr 1959 Rt    
Germany 8,9 4 Jun 1954 16 Sep 1957 Rt    
Ghana   16 Jun 1958 a    
Guatemala [#] 4 Jun 1954      
Haiti 4 Jun 1954 12 Feb 1958 Rt    
Holy See 4 Jun 1954      
Honduras 15 Jun 1954      
Hungary   4 May 1983 a    
India [#] 4 Jun 1954 5 May 1958 Rt    
Iran (Islamic Republic of)   3 Apr 1968 a    
Ireland   14 Aug 1967 a    
Israel [#]   1 Aug 1957 a    
Italy 4 Jun 1954 12 Feb 1958    
Jamaica   11 Nov 1963 d    
Japan 2 Dec 1954 8 Jun 1964 Rt    
Jordan   18 Dec 1957 a    
Liberia   16 Sep 2005 a    
Lithuania   3 Jan 2003 a    
Luxembourg 6 Dec 1954 21 Nov 1956 Rt    
Malaysia   7 May 1958 d    
Mali   12 Jun 1974 a    
Malta   3 Jan 1966 d    
Mauritius   18 Jul 1969 d    
Mexico [#] 4 Jun 1954 13 Jun 1957 Rt    
Monaco 4 Jun 1954      
Morocco   25 Sep 1957 a    
Nepal   21 Sep 1960 a    
Netherlands 10 4 Jun 1954 7 Mar 1958 Rt    
New Zealand 11   17 Aug 1962 a    
Nigeria   26 Jun 1961 d    
Norway   10 Oct 1961 a    
Panama 4 Jun 1954      
Peru   16 Jan 1959 a    
Philippines 4 Jun 1954 9 Feb 1960 Rt    
Poland   16 Mar 1960 a    
Portugal [#] 4 Jun 1954 18 Sep 1958 Rt    
Romania   26 Jan 1961 a    
Russian Federation   17 Aug 1959 a    
Rwanda   1 Dec 1964 d    
Saudi Arabia   23 Jan 2003 a    
Senegal [#]   19 Apr 1972 a    
Serbia and Montenegro 6   12 Mar 2001 d    
Sierra Leone   13 Mar 1962 d    
Singapore   15 Aug 1966 d    
Slovenia 6   6 Jul 1992 d    
Spain 4 Jun 1954 18 Aug 1958 Rt    
Sri Lanka [#] 4 Jun 1954 28 Nov 1955 Rt    
Sudan   16 Oct 2003 a    
Sweden 4 Jun 1954 11 Jun 1957 Rt    
Switzerland 1 4 Jun 1954 23 May 1956 Rt    
Syrian Arab Republic 12   26 Mar 1959 Rt    
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 6   20 Dec 1999 d    
Trinidad and Tobago   11 Apr 1966 d    
Tunisia [#]   20 Jun 1974 a    
Turkey   26 Apr 1983 a    
Uganda   15 Apr 1965 a    
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 5 4 Jun 1954 27 Feb 1956 Rt    
United Republic of Tanzania   28 Nov 1962 a    
United States of America [#] 4 Jun 1954 25 Jul 1956 Rt    
Uruguay 4 Jun 1954      
Keys:
  • Accession (a)
  • Acceptance (A)
  • Approval (AA)
  • Definitive Signature (s)
  • Formal confirmation (c)
  • Participation (P)
  • Notification (of provisional application, of special undertaking, etc) (n)
  • Ratification (Rt)
  • Reservation (r)
  • Succession (d)

(Unless otherwise indicated, the declarations and reservations were made

upon ratification, accession or succession.)


Algeria [up]

The Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria does not consider itself bound by article 40 of the said Convention and declares that a dispute may be submitted to arbitration only with the agreement of all the parties

Bulgaria 13,14


Cuba [up]

The Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Cuba does not consider itself bound by the provisions of paragraphs 2 and 3 of article 40 of the Convention. At the same time it states that, if this reservation is rejected by more than two-thirds of the Parties to the Convention, it will consider that the Convention has not been ratified by the Revolutionary Government of Cuba, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 3 of article 39


El Salvador [up]

In connexion with article 4, El Salvador reserves its rights with respect to the temporary importation of component parts for the repair of motor vehicles in view of the fact that such component parts may be difficult to identify when taken out of the country; it therefore considers that payment of the taxes prescribed by the law should be made in such cases. The same reservation is made in connexion with other articles of the Convention which refer to component parts for repairs


Guatemala [up]

The Guatemalan Government reserves its right

(1) To consider that the provisions of the Convention shall apply solely to natural persons and not to legal persons and bodies corporate as provided in chapter I, article 1

(2) To consider that article 4 shall not be applicable to Guatemala

(3) Not to accept the provisions of article 38 in respect of territories in dispute which are under the de facto administration of another State.

