United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG): Treaty Text and Status

The CISG is a multilateral treaty to which the United States is a party. Therefore, when citing the treaty consult Bluebook rule 21.4.5(a)(ii). This rule requires citing a U.S. domestic source if therein and a parallel citation to an international organization treaty source.

The treaty appears in a Senate Treaty Document as well as the United Nations treaty series:

• S. Treaty Doc. No. 98-9 (1983)
• 1489 U.N.T.S. 3

In addition to these sources, the text of the treaty is available from a number of reliable resources including:

• 19 I.L.M. 668 (1980)
• The UNCITRAL web site
• The CISG Database

When researching an international agreement, determining the status of the agreement is crucial. Status includes such information as effective dates, parties to the agreement, and whether the parties have expressed any reserverations regarding the treaty.

The following resources are useful in determining the status of the CISG:

• United Nations Treaty Collection Web Site: Status of Treaties
• CISG Database: CISG by State
• Treaties in Force (see Multilateral Treaties/Trade and Commerce)