This website provides a list of all the multilateral agreements that are in force and are applicable to the Hong Kong SAR. Most of the agreements on our list applied to Hong Kong prior to 1 July 1997 (the date of Hong Kong's return to China) and continue to apply from that date. Some of the agreements were applied to the Hong Kong SAR on or after 1 July 1997. Under Article 153, the views of the Hong Kong SAR Government have to be sought before international agreements to which China is a party (or becomes a party) are extended to Hong Kong. Our list also identifies a number of agreements that do not apply to the Mainland of China but are applicable to the Hong Kong SAR.
For ease of reference, the agreements on our list are arranged into 20 categories by subject. Where applicable, we have developed hyperlinks to external websites containing the texts of those agreements.
The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction ("the Convention") is applied to the Hong Kong SAR. The Convention focuses on protecting children internationally from the harmful effects of their wrongful removal or retention and establishes civil procedures to ensure their prompt return to the places of their habitual residence. The Child Abduction and Custody Ordinance (Cap. 512) was enacted to implement the Convention in the Hong Kong SAR in 1997.
The Secretary for Justice is designated as the Central Authority of the Hong Kong SAR of the People's Republic of China to discharge the relevant functions under the Convention. The International Law Division of the Department of Justice has been authorized to act on behalf of the Secretary for Justice in providing international assistance in the return of abducted children and exercise of rights of access to children. Details regarding the Convention and the operation regime mentioned above are available from this link.
List of multilateral agreements in Force and Applicable to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
(As at 30.9.2024)
| # | Represents a treaty which does not apply to the Mainland of China. |
| # | Represents a treaty which does not apply to the Mainland of China. |
| # | Represents a treaty which does not apply to the Mainland of China. |
| # | Represents a treaty which does not apply to the Mainland of China. |
| # | Represents a treaty which does not apply to the Mainland of China. |
| 801 | The Convention on International Civil Aviation, Chicago, 7.12.1944, as amended in 1947, 1954[(a), (b)], 1961, 1962, 1968, 1971 [(a), (b)], 1974, 1977[(a), (b)], 1980, 1984, 1989 and 1990 |
| #802 | International Air Services Transit Agreement, Chicago, 7.12.1944 |
| 803 | Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to International Carriage by Air, Warsaw, 12.10.1929, as amended in 1955. |
| #804 | Convention, Supplementary to the Warsaw Convention, for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to International Carriage by Air Performed by a Person Other Than the Contracting Carrier, Guadalajara, 18.9.1961 |
| 805 | Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, Montreal, 28.5.1999, as revised in 2009 and 2019 |
|
Sub-total : 5 |
|
| # | Represents a treaty which does not apply to the Mainland of China. |
| # | Represents a treaty which does not apply to the Mainland of China. |
| 1001 | Convention Relating to International Exhibitions, Paris, 22.11.1928, as modified in 1948, 1966, 1972, 1982 and 1988 |
| 1002 |
United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, Vienna, 11.4.1980 |
| 1003 | |
| 1004 | |
|
(see also 1706, 1707, 1715, 1718, 1720, 1722, 1723, 1728, 1735, 1736, 1739, 1741, #1743, 1747, 1752 and 1754) Sub-total : 4 |
|
| # | Represents a treaty which does not apply to the Mainland of China. |
| # | Represents a treaty which does not apply to the Mainland of China. |
| 1401 | General Regulations of the Universal Postal Union, Doha, 11.10.2012 |
| 1402 | Universal Postal Convention and Final Protocol, Doha, 11.10.2012 |
| 1403 | Postal Payment Services Agreement, Doha, 11.10.2012 |
| 1404 | General Regulations of the Asian-Pacific Postal Union, Bangkok, 4.12.1985, as amended in 1995 and 2000 |
|
(See also 1721 and 1737) Sub-total : 4 |
|
| # | Represents a treaty which does not apply to the Mainland of China. |
| # | Represents a treaty which does not apply to the Mainland of China. |
| * | This international covenant is applicable to the HKSAR pursuant to the Joint Declaration and Article 39 of the Basic Law. |
| # | Represents a treaty which does not apply to the Mainland of China. |
| ^ | With the entry into force of the 1998 amendments on 31 July 2001, which transformed the International Mobile Satellite Organization’s business into a privatised corporate structure, the Operating Agreement ceased to exist, with effect from the same date. |
| * | The current name of the organization is International Mobile Satellite Organization. |
| # | Represents a treaty which does not apply to the Mainland of China. |
| #1901 | Convention for the Protection of Submarine Cables, Paris, 14.3.1884, as amended in 1886 and 1887 |
| 1902 | International Agreement on the Use of INMARSAT Ship Earth Stations within the Territorial Sea and Ports, London, 16.10.1985 |
|
(see also 1727, 1729, 1730, 1731, 1732 and 1740) Sub-total : 2 |
|
| # | Represents a treaty which does not apply to the Mainland of China. |
| 2001 | International Convention Against Doping in Sport, Paris, 19.10.2005 |
| 2002 | Agreement on Education Cooperation among Members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Shanghai, 15.6.2006 |
| 2003 | Asia-Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education, Tokyo, 26.11.2011 |
|
(see also 1744, 1745, 1746) Sub-total : 3 Grand Total : 264 |
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