Hague Choice of Court Convention

The Hague choice of court convention, formally the Convention of 30 June 2005 on Choice of Court Agreements, is an international treaty concluded within the Hague Conference on Private International Law. It was concluded in 2005, and entered into force on 1 October 2015. Twelve states and the European Union are party to the convention, which therefore applies in 38 states.^[2] China, Costa Rica, Israel, Kosovo and the United States signed the convention, but did not ratify.

Signed30 June 2005^[1]

LocationThe Hague, The Netherlands^[1]

Effective1 October 2015^[2]

Condition2 ratifications/accessions^[1]

Quick facts Convention of 30 June 2005 on Choice of Court Agreements, Signed ...

Hague choice of court convention

Convention of 30 June 2005 on Choice of Court Agreements
Parties (purple) and signatories (green)
Signed	30 June 2005[1]
Location	The Hague, The Netherlands[1]
Effective	1 October 2015[2]
Condition	2 ratifications/accessions[1]
Signatories	11[2]
Parties	13 (covering 38 countries):[2]
Depositary	Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Languages	English and French

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Parties under the convention recognize a choice of court agreement between parties in the field of civil law and thus courts not chosen in the agreement will stay all proceedings, unless the chosen court refuses to uphold the jurisdiction. For the convention choice of court agreements must be "exclusive", which means in the context of the convention that also a group of courts may be chosen, as long as they are in the same country. It is not required for a choice of court agreement to explicitly state that the agreement is exclusive; designating a specific (set of) courts will automatically render it exclusive.

Judgments by the chosen court must be recognized in all states where the convention is applicable.