Hungary 15

Declaration

Article 38 of the Convention is at variance with the United Nations General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 16December 1960 on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples

Reservation

The Hungarian People's Republic does not consider itself bound by the provisions contained in paragraph 2 of article 40 of the Convention


India [up]

With reference to article 1 (e)

The Government of India reserves the right to exclude `legal' persons from the categories of persons to whom conces- sions envisaged in this Convention are applicable.

With reference to article 2

Notwithstanding the provisions of article 2 of this Convention, the Government of India reserves the right to exclude from the benefits of this article persons normally resident outside India who, on the occasion of a temporary visit to India, take up paid employment or any other form of gainful occupation.


Israel [up]

Article 4, paragraph 1

The Government of Israel shall not be bound to admit without payment of import duties and import taxes the importation of component parts of the repair of vehicles temporarily imported; likewise, import prohibitions and restrictions in force at the time being in Israel may be applied to the importation of such component parts.

Article 24, paragraphs 1 and 2

In view of the fact that land frontiers with neighbouring States are closed at the present time and that, consequently, private road vehicles may not be re-exported except through an Israel port, the Government of Israel shall not be bound to accept as evidence of re-exportation of vehicles or component parts thereof, any of the documents referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of article 24.


Mexico [up]

Reservation made upon signature and confirmed upon ratification

The Delegation of Mexico, in accordance with the declaration duly made when the matter was under discussion in Working Party I, reserves its rights with regard to article 4, which authorizes the temporary importation of component parts for the repair of motor vehicles. The Delegation cannot agree to this article because the procedure in question is contrary to the legislation of its country, and because such spare parts do not usually have the specifications which would permit of their identification on exit. In the Delegation's opinion, this procedure would be prejudicial to the country's fiscal interests, because in this way it would be possible to import new spare parts without payment of duty by re-exporting old parts belonging to a vehicle not the tourist's own. It has therefore been considered more appropriate that in such cases the proper duty should be paid

The same reservation is made with regard to other articles of this Convention which refer to component parts for making repairs.

Poland 16,17

Romania 18

The Romanian People's Republic does not consider itself bound by the provisions of article 40, paragraphs 2 and 3, of the Convention. The position of the Romanian People's Republic is that a dispute concerning the interpretation or application of the Convention may be submitted to arbitration only with the agreement of all the parties in dispute and that only persons nominated by unanimous agreement of the parties in dispute may act as arbitrators

Russian Federation 13

The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, considering that disputes concerning the interpretation or application of the Customs Convention on the Temporary Importation of Private Road Vehicles can be decided by arbitration, declares that a dispute may be submitted to arbitration only with the agreement of all the parties in dispute and that only persons nominated by unanimous agreement of the parties in dispute may act as arbitrators


Senegal [up]

1. Notwithstanding the provisions of article 2 of the said Convention, the Government of the Republic of Senegal reserves to itself the right to exclude from the benefits of the said article persons normally resident outside Senegal who, on the occasion of a temporary visit to Senegal, take up paid employment or any form of gainful occupation

2. The Government of the Republic of Senegal reserves the right

a) To consider that the provisions of the Convention shall apply solely to natural persons and not to legal persons and bodies corporate as provided in chapter 1, article 1

b) To consider that article 4 shall not be applicable to its territory

c) Not to accept the provisions of article 38 in respect of territories in dispute which are under the de facto administration of another State


Sri Lanka [up]

Notwithstanding the provisions of article 2 of this Convention, the Government of Ceylon reserves to itself the right to exclude from the benefits of this article persons normally resident outside Ceylon who, on the occasion of a temporary visit to Ceylon, take up paid employment or any other form of gainful occupation.


