CISG

UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG)

International

An international treaty signed in 1980 that was developed by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). It sets out uniform rules for the international sale of commercial goods and generally applies to transactions between parties whose places of business are in different countries and either:

• Both of those countries are parties (contracting states) to the treaty.

• The rules of private international law lead to the law of a contracting state to the treaty.

Among other things, the CISG sets out rules for contract formation and the rights and obligations of sellers and buyers of goods. The CISG only applies to sales of goods between merchants, not sales to consumers, and does not generally apply to services arrangements.

Parties to a covered transaction can expressly exclude or vary the CISG's application in the applicable contract.

To date, more than 75 countries, including the US, have ratified the CISG. However, many adopting countries have made reservations and declarations regarding the scope of the CISG's application as it applies to that country.

For more information, see UNCITRAL's website .