Rwanda in the Hague Apostille Convention

Rwanda in the Hague Apostille Convention

As of October 6, 2023, the Republic of Rwanda declared its accession to the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961, by depositing the instrument of accession.

After the accession of Rwanda, the 1961 Apostille Convention has 126 Contracting Parties. It will enter into force for Rwanda on 5 June 2024.

Immediately after acceding to the 1961 Apostille Convention, Rwanda applied for membership in the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). On the day of the notification by the government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, of the proposal to become a new member state of the Convention, the Secretary General of the HCCH opened a six-month voting period during which all current member states of the Hague Convention can vote on the proposal.
If the majority of votes are in favor of Rwanda, then after the voting period, it will become a member state of the Convention.

At the ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, depository of the HCCH Conventions, Rwanda was represented by His Majesty Mr. Olivier Jean-Patrick Nduhungire, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Mr. Jean-Hugues Mukama, First Secretary of the Embassy of Rwanda. The Depositary was represented by Mr. Jules van Eindhoven, Head of the Treaties Division, and Mr. Rix Buchholt, Acting Deputy Head of the Treaties Division.

Rwanda is now a Contracting Party to two Conventions:

Apostille Convention of 1961

and

of the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation on International Adoption of 1993