ENTRY INTO FORCE
6 June 1960, in accordance with article 39.
REGISTRATION: 6 June 1960, No. 5158.
STATUS: Signatories: 23. Parties: 80.
TEXT: United Nations, Treaty Series , vol. 360, p.117.
Participant / Signature / Ratification
Albania........................... 23 Jun 2003
Algeria ........................... 15 Jul 1964
Antigua and Barbuda..... 25 Oct 1988
Argentina ....................... 1 Jun 1972
Armenia ......................... 18 May 1994
Australia......................... 13 Dec 1973
Austria ........................... 8 Feb 2008
Azerbaijan...................... 16 Aug 1996
Barbados........................ 6 Mar 1972
Belgium ....... 28 Sep 1954 / 27 May 1960
Belize............................. 14 Sep 2006
Benin.............................. 8 Dec 2011
Bolivia (Plurinational State)...6 Oct 1983
Bosnia and Herzegovina........ 1 Sep 1993
Botswana ...................... 25 Feb 1969
Brazil .............. 28 Sep 1954 / 13 Aug 1996
Bulgaria ......................... 22 Mar 2012
Burkina Faso.................. 1 May 2012
Chad............................... 12 Aug 1999
* China3 ............................
Colombia ....................... 30 Dec 1954
Costa Rica........... 28 Sep 1954 / 2 Nov 1977
Côte d'Ivoire .................. 3 Oct 2013
Croatia2 .......................... 12 Oct 1992
Czech Republic.............. 19 Jul 2004
Denmark ............ 28 Sep 1954 / 17 Jan 1956
Ecuador................ 28 Sep 1954 / 2 Oct 1970
El Salvador .................... 28 Sep 1954
Fiji ................................. 12 Jun 1972
Finland........................... 10 Oct 1968
France .....................12 Jan 1955 / 8 Mar 1960
Georgia .......................... 23 Dec 2011
Germany 4,5 ......... 28 Sep 1954 / 26 Oct 1976
Greece............................ 4 Nov 1975
Guatemala............ 28 Sep 1954 / 28 Nov 2000
Guinea............................ 21 Mar 1962
Holy See ........................ 28 Sep 1954
Honduras................. 28 Sep 1954 / 1 Oct 2012
Hungary......................... 21 Nov 2001
Ireland............................ 17 Dec 1962
Israel ......................... 1 Oct 1954 / 23 Dec 1958
Italy.............................. 20 Oct 1954 / 3 Dec 1962
Kiribati........................... 29 Nov 1983
Latvia............................. 5 Nov 1999
Lesotho .......................... 4 Nov 1974
Liberia............................ 11 Sep 1964
Libya.............................. 16 May 1989
Liechtenstein.......... 28 Sep 1954 / 25 Sep 2009
Lithuania........................ 7 Feb 2000
Luxembourg..............28 Oct 1955 / 27 Jun 1960
Madagascar 6................... [20 Feb 1962 a]
Malawi........................... 7 Oct 2009
Mexico........................... 7 Jun 2000
Montenegro 7 .................. 23 Oct 2006
Netherlands............. 28 Sep 1954 / 12 Apr 1962
Nicaragua....................... 15 Jul 2013
Nigeria........................... 20 Sep 2011
Norway ..................... 28 Sep 1954 / 19 Nov 1956
Panama........................... 2 Jun 2011
Peru................................ 23 Jan 2014
Philippines................ 22 Jun 1955 / 22 Sep 2011
Portugal.......................... 1 Oct 2012
Republic of Korea.......... 22 Aug 1962
Republic of Moldova..... 19 Apr 2012
Romania......................... 27 Jan 2006
Rwanda.......................... 4 Oct 2006
Senegal........................... 21 Sep 2005
Serbia 2............................ 12 Mar 2001
Slovakia......................... 3 Apr 2000
Slovenia 2........................ 6 Jul 1992
Spain............... St. Vincent and the 12 May 1997
Grenadines ............... 27 Apr 1999
Swaziland....................... 16 Nov 1999
Sweden..................... 28 Sep 1954 / 2 Apr 1965
Switzerland................ 28 Sep 1954 / 3 Jul 1972
The former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia .............
Trinidad and Tobago ..... 11 Apr 1966
Tunisia........................... 29 Jul 1969
Turkmenistan................. 7 Dec 2011
Uganda........................... 15 Apr 1965
Ukraine ..........................
