Refugee Handbook

Handbook
on Procedures and Criteria

for Determining Refugee Status
under the 1951 Convention
and the 1967 Protocol
relating to the Status of Refugees
HCR/IP/4/Eng/REV.1
Reedited,
Geneva, January 1992,
UNHCR 1979
FOREWORD
I) Refugee status, on the universal level, is governed by the 1951 Convention and the 1967
Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees. These two international legal instruments have been
adopted within the framework of the United Nations. At the time of republishing this Handbook
110 states have become parties to the Convention or to the Protocol or to both instruments.
II) These two international legal instruments are applicable to persons who are refugees as
therein defined. The assessment as to who is a refugee, i.e. the determination of refugee status
under the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol, is incumbent upon the Contracting State in
whose territory the refugee applies for recognition of refugee status.
III) Both the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol provide for co-operation between the
Contracting States and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. This
co-operation extends to the determination of refugee status, according to arrangements made in
various Contracting States.
IV) The Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme at its twenty-eighth
session requested the Office of the High Commissioner to consider the possibility of issuing for
the guidance of Governments a handbook relating to procedures and criteria for determining
refugee status. The first edition of the Handbook was issued by my Division in September 1979
in response to this request by the Executive Committee. Since then the Handbook has been
regularly reprinted to meet the increasing demands of government officials, academics, and
lawyers concerned with refugee problems. The present edition updates information concerning
accessions to the international refugee instruments including details of declarations on the
geographical applicability of the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol.
V) The segment of this Handbook on the criteria for determining refugee status breaks down
and explains the various components of the definition of refugee set out in the 1951 Convention
and the 1967 Protocol. The explanations are based on the knowledge accumulated by the High
Commissioner's Office over some 25 years, since the entry into force of the 1951 Convention on
21 April 1954. The practice of States is taken into account as are exchanges of views between
the Office and the competent authorities of Contracting States, and the literature devoted to the
subject over the last quarter of a century. As the Handbook has been conceived as a practical
guide and not as a treatise on refugee law, references to literature etc. have purposely been
omitted.
VI) With respect to procedures for the determination of refugee status, the writers of the
Handbook have been guided chiefly by the principles defined in this respect by the Executive
Committee itself. Use has naturally also been made of the knowledge available concerning the
practice of States.
VII) The Handbook is meant for the guidance of government officials concerned with the
determination of refugee status in the various Contracting States. It is hoped that it will also be of
interest and useful to all those concerned with refugee problems.
Michel Moussalli
Director of International Protection
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
INTRODUCTION International instruments defining the term refugee
A. Early instruments (1921-1946)
1. Early in the twentieth century, the refugee problem became the concern of the
international community, which, for humanitarian reasons, began to assume responsibility for
protecting and assisting refugees.
2. The pattern of international action on behalf of refugees was established by the League
of Nations and led to the adoption of a number of international agreements for their benefit.
These instruments are referred to in Article 1 A (1) of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status
of Refugees (see paragraph 32 below).
3. The definitions in these instruments relate each category of refugees to their national
origin, to the territory that they left and to the lack of diplomatic protection by their former home
country. With this type of definition by categories interpretation was simple and caused no great
difficulty in ascertaining who was a refugee.
4. Although few persons covered by the terms of the early instruments are likely to request
a formal determination of refugee status at the present time.. such cases could occasionally arise.
They are dealt with below in Chapter II, A. Persons who meet the definitions of international
instruments prior to the 1951 Convention are usually referred to as statutory refugees.
B. 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees
5. Soon after the Second World War, as the refugee problem had not been solved, the need
was felt for a new international instrument to define the legal status of refugees. Instead of ad hoc
agreements adopted in relation to specific refugee situations, there was a call for an instrument
containing a general definition of who was to be considered a refugee. The Convention relating to
the Status of Refugees was adopted by a Conference of Plenipotentiaries of the United Nations
on 28 July 1951, and entered into force on 21 April 1954. In the following paragraphs it is referred
to as the 1951 Convention. (The text of the 1951 Convention will be found in Annex II.)
C. Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees
6. According to the general definition contained in the 1951 Convention, a refugee is a
person who:
As a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951 and owing to well-founded fear of being
persecuted ... is outside his country of nationality...
7. The 1951 dateline originated in the wish of Governments, at the time the Convention was
adopted, to limit their obligations to refugee situations that were known to exist at that time, or to
those which might subsequently arise from events that had already occurred.1
8. With the passage of time and the emergence of new refugee situations, the need was
increasingly felt to make the provisions of the 1951 Convention applicable to such new refugees.
As a result, a Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees was prepared. After consideration by the
General Assembly of the United Nations, it was opened for accession on 31 January 1967 and
entered into force on 4 October 1967.
9. By accession to the 1967 Protocol, States undertake to apply the substantive provisions
of the 1951 Convention to refugees as defined in the Convention, but without the 1951 dateline.
Although related to the Convention in this way, the Protocol is an independent instrument,
accession to which is not limited to States parties to the Convention.
1 The 1951 Convention also provides for the possibility of introducing a geographic limitation (see
paragraphs 108 to 110 below).
10. In the following paragraphs, the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees is
referred to as the 1967 Protocol. (The text of the Protocol will be found in Annex III.)
11. At the time of writing, 78 States are parties to the 1951 Convention or to the 1967
Protocol or to both instruments. (A list of the States parties will be found in Annex IV.)
D. Main provisions of the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol
12. The 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol contain three types of provisions:
(i) Provisions giving the basic definition of who is (and who is not) a refugee and who,
having been a refugee, has ceased to be one. The discussion and interpretation of these
provisions constitute the main body of the present Handbook, intended for the guidance of those
whose task it is to determine refugee status.
(ii) Provisions that define the legal status of refugees and their rights and duties in their
country of refuge. Although these provisions have no influence on the process of determination of
refugee status, the authority entrusted with this process should be aware of them, for its decision
may indeed have far-reaching effects for the individual or family concerned.
(iii) Other provisions dealing with the implementation of the instruments from the
administrative and diplomatic standpoint. Article 35 of the 1951 Convention and Article 11 of the
1967 Protocol contain an undertaking by Contracting States to co-operate with the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the exercise of its functions and, in particular,
to facilitate its duty of supervising the application of the provisions of these instruments.
E. Statute of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
13. The instruments described above under A-C define the persons who are to be
considered refugees and require the parties to accord a certain status to refugees in their
respective territories.
14. Pursuant to a decision of the General Assembly, the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established as of 1 January 1951. The Statute of the
Office is annexed to Resolution 428 (V), adopted by the General Assembly on 14 December
1950. According to the Statute, the High Commissioner is called upon--inter alia--to provide
international protection, under the auspices of the United Nations, to refugees falling within the
competence of his Office.
15. The Statute contains definitions of those persons to whom the High Commissioner's
competence extends, which are very close to, though not identical with, the definition contained in
the 1951 Convention. By virtue of these definitions the High Commissioner is competent for
refugees irrespective of any dateline2 or geographic limitation.3
16. Thus, a person who meets the criteria of the UNHCR Statute qualifies for the protection
of the United Nations provided by the High Commissioner, regardless of whether or not he is in a
country that is a party to the 1951 Convention or the 1967 Protocol or whether or not he has been
recognized by his host country as a refugee under either of these instruments. Such refugees,
being within the High Commissioner's mandate, are usually referred to as mandate refugees.
17. From the foregoing, it will be seen that a person can simultaneously be both a mandate
refugee and a refugee under the 1951 Convention or the 1967 Protocol. He may, however, be in
a country that is not bound by either of these instruments, or he may be excluded from
recognition as a Convention refugee by the application of the dateline or the geographic
2 See paragraphs 35 and 36 below.
3 See paragraphs 108 and 110 below.

limitation. In such cases he would still qualify for protection by the High Commissioner under the
terms of the Statute.
