Protocol on Road Signs and Signals

Signed at Geneva on 19 September 19491

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 20 December 1953, in accordance with article 58.

REGISTRATION: 20 December 1953, No. 1671.

TEXT: United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 182, p. 229, and vol. 514, p. 254 (amendments to the Protocol2).

STATUS: Signatories: 15. Parties: 37.

Participant


Signature	Ratification, accession (a), succession (d)

Austria 19 Sep 1949 2 Nov 1955

Belgium 19 Sep 1949 23 Apr 1954

Bulgaria 13 Feb 1963 a

Cambodia 14 Mar 1956 a

Cuba 1 Oct 1952 a

Czech Republic3 2 Jun 1993 d

Denmark 19 Sep 1949 1 Jul 1959

Dominican Republic 15 Aug 1957 a

Ecuador 26 Sep 1962 a

Egypt 19 Sep 1949 28 May 1957

Finland 24 Sep 1958 a

France 19 Sep 1949 18 Aug 1954

Greece 1 Jul 1952 a

Haiti 12 Feb 1958 a

Holy See 1 Oct 1956 a

Hungary 30 Jul 1962 a

India 29 Dec 1949

Israel 19 Sep 1949

Italy 19 Sep 1949 15 Dec 1952

Kyrgyzstan 22 Mar 1994 a

Lebanon 19 Sep 1949

Luxembourg 19 Sep 1949 17 Oct 1952

Monaco 25 Sep 1951 a

Netherlands 19 Sep 1949 19 Sep 1952

Niger 5 Mar 1968 a

Norway 19 Sep 1949

Poland 29 Oct 1958 a

Portugal 15 Feb 1957 a

Romania 26 Jan 1961 a

Russian Federation 17 Aug 1959 a

Rwanda 5 Aug 1964 d

San Marino 19 Mar 1962 a

Senegal 13 Jul 1962 a

Slovakia 3 28 May 1993 d

Spain 13 Feb 1958 a

Sweden 19 Sep 1949 25 Feb 1952

Switzerland 19 Sep 1949

Thailand 15 Aug 1962 a

Tunisia 8 Nov 1957 a

Uganda 15 Apr 1965 a

United Kingdom 16 May 1966 a

Yugoslavia 19 Sep 1949 8 Oct 1956

Declarations and Reservations
(Unless otherwise indicated, the declarations and reservations were made
upon ratification, accession or succession.)

Austriac

Subject to the reservation in respect of paragraph 1 of article 45 contained in paragraph 7 (f) of the Final Act of the Conference on Road and Motor Transport.

bulgariac

finland

"With reference to article 15, paragraph 5 of this Protocol, the Government of Finland reserve the right to use the Saint Andrew's Cross at level-crossings with gates."

hungaryc

"The Hungarian People's Republic does not consider itself bound by the provision of paragraph 5, article 15 of the Protocol which stipulates that level-crossings with gates shall not be provided with a sign in the form of a Saint Andrew's cross."

norway8

Subject to the reservation in respect of paragraph 5 of article 15 contained in paragraph 7 (e) of the Final Act of the Conference on Road and Motor Transport.

romania

The Romanian People's Republic does not consider itself bound by the provisions of article 62, under which any dispute concerning the interpretation or application of the Protocol may be referred to the International Court of Justice for decision by application from any of the States concerned. The position of the Romanian People's Republic is that the agreement of all the parties in dispute is required in each case for the submission of any dispute to the International Court of Justice for decision.

Russian Federationc

The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics does not consider itself bound by the provisions of article 62 of the Protocol on Road Signs and Signals, which lays down that disputes between Contracting States concerning the interpretation or application of this Protocol may be referred to the International Court of Justice for decision by application from any of the States concerned, and declares that the agreement of all the States in dispute is required in each separate case for the submission of any dispute to the International Court of Justice for decision.

sweden 8

Subject to the reservation in respect of paragraph 5 of article 15 contained in paragraph 7 e) of the Final Act of the Conference on Road and Motor Transport.

Territorial Application

Participant


Date of receipt of the notification	Territories
Netherlandsc	14 Jan 1955	Surinam and the Netherlands New Guinea
	9 May 1957	The Netherlands Antilles
Portugal	15 Feb 1957	Portuguese Overseas Provinces of Angola and Mozambique
Spain	13 Feb 1958	African localities and provinces

NOTES:

1 See note at the beginning of chapter XI.B-1.

2 Registration: 22 October 1964, No. 1671. The proposal for these amendments was communicated to the Secretary-General by the Government of France on 3 February 1964 pursuant to paragraph 1 of article 60 of the Protocol. In accordance with paragraph 5 of the same article, they entered into force on 22 October 1964 as regards all the Contracting Parties, with the exception that the Government of Portugal, having notified the Secretary-General of its objection to the amendment adding new paragraph 3bis to article 35, is not bound by that amendment. For the text of the Protocol incorporating the said amendments, see United Nations Conference on Road and Motor Transport, Final Act and Related Documents (United Nations publication, Sales No.: 1967.VIII.1).

3 Czechoslovakia had signed and ratified the Protocol on 28 December 1949 and 3 November 1950, respectively. See also note in chapter I.2.

4 The said reservation reads as follows:

"That the signs for the special identification of routes in Austria may be either rectangular or circular in shape."

5 In a notification received on 6 May 1994, the Government of Bulgaria notified the Secretary-General that it had decided to withdraw the reservation made upon accession with respect to article 62. For the text of the reservation, see United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 453, p. 354.

6 In a communication received on 8 December 1989, the Government of Hungary notified the Secretary-General that it had decided to withdraw the reservation with respect to article 62 of the Protocol made upon accession. For the text of the reservation see United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 434, p. 290.

7 The Government of Greece has informed the Secretary-General that it does not consider itself bound by the provisions to which the reservation is made, as far as the Soviet Union is concerned.

8 The said reservation reads as follows:

"That the use of the Saint Andrew's Cross at level-crossings with gates shall be permitted in Sweden and Norway."

c See note in chapter I.1.