United Kingdom of Great Britain 25 Mar 2013
Northern Ireland 3 .. 28 Sep 1954 / 16 Apr 1959
Uruguay......................... 2 Apr 2004
Zambia........................... 1 Nov 1974
Zimbabwe...................... 1 Dec 1998
19 Apr 2012
Note: The Convention was adopted by the United Nations Conference on the Status of Stateless Persons, held at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York from 13 to 23 September 1954. The Conference was convened pursuant to resolution 526A (XVII)1 of 26 April 1954 of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. For the Final Act, recommendation and resolution adopted by the Conference, see United Nations, Treaty Series , vol. 360, p. 117
Declarations and Reservations
(Unless otherwise indicated, the declarations and reservations were made upon ratification, accession or succession.)
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
"The Government of Antigua and Barbuda can only undertake that the provisions of articles 23, 24, 25 and 31 will be applied in Antigua and Barbuda so far as the law allows."
ARGENTINA
The application of this Convention in territories whose sovereignty is the subject of discussion between two or more States, irrespective of whether they are parties to the Convention, cannot be construed as an alteration, renunciation or relinquishment of the position previously maintained by each of them.
AUSTRIA
Reservation:
The Republic of Austria shall only be bound by Article 27 insofar as it applies to stateless persons lawfully in the territory of the Republic of Austria.
Declaration:
The Republic of Austria will fulfil its obligation under Article 28 by issuing alien passports to stateless persons lawfully staying in its territory.
BARBADOS
"The Government of Barbados . . . declares with regard to the reservations made by the United Kingdom on notification of the territorial application of the Convention to the West Indies (including Barbados) on the 19th March, 1962 that it can only undertake that the provisions of Articles 23, 24, 25 and 31 will be applied in Barbados so far as the law allows.
"The application of the Convention to Barbados was also made subject to reservations to Articles 8, 9 and 26 which are hereby withdrawn."
BOTSWANA 8
"(a) Article 31 of the said Convention shall not oblige Botswana to grant to a stateless person a status more favourable than that accorded to aliens in general;
"(b) Articles 12 1) and 7 2) of the Convention shall be recognized as recommendations only."
BULGARIA
“1. Reservation to Article 7, paragraph 2:
‘In accordance with Article 38, paragraph 1 of the Convention, the Republic of Bulgaria reserves the right not to apply the provision of Article 7, paragraph 2.’
2. Reservation to Article 21:
‘The Republic of Bulgaria shall apply Article 21 according to the conditions and the order provided for by the national legislation of the Republic of Bulgaria.’
3. Reservation to Article 23:
‘The Republic of Bulgaria shall apply Article 23 according to the conditions and the order provided for by the national legislation of the Republic of Bulgaria.’
4. Reservation to Article 24, paragraph 1, subparagraph (b) and Article 24, paragraph 2:
‘The Republic of Bulgaria shall apply Article 24, paragraph 1, subparagraph (b) and Article 24, paragraph 2 according to the conditions and the order provided for by the national legislation of the Republic of Bulgaria.’
5. Reservation to Article 24, paragraph 3:
‘The Republic of Bulgaria shall apply Article 24, paragraph 3 only concerning agreements which will be concluded in the future.’
6. Reservation to Article 27:
‘Pursuant to Article 27 of the Convention, the identity document (‘Stateless person foreign-travel certificate’) shall be issued to stateless persons, who have been granted this status on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria and having permanent or long-term residence permit in accordance with the national legislation of the Republic of Bulgaria. In accordance with the national legislation, the person who has been granted the status of stateless person will be granted right to residence and a document ‘Residence permit’, which is not an identity document, will be issued.’
7. Reservation to Article 28:
‘Pursuant to Article 28 of the Convention, the document ‘Stateless person foreign-travel certificate’, which is both an identity document and a travel document, will be issued to persons to whom the Republic of Bulgaria has granted status of stateless person and having permanent or long-term residence permit on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria. The abovementioned document will not be issued to persons who have been granted status of stateless person in another country, unless they have permanent or long-term residence in the Republic of Bulgaria and because of insurmountable reasons, duly proven by respective documents, can not renew their travel document from the state which initially issued it.’
8. Reservation to Article 31:
‘Article 31 shall not oblige the Republic of Bulgaria to grant to stateless persons a status more favourable than that accorded to aliens in general.’ ”
COSTA RICA9
CZECH REPUBLIC
Declarations:
" ...Acceding to the Convention we declare the following:
1. Pursuant to Article 27 of the Convention, identity papers shall be issued only to stateless persons having permanent residence permits in the territory of the Czech Republic in accordance with the country's national legislation.