Tunisia [up]

A dispute may be submitted to arbitration only with the agreement of all the parties in dispute

Territorial Application

Participant

Belgium 19

Netherlands10

New Zealand


Portugal [up]

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland5,20


United States of America [up]

NOTES

1. On 16 June 1975, the Government of Switzerland declared that the provisions of the Convention apply to the Principality of Liechtenstein so long as it is linked to Switzerland by a customs union treaty

2. The Secretary-General circulated on 6 April 1979 the text of an amendment proposed by Switzerland aiming at the addition of a new article 25 bis to chapter VII of the Convention. The said amendment was not accepted owing to objections notified to the Secretary-General on 2 October 1979 (India) and on 4 October 1979 (Belgium, Denmark, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands)

Subsequently, the text of a new amendment by Switzerland (new article 25 bis) was circulated by the Secretary-General on 23 July 1984. No objections having been notified within a period of six months from the date of its circulation, the amendment entered into force on 23 April 1985 in accordance with article 42 (3) of the Convention

However, the Secretary-General received in this regard, on 22 January 1985, from the Government of Austria the following declaration

Austria does not object to the substance of the amendment proposed by Switzerland which has been approved by the Austrian Federal Government on December 12, 1984. But as the Austrian constitutional procedures in the present case also require the ratification by the Federal President after approval by parliament, Austria is not yet in a position to apply the new regulations. Austria does, however, not wish to prevent the entry into force of the present amendment for the other contracting states

Subsequently, on 7 June 1985, the Secretary-General was informed by the Government of Austria that "the said amendment had been approved by the Austrian Parliament and that it would therefore now be applied by Austria

4. The Republic of Viet-Nam had acceded to the Convention on 31 January 1956. See also note 1 under "Viet Nam" in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume

5. The Secretary-General, received on 6 and 10 June 1997 communications regarding the status of Hong Kong from China and the United Kingdom of Great Brtiain and Northern Ireland (see also note 2 under "China" and note 2 under "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume). Upon resuming the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong, China notified the Secretary-General that the Convention will continue to apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

6. The former Yugoslavia had acceeded to the Convention on 10 July 1958. 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

7. The instrument contained a notification by which the European Community accepts the resolution of the United Nations of 2 July 1993 on the applicability of carnets de passage en douane and CPD carnets to private road vehicles

8. See note 2 under "Germany" in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume

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

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

11. See note 1 under "New Zealand" regarding Tokelau in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume

12. Notification by the United Arab Republic. See also note 1 under "United Arab Republic" in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume

13. The Governments of Italy and Switzerland notified the Secretary-General that they object to these reservations. The Government of the United States of America has notified the Secretary-General that it has no objection to [these] reservation[s], but "considers that it may, and hereby states that it will, apply the aforesaid reservation[s] reciprocally with respect to Bulgaria [on the one hand and] to the Soviet Union [on the other]

14. Subsequently, in a notification received on 6 May 1994, the Govern ment of Bulgaria notified the Secretary-General that it had decided to withdraw the reservation made upon accession with regard to article 40 (2) and (3). For the text of the reservation, see United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 348, p. 360. See also note 13

15. By 24 August 1983, the day following the expiry of the period of ninety days from the date of the said depositary notification, none of the States concerned had notified the Secretary-General as envisaged in article 39 (3) of the Convention, of an objection to the reservation. Consequently, in accordance with article 35 (2), the Convention entered into force for Hungary with effect from 2 August 1983

16. The Government of Switzerland has notified the Secretary-General that it objects to this reservation

17. On 16 October 1997, the Government of Poland notified the Secretary-General that it had decided to withdraw its reservation with regard to article 40 of the Convention made upon accession. For the text of the reservation see United Nations, Treaty Series , vol. 367, p. 346. See also note 16

18. The Government of Switzerland has notified the Secretary-General that it objects to this reservation. The Government of the United States of America has notified the Secretary-General that it has no objection to this reservation, but "considers that it may and hereby states that it will apply this reservation reciprocally with respect to Romania

19. With regard to the application to the Territory of the Belgian Congo and to the Trust Territory of Ruanda-Urundi of the Customs Convention on the Temporary Importation of Private Road Vehicles, concluded at New York on 4 June 1954, the Belgian Government considers that in present circumstances the system of free international circulation of motor vehicles should not be extended to legal persons. Temporary admittance without payment should not be granted in respect of component parts imported for the repair of a vehicle covered by free circulation papers

The latter restriction does not, of course, apply to component parts accompanying vehicles when they are listed in the counterfoil of the international circulation document

By a communication received on 10 February 1965, the Government of Rwanda, in relation to the succession, informed the Secretary-General that it did not intend to maintain any of the above-mentioned reservations

20. The reservation with respect to Malta reads as follows

Article 4 of the Convention shall not apply to Malta." On 3 January 1966, the Government of Malta notified the Secretary-General of its succession to the Convention. In a communication received on 28 February 1966, the Government of Malta notified the Secretary-General that it did not intend to maintain the said reservation, which had been made on its behalf by the Government of the United Kingdom at the time of the notification of the extension of the Convention to Malta


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