18. The above mentioned Resolution 428 (V) and the Statute of the High Commissioner's
Office call for co-operation between Governments and the High Commissioner's Office in dealing
with refugee problems. The High Commissioner is designated as the authority charged with
providing inter-national protection to refugees, and is required inter alia to promote the conclusion
and ratification of international conventions for the protection of refugees, and to supervise their
application.
19. Such co-operation, combined with his supervisory function, forms the basis for the High
Commissioner's fundamental interest in the process of determining refugee status under the 1951
Convention and the 1967 Protocol. The part played by the High Commissioner is reflected, to
varying degrees, in the procedures for the determination of refugee status established by a
number of Governments.
F. Regional instruments relating to refugees
20. In addition to the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol, and the Statute of the Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are a number of regional agreements,
conventions and other instruments relating to refugees, particularly in Africa, the Americas and
Europe. These regional instruments deal with such matters as the granting of asylum, travel
documents and travel facilities, etc. Some also contain a definition of the term refugee, or of
persons entitled to asylum.
21. In Latin America, the problem of diplomatic and territorial asylum is dealt with in a number
of regional instruments including the Treaty on International Penal Law, (Montevideo, 1889); the
Agreement on Extradition, (Caracas, 1911); the Convention on Asylum, (Havana, 1928); the
Convention on Political Asylum, (Montevideo, 1933); the Convention on Diplomatic Asylum,
(Caracas, 1954); and the Convention on Territorial Asylum, (Caracas, 1954).
22. A more recent regional instrument is the Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of
Refugee Problems in Africa, adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the
Organization of African Unity on 10 September 1969. This Convention contains a definition of the
term refugee, consisting of two parts: the first part is identical with the definition in the 1967
Protocol (i.e. the definition in the 1951 Convention without the dateline or geographic limitation).
The second part applies the term refugee to:
every person who, owing to external aggression, occupation, foreign domination or events
seriously disturbing public order in either part or the whole of his country of origin or nationality, is
compelled to leave his place of habitual residence in order to seek refuge in another place
outside his country of origin or nationality.
23. The present Handbook deals only with the determination of refugee status under the two
international instruments of universal scope: the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol.
G. Asylum and the treatment of refugees
24. The Handbook does not deal with questions closely related to the determination of
refugee status e.g. the granting of asylum to refugees or the legal treatment of refugees after they
have been recognized as such.
25. Although there are references to asylum in the Final Act of the Conference of
Plenipotentiaries as well as in the Preamble to the Convention, the granting of asylum is not dealt
with in the 1951 Convention or the 1967 Protocol. The High Commissioner has always pleaded
for a generous asylum policy in the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the
Declaration on Territorial Asylum, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 10
December 1948 and on 14 December 1967 respectively.
26. With respect to the treatment within the territory of States, this is regulated as regards
refugees by the main provisions of the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol (see paragraph 12 (ii)
above). Furthermore, attention should be drawn to Recommendation E contained in the Final Act
of the Conference of Plenipotentiaries which adopted the 1951 Convention:
The Conference
Expresses the hope that the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees will have value as
an example exceeding its contractual scope and that all nations will be guided by it in granting
so far as possible to persons in their territory as refugees and who would not be covered by
the terms of the Convention, the treatment for which it provides.
27. This recommendation enables States to solve such problems as may arise with regard to
persons who are not regarded as fully satisfying the criteria of the definition of the term refugee.
PART ONE Criteria for the Determination of Refugee Status
CHAPTER I GENERAL PRINCIPLES
28. A person is a refugee within the meaning of the 1951 Convention as soon as he fulfils the
criteria contained in the definition. This would necessarily occur prior to the time at which his
refugee status is formally determined. Recognition of his refugee status does not therefore make
him a refugee but declares him to be one. He does not become a refugee because of recognition,
but is recognized because he is a refugee.
