1964 Hague Sales Laws (ULF & ULIS)

The CISG as adopted in 1980 and in force today owes much of its content to earlier preparatory work conducted under the auspices of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) since the 1930s.

UNIDROIT's work on the international sale of goods culminated in two uniform laws, the Uniform Law on the International Sale of Goods (commonly abbreviated as 'ULIS') and the Uniform Law on the Formation of Contracts for the International Sale of Goods ('ULF'). Both uniform laws were adopted on 1 July 1964 at The Hague, following a diplomatic conference convened by the Government of the Netherlands.

Convention relating to a Uniform Law on the International Sale of Goods, done at The Hague, 1 July 1964 (ULIS)

Convention relating to a Uniform Law on the Formation of Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, done at The Hague, 1 July 1964 (ULF)

A commentary explaining the provisions of the two Hague Sales Laws was written by André Tunc, Professor at the Faculty of Law and Economic Science, Paris, and published by the Ministry of Justice of the Netherlands.

André Tunc, Commentary of the Hague Conventions of 1st July 1964 on the International Sale of Goods and on the Formation of Contracts of Sales

ULIS and ULF both entered into force in 1972 and were adopted by an overall number of nine (mostly Western European) States. As Article 99(3) of the CISG requires any State which ratifies, accepts, approves or accedes to the CISG to at the same time denounce the 1964 Hague Sales Laws, ULIS and ULF have largely lost their practical relevance today. Nevertheless, they retain a certain importance for the interpretation of CISG provisions.