2. Article 23 of the Convention shall be applied to the extent provided by the national legislation of the Czech Republic.
3. Article 24, paragraph 1(b) shall be applied to the extent provided by the national legislation of the Czech Republic.
4. Pursuant to Article 28 of the Convention, travel documents shall be issued to stateless persons having permanent residence permits in the territory of the Czech Republic in accordance with the country's national legislation. Such persons shall be issued "aliens' passports" stating that their holders are stateless persons under the Convention of 28th September 1954."
DENMARK ¹⁰
Denmark is not bound by article 24, paragraph 3.
The provisions of article 24, paragraph 1, under which stateless persons are in certain cases placed on the same footing as nationals, shall not oblige Denmark to grant stateless persons in every case exactly the same remuneration as that provided by law for nationals, but only to grant them what is required for their support.
Article 31 shall not oblige Denmark to grant to stateless persons a status more favourable than that accorded to aliens in general.
EL SALVADOR
Upon signature :
El Salvador signs the present Convention with the reservation that the expression "treatment as favourable as possible", referred to in those of its provisions to which reservations may be made, must not be understood to include the special treatment which has been or may be granted to the nationals of Spain, the Latin American countries in general, and in particular to the countries which constituted the United Provinces of Central America and now form the Organization of Central American States.
FIJI
The Government of Fiji stated that the first and third reservations made by the United Kingdom are affirmed but have been redrafted as more suitable to the application of Fiji in the following terms:
"1. The Government of Fiji understands articles 8 and 9 as not preventing them from taking in time of war or other grave and exceptional circumstances measures in the interests of national security in the case of a stateless person on the ground of his former nationality. The provisions of article 8 shall not prevent the Government of Fiji from exercising any rights over property or interests which they may acquire or have acquired as an Allied or Associated Power under a Treaty of Peace or other agreement or arrangement for the restoration of peace which has been or may be completed as a result of the Second World War. Furthermore the provisions of article 8 shall not affect the treatment to be accorded to any property or interests which at the date of entry into force of this Convention in respect of Fiji were under the control of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or of the Government of Fiji respectively by reason of a state of war which existed between them and any other State.
"2. The Government of Fiji cannot undertake to give effect to the obligations contained in paragraphs 1 and 2 of article 25 and can only undertake to apply the provisions of paragraph 3 so far as the law allows.
"Commentary: No arrangements exist in Fiji for the administrative assistance for which provision is made in article 25 nor have any such arrangements been found necessary in the case of stateless persons. Any need for the documents or certificates mentioned in paragraph 2 of that article would be met by affidavit.
"All other reservation made by the United Kingdom to the above-mentioned Convention is withdrawn."
FINLAND¹¹
"(1) A general reservation to the effect that the application of those provisions of the Convention which grant to stateless persons the most favourable treatment accorded to nationals of a foreign country shall not be affected by the fact that special rights and privileges are now or may in future be accorded by Finland to the nationals of Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden or to the nationals of any one of those Countries;
"(2) A reservation to article 7, paragraph 2, to the effect that Finland is not prepared, as a general measure, to grant stateless persons who fulfil the conditions of three years residence in Finland an exemption from any legislative reciprocity which Finnish law may have stipulated as a condition governing an alien's eligibility for same right or privilege;
"(3) A reservation to article 8 to the effect that that article shall not be binding on Finland;
"(4) . . .
"(5) A reservation to article 24, paragraph 1 (b) and paragraph 3 to the effect that they shall not be binding on Finland;
"(6) A reservation to article 25, to the effect that Finland does not consider itself bound to cause a certificate to be delivered by a Finnish authority, in the place of the authorities of a foreign country, if the documentary records necessary for the delivery of such certificate do not exist in Finland;
"(7) A reservation with respect to the provisions contained in article 28. Finland does not accept the obligations stipulated in the said article, but is prepared to recognize travel documents issued by other Contracting States pursuant to this article."
FRANCE
The provisions of article 10, paragraph 2, are regarded by the French Government as applying only to stateless persons who were forcibly displaced from French territory, and who have, prior to the date of entry into force of this Convention, returned there direct from the country to which they were forced to proceed, without in the meantime having received authorization to reside in the territory of any other State.