29. Determination of refugee status is a process which takes place in two stages. Firstly, it is
necessary to ascertain the relevant facts of the case. Secondly, the definitions in the 1951
Convention and the 1967 Protocol have to be applied to the facts thus ascertained.
30. The provisions of the 1951 Convention defining who is a refugee consist of three parts,
which have been termed respectively inclusion, cessation and exclusion clauses.
31. The inclusion clauses define the criteria that a person must satisfy in order to be a
refugee. They form the positive basis upon which the determination of refugee status is made.
The so-called cessation and exclusion clauses have a negative significance; the former indicate
the conditions under which a refugee ceases to be a refugee and the latter enumerate the
circumstances in which a person is excluded from the application of the 1951 Convention
although meeting the positive criteria of the inclusion clauses.
CHAPTER II INCLUSION CLAUSES
A. Definitions
(1) Statutory Refugees
32. Article 1 A (1) of the 1951 Convention deals with statutory refugees, i.e. persons
considered to be refugees under the provisions of international instruments preceding the
Convention. This provision states that:
For the purposes of the present Convention, the term 'refugee' shall apply to any person who:
(1) Has been considered a refugee under the Arrangements of 12 May 1926 and 30 June 1928 or
under the Conventions of 28 October 1933 and 10 February 1938, the Protocol of 14 September
1939 or the Constitution of the International Refugee Organization;
Decisions of non-eligibility taken by the International Refugee Organization during the period of its
activities shall not prevent the status of refugees being accorded to persons who fulfil the
conditions of paragraph 2 of this section.
33. The above enumeration is given in order to provide a link with the past and to ensure the
continuity of international protection of refugees who became the concern of the international
community at various earlier periods. As already indicated (para. 4 above), these instruments
have by now lost much of their significance, and a discussion of them here would be of little
practical value. However, a person who has been considered a refugee under the terms of any of
these instruments is automatically a refugee under the 1951 Convention. Thus, a holder of a so-
called Nansen Passport4 or a Certificate of Eligibility issued by the International Refugee
Organization must be considered a refugee under the 1951 Convention unless one of the
cessation clauses has become applicable to his case or he is excluded from the application of the
Convention by one of the exclusion clauses. This also applies to a surviving child of a statutory
refugee.
4 "Nansen Passport": a certificate of identity for use as a travel document, issued to refugees
under the provisions of prewar instruments.
(2) General definition in the 1951 Convention
34. According to Article 1 A (2) of the 1951 Convention the term refugee shall apply to any
person who:
As a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951 and owing to well founded fear of being
persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or
political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is
unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and
being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or,
owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.
This general definition is discussed in detail below.
B. Interpretation of terms
(1) Events occurring before 1 January 1951
35. The origin of this 1951 dateline is explained in paragraph 7 of the Introduction. As a result
of the 1967 Protocol this dateline has lost much of its practical significance. An interpretation of
the word events is therefore of interest only in the small number of States parties to the 1951
Convention that are not also party to the 1967 Protocol.5
36. The word events is not defined in the 1951 Convention, but was understood to mean
happenings of major importance involving territorial or profound political changes as well as
systematic programmes of persecution which are after-effects of earlier changes.6 The dateline
refers to events as a result of which, and not to the date on which, a person becomes a refugee,
not does it apply to the date on which he left his country. A refugee may have left his country
before or after the datelines, provided that his fear of persecution is due to events that occurred
before the dateline or to after-effects occurring at a later date as a result of such events.7
(2) well founded fear of being persecuted
(a) General analysis
37. The phrase well-founded fear of being persecuted is the key phrase of the definition. It
reflects the views of its authors as to the main elements of refugee character. It replaces the
earlier method of defining refugees by categories (i.e. persons of a certain origin not enjoying the
protection of their country) by the general concept of fear for a relevant motive. Since fear is
subjective, the definition involves a subjective element in the person applying for recognition as a
refugee. Determination of refugee status will therefore primarily require an evaluation of the
applicant's statements rather than a judgement on the situation prevailing in his country of origin.
