1.Each Contracting Party undertakes that not later than six months after the date of entry into force of this Convention in respect of that Party it shall introduce into its law the rules regarding an international will set out in the Annex to this Convention.

2.Each Contracting Party may introduce the provisions of the Annex into its law either by reproducing the actual text, or by translating it into its official language or languages.

3.Each Contracting Party may introduce into its law such further provisions as are necessary to give the provisions of the Annex full effect in its territory.

4.Each Contracting Party shall submit to the Depositary Government the text of the rules introduced into its national law in order to implement the provisions of this Convention.

1.Each Contracting Party shall implement the provisions of the Annex in its law, within the period provided for in the preceding article, by designating the persons who, in its territory, shall be authorized to act in connection with international wills. It may also designate as a person authorized to act with regard to its nationals its diplomatic or consular agents abroad insofar as the local law does not prohibit it.

2.The Party shall notify such designation, as well as any modifications thereof, to the Depositary Government.

1.The conditions requisite to acting as a witness of an international will shall be governed by the law under which the authorized person was designated. The same rule shall apply as regards an interpreter who is called upon to act.

2.Nonetheless no one shall be disqualified to act as a witness of an international will solely because he is an alien.

1.The signature of the testator, of the authorized person, and of the witnesses to an international will, whether on the will or on the certificate, shall be exempt from any legalization or like formality.

2.Nonetheless, the competent authorities of any Contracting Party may, if necessary, satisfy themselves as to the authenticity of the signature of the authorized person.

1.The present Convention shall be open for signature at Washington from October 26, 1973, until December 31, 1974.

2.The Convention shall be subject to ratification.

3.Instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Government of the United States of America, which shall be the Depositary Government.

1.The Convention shall be open indefinitely for accession.

2.Instruments of accession shall be deposited with the Depositary Government.

1.The present Convention shall enter into force six months after the date of deposit of the fifth instrument of ratification or accession with the Depositary Government.

2.In the case of each State which ratifies this Convention or accedes to it after the fifth instrument of ratification or accession has been deposited, this Convention shall enter into force six months after the deposit of its own instrument of ratification or accession.

1.Any Contracting Party may denounce this Convention by written notification to the Depositary Government.

2.Such denunciation shall take effect twelve months from the date on which the Depositary Government has received the notification, but such denunciation shall not affect the validity of any will made during the period that the Convention was in effect for the denouncing State.

1.Any State may, when it deposits its instrument of ratification or accession or at any time thereafter, declare, by a notice addressed to the Depositary Government, that this Convention shall apply to all or part of the territories for the international relations of which it is responsible.

2.Such declaration shall have effect six months after the date on which the Depositary Government shall have received notice thereof or, if at the end of such period the Convention has not yet come into force, from the date of its entry into force.

3.Each Contracting Party which has made a declaration in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article may, in accordance with Article XII, denounce this Convention in relation to all or part of the territories concerned.

1.If a State has two or more territorial units in which different systems of law apply in relation to matters respecting the form of wills, it may at the time of signature, ratification, or accession, declare that this Convention shall extend to all its territorial units or only to one or more of them, and may modify its declaration by submitting another declaration at any time.

2.These declarations shall be notified to the Depositary Government and shall state expressly the territorial units to which the Convention applies.

1.The original of the present Convention, in the English, French, Russian and Spanish languages, each version being equally authentic, shall be deposited with the Government of the United States of America, which shall transmit certified copies thereof to each of the signatory and acceding States and to the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law.

2.The Depositary Government shall give notice to the signatory and acceding States, and to the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law, of:

1.A will shall be valid as regards form, irrespective particularly of the place where it is made, of the location of the assets and of the nationality, domicile or residence of the testator, if it is made in the form of an international will complying with the provisions set out in Articles 2 to 5 hereinafter.

2.The invalidity of the will as an international will shall not affect its formal validity as a will of another kind.

1.The will shall be made in writing.

2.It need not be written by the testator himself.

3.It may be written in any language, by hand or by any other means.

1.The testator shall declare in the presence of two witnesses and of a person authorized to act in connection with international wills that the document is his will and that he knows the contents thereof.

2.The testator need not inform the witnesses, or the authorized person, of the contents of the will.

1.In the presence of the witnesses and of the authorized person, the testator shall sign the will or, if he has previously signed it, shall acknowledge his signature.

2.When the testator is unable to sign, he shall indicate the reason therefor to the authorized person who shall make note of this on the will. Moreover, the testator may be authorized by the law under which the authorized person was designated to direct another person to sign on his behalf.

3.The witnesses and the authorized person shall there and then attest the will by signing in the presence of the testator.

1.The signatures shall be placed at the end of the will.

2.If the will consists of several sheets, each sheet shall be signed by the testator or, if he is unable to sign, by the person signing on his behalf or, if there is no such person, by the authorized person. In addition, each sheet shall be numbered.

1.The date of the will shall be the date of its signature by the authorized person.

2.This date shall be noted at the end of the will by the authorized person.

1.I, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (name, address and capacity), a person authorized to act in connection with international wills

2.Certify that on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (date) at . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (place)

3.(testator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (name, address, date and place of birth) in my presence and that of the witnesses

has declared that the attached document is his will and that he knows the contents thereof.

5.I furthermore certify that:

12.PLACE

13.DATE

14.SIGNATURE and,  if

necessary, SEAL

*To be completed if appropriate.