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Country-pair checker

Does the 1980 Hague Convention apply between these two countries?

Being a member isn't enough — the Convention must be in force between the two specific countries. For countries that joined by accession, older members must have formally accepted them (Article 38). Most resources skip this. It decides cases.

Or browse by country

A static, linkable page per country — its relationship with all other 102 Contracting Parties, including the Article 38 nuance.

Albania Andorra Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Bahamas Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Bolivia (Plurinational State of) Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Bulgaria Burkina Faso Cabo Verde Canada Chile China (People's Republic of) Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia Denmark Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Estonia Fiji Finland France Gabon Georgia Germany Greece Guatemala Guinea Guyana Honduras Hungary Iceland Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Kazakhstan Latvia Lesotho Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Mauritius Mexico Monaco Montenegro Morocco Netherlands (Kingdom of the) New Zealand Nicaragua North Macedonia Norway Pakistan Panama Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Republic of Korea Republic of Moldova Romania Russian Federation Saint Kitts and Nevis San Marino Serbia Seychelles Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sweden Switzerland Thailand Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Türkiye Turkmenistan Ukraine United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland United States of America Uruguay Uzbekistan Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) Zambia Zimbabwe

How this checker works

Membership data is verified against the official HCCH status table (103 Contracting Parties, verified 2026-07-05). Where a country joined by accession, we flag the Article 38 acceptance check; pair-by-pair acceptance data is being added. Special cases — like China, where the Convention applies only in the Hong Kong and Macao SARs — are flagged explicitly. Whether the Convention applies to your case also depends on habitual residence, custody rights and timing — that's your lawyer's assessment.

This tool provides general information based on treaty status as of the date shown — not legal advice. Laws and procedures vary by country and case. If a child may be at risk or has already been taken across borders, contact the relevant Central Authority, local police where appropriate, consular officials, and a qualified lawyer immediately.