38. To the element of fear--a state of mind and a subjective condition--is added the
qualification well-founded. This implies that it is not only the frame of mind of the person
concerned that determines his refugee status, but that this frame of mind must be supported by
an objective situation. The term well-founded fear therefore contains a subjective and an
objective element, and in determining whether well-founded fear exists, both elements must be
taken into consideration.
39. It may be assumed that, unless he seeks adventure or just wishes to see the world, a
person would not normally abandon his home and country without some compelling reason.
There may be many reasons that are compelling and understandable, but only one motive has
5 See Annex IV.
6 UN Document E/1618 page 39.
7 loc. cit.
been singled out to denote a refugee. The expression owing to well-founded fear of being
persecuted--for the reasons stated--by indicating a specific motive automatically makes all other
reasons for escape irrelevant to the definition. It rules out such persons as victims of famine or
natural disaster, unless they also have well-founded fear of persecution for one of the reasons
stated. Such other motives may not, however, be altogether irrelevant to the process of
determining refugee status, since all the circumstances need to be taken into account for a proper
understanding of the applicant's case.
40. An evaluation of the subjective element is inseparable from an assessment of the
personality of the applicant, since psychological reactions of different individuals may not be the
same in identical conditions. One person may have strong political or religious convictions, the
disregard of which would make his life intolerable; another may have no such strong convictions.
One person may make an impulsive decision to escape; another may carefully plan his departure.
41. Due to the importance that the definition attaches to the subjective element, an
assessment of credibility is indispensable where the case is not sufficiently clear from the facts on
record. It will be necessary to take into account the personal and family background of the
applicant, his membership of a particular racial, religious, national, social or political group, his
own interpretation of his situation, and his personal experiences--in other words, everything that
may serve to indicate that the predominant motive for his application is fear. Fear must be
reasonable. Exaggerated fear, however, may be well-founded if, in all the circumstances of the
case, such a state of mind can be regarded as justified.
42. As regards the objective clement, it is necessary to evaluate the statements made by the
applicant. The competent authorities that are called upon to determine refugee status are not
required to pass judgement on conditions in the applicant's country of origin. The applicant's
statements cannot, however, be considered in the abstract, and must be viewed in the context of
the relevant background situation. A knowledge of conditions in the applicant's country of origin--
while not a primary objective--is an important element in assessing the applicant's credibility. In
general, the applicant's fear should be considered well-founded if he can establish, to a
reasonable degree, that his continued stay in his country of origin has become intolerable to him
for the reasons stated in the definition, or would for the same reasons be intolerable if he returned
there.
43. These considerations need not necessarily be based on the applicant's own personal
experience. What, for example, happened to his friends and relatives and other members of the
same racial or social group may well show that his fear that sooner or later he also will become a
victim of persecution is well-founded. The laws of the country of origin, and particularly the
manner in which they are applied, will be relevant. The situation of each person must, however,
be assessed on its own merits. In the case of a well-known personality, the possibility of
persecution may be greater than in the case of a person in obscurity. All these factors, e.g. a
person's character, his background, his influence, his wealth or his outspokenness, may lead to
the conclusion that his fear of persecution is well-founded.
44. While refugee status must normally be determined on an individual basis, situations have
also arisen in which entire groups have been displaced under circumstances indicating that
members of the group could be considered individually as refugees. In such situations the need
to provide assistance is often extremely urgent and it may not be possible for purely practical
reasons to carry out an individual determination of refugee status for each member of the group.
Recourse has therefore been had to so-called group determination of refugee status, whereby
each member of the group is regarded prima facie (i.e. in the absence of evidence to the
contrary) as a refugee.
45. Apart from the situations of the type referred to in the preceding paragraph, an applicant
for refugee status must normally show good reason why he individually fears persecution. It may
be assumed that a person has well-founded fear of being persecuted if he has already been the
victim of persecution for one of the reasons enumerated in the 1951 Convention. However, the
word fear refers not only to persons who have actually been persecuted, but also to those who
wish to avoid a situation entailing the risk of persecution.
46. The expressions fear of persecution or even persecution are usually foreign to a
refugee's normal vocabulary. A refugee will indeed only rarely invoke fear of persecution in
these terms, though it will often be implicit in his story. Again, while a refugee may have very
definite opinions for which he has had to suffer, he may not, for psychological reasons, be able to
describe his experiences and situation in political terms.
47. A typical test of the well-foundedness of fear will arise when an applicant is in possession
of a valid national passport. It has sometimes been claimed that possession of a passport
signifies that the issuing authorities do not intend to persecute the holder, for otherwise they
would not have issued a passport to him. Though this may be true in some cases, many persons
have used a legal exit from their country as the only means of escape without ever having
revealed their political opinions, a knowledge of which might place them in a dangerous situation
vis--vis the authorities.
48. Possession of a passport cannot therefore always be considered as evidence of loyalty
on the part of the holder, or as an indication of the absence of fear. A passport may even be
issued to a person who is undesired in his country of origin, with the sole purpose of securing his
departure, and there may also be cases where a passport has been obtained surreptitiously. In
conclusion, therefore, the mere possession of a valid national passport is no bar to refugee
status.
49. If, on the other hand, an applicant, without good reason, insists on retaining a valid
passport of a country of whose protection he is allegedly unwilling to avail himself, this may cast
doubt on the validity of his claim to have well-founded fear. Once recognized, a refugee should
not normally retain his national passport.
50. There may, however, be exceptional situations in which a person fulfilling the criteria of
refugee status may retain his national passport-or be issued with a new one by the authorities of
his country of origin under special arrangements. Particularly where such arrangements do not
imply that the holder of the national passport is free to return to his country without prior
permission, they may not be incompatible with refugee status.
(b) Persecution
51. There is no universally accepted definition of persecution, and various attempts to
formulate such a definition have met with little success. From Article 33 of the 1951 Convention, it
may be inferred that a threat to life or freedom on account of race, religion, nationality, political
opinion or membership of a particular social group is always persecution. Other serious violations
of human rights--for the same reasons--would also constitute persecution.
52. Whether other prejudicial actions or threats would amount to persecution will depend on
the circumstances of each case, including the subjective element to which reference has been
made in the preceding para. graphs. The subjective character of fear of persecution requires an
evaluation of the opinions and feelings of the person concerned. It is also in the light of such
opinions and feelings that any actual or anticipated measures against him must necessarily be
viewed. Due to variations in the psychological make-up of individuals and in the circumstances of
each case, interpretations of what amounts to persecution are bound to vary.
53. In addition, an applicant may have been subjected to various measures not in themselves
amounting to persecution (e.g. discrimination in different forms), in some cases combined with
other adverse factors (e.g. general atmosphere of insecurity in the country of origin). In such
situations, the various elements involved may, if taken together, produce an effect on the mind of
the applicant that can reasonably justify a claim to well-founded fear of persecution on
cumulative grounds. Needless to say, it is not possible to lay down a general rule as to what
cumulative reasons can give rise to a valid claim to refugee status. This will necessarily depend
on all the circumstances, including the particular geographical, historical and ethnological context.
(c) Discrimination
54. Differences in the treatment of various groups do indeed exist to a greater or lesser
extent in many societies. Persons who receive less favourable treatment as a result of such
differences are not necessarily victims of persecution. It is only in certain circumstances that
discrimination will amount to persecution. This would be so if measures of discrimination lead to
consequences of a substantially prejudicial nature for the person concerned, e.g. serious
restrictions on his right to earn his livelihood, his right to practise his religion, or his access to
normally available educational facilities.
55. Where measures of discrimination are, in themselves, not of a serious character, they
may nevertheless give rise to a reasonable fear of persecution if they produce, in the mind of the
person concerned, a feeling of apprehension and insecurity as regards his future existence.
Whether or not such measures of discrimination in themselves amount to persecution must be
determined in the light of all the circumstances. A claim to fear of persecution will of course be
stronger where a person has been the victim of a number of discriminatory measures of this type
and where there is thus a cumulative element involved.8
(d) Punishment
56. Persecution must be distinguished from punishment for a common law offence. Persons
fleeing from prosecution or punishment for such an offence are not normally refugees. It should
be recalled that a refugee is a victim--or potential victim--of injustice, not a fugitive from justice.
57. The above distinction may, however, occasionally be obscured. In the first place, a
person guilty of a common law offence may be liable to excessive punishment, which may
amount to persecution within the meaning of the definition. Moreover, penal prosecution for a
reason mentioned in the definition (for example, in respect of illegal religious instruction given to
a child) may in itself amount to persecution.
58. Secondly, there may be cases in which a person, besides fearing prosecution or
punishment for a common law crime, may also have well founded fear of persecution. In such
cases the person concerned is a refugee. It may, however, be necessary to consider whether the
crime in question is not of such a serious character as to bring the applicant within the scope of
one of the exclusion clauses.9
59. In order to determine whether prosecution amounts to persecution, it will also be
necessary to refer to the laws of the country concerned, for it is possible for a law not to be in
conformity with accepted human rights standards. More often, however, it may not be the law but
its application that is discriminatory. Prosecution for an offence against public order, e.g. for
distribution of pamphlets, could for example be a vehicle for the persecution of the individual on
the grounds of the political content of the publication.
60. In such cases, due to the obvious difficulty involved in evaluating the laws of another
country, national authorities may frequently have to take decisions by using their own national
legislation as a yardstick. Moreover, recourse may usefully be had to the principles set out in the
various international instruments relating to human rights, in particular the International
Covenants on Human Rights, which contain binding commitments for the States parties and are
instruments to which many States parties to the 1951 Convention have acceded.
(e) Consequences of unlawful departure or unauthorized stay outside country of origin
61. The legislation of certain States imposes severe penalties on nationals who depart from
the country in an unlawful manner or remain abroad without authorization. Where there is reason
8 See also paragraph 53.
9 See paragraphs 144 to 156.

to believe that a person, due to his illegal departure or unauthorized stay abroad is liable to such
severe penalties his recognition as a refugee will be justified if it can be shown that his motives
for leaving or remaining outside the country are related to the reasons enumerated in Article 1 A
(2) of the 1951 Convention (see paragraph 66 below).
(f) Economic migrants distinguished from refugees
62. A migrant is a person who, for reasons other than those contained in the definition,
voluntarily leaves his country in order to take up residence elsewhere. He may be moved by the
desire for change or adventure, or by family or other reasons of a personal nature. If he is moved
exclusively by economic considerations, he is an economic migrant and not a refugee.
63. The distinction between an economic migrant and a refugee is, however, sometimes
blurred in the same way as the distinction between economic and political measures in an
applicant's country of origin is not always clear. Behind economic measures affecting a person's
livelihood there may be racial, religious or political aims or intentions directed against a particular
group. Where economic measures destroy the economic existence of a particular section of the
population (e.g. withdrawal of trading rights from, or discriminatory or excessive taxation of, a
specific ethnic or religious group), the victims may according to the circumstances become
refugees on leaving the country.
64. Whether the same would apply to victims of general economic measures (i.e. those that
are applied to the whole population without discrimination) would depend on the circumstances of
the case. Objections to general economic measures are not by themselves good reasons for
claiming refugee status. On the other hand, what appears at first sight to be primarily an
economic motive for departure may in reality also involve a political element, and it may be the
political opinions of the individual that expose him to serious consequences, rather than his
objections to the economic measures themselves.
(g) Agents of persecution
65. Persecution is normally related to action by the authorities of a country. It may also
emanate from sections of the population that do not respect the standards established by the
laws of the country concerned. A case in point may be religious intolerance, amounting to
persecution, in a country otherwise secular, but where sizeable fractions of the population do not
respect the religious beliefs of their neighbours. Where serious discriminatory or other offensive
acts are committed by the local populace, they can be considered as persecution if they are
knowingly tolerated by the authorities, or if the authorities refuse, or prove unable, to offer
effective protection.
(3) for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or
political opinion
66. In order to be considered a refugee, a person must show well-founded fear of
persecution for one of the reasons stated above. It is immaterial whether the persecution arises
from any single one of these reasons or from a combination of two or more of them. Often the
applicant himself may not be aware of the reasons for the persecution feared. It is not, however,
his duty to analyze his case to such an extent as to identify the reasons in detail.
67. It is for the examiner, when investigating the facts of the case, to ascertain the reason or
reasons for the persecution feared and to decide whether the definition in the 1951 Convention is
met with in this respect. It is evident that the reasons for persecution under these various
headings will frequently overlap. Usually there will be more than one clement combined in one
person, e.g. a political opponent who belongs to a religious or national group, or both, and the
combination of such reasons in his person may be relevant in evaluating his well-founded fear.
(b) Race
68. Race, in the present connexion, has to be understood in its widest sense to include all
kinds of ethnic groups that are referred to as races in common usage. Frequently it will also
entail membership of a specific social group of common descent forming a minority within a larger
population. Discrimination for reasons of race has found world-wide condemnation as one of the
most striking violations of human rights. Racial discrimination, therefore, represents an important
element in determining the existence of persecution.
69. Discrimination on racial grounds will frequently amount to persecution in the sense of the
1951 Convention. This will be the case if, as a result of racial discrimination, a person's human
dignity is affected to such an extent as to be incompatible with the most elementary and
inalienable human rights, or where the disregard of racial barriers is subject to serious
consequences.
70. The mere fact of belonging to a certain racial group will normally not be enough to
substantiate a claim to refugee status. There may, however, be situations where, due to particular
circumstances affecting the group, such membership will in itself be sufficient ground to fear
persecution.
(c) Religion
71. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Human Rights Covenant proclaim
the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, which right includes the freedom of a
person to change his religion and his freedom to manifest it in public or private, in teaching,
practice, worship and observance.
72. Persecution for reasons of religion may assume various forms, e.g. prohibition of
membership of a religious community, of worship in private or in public, of religious instruction, or
serious measures of discrimination imposed on persons because they practise their religion or
belong to a particular religious community.
73. Mere membership of a particular religious community will normally not be enough to
substantiate a claim to refugee status. There may, however, be special circumstances where
mere membership can be a sufficient ground.
(d) Nationality
74. The term nationality in this context is not to be understood only as citizenship. It refers
also to membership of an ethnic or linguistic group and may occasionally overlap with the term
race. Persecution for reasons of nationality may consist of adverse attitudes and measures
directed against a national (ethnic, linguistic) minority and in certain circumstances the fact of
belonging to such a minority may in itself give rise to well-founded fear of persecution.
75. The co-existence within the boundaries of a State of two or more national (ethnic,
linguistic) groups may create situations of conflict and also situations of persecution or danger of
persecution. It may not always be easy to distinguish between persecution for reasons of
nationality and persecution for reasons of political opinion when a conflict between national
groups is combined with political movements, particularly where a political movement is identified
with a specific nationality.
76. Whereas in most cases persecution for reason of nationality is feared by persons
belonging to a national minority, there have been many cases in various continents where a
person belonging to a majority group may fear persecution by a dominant minority.
(e) Membership of a particular social group
77. A particular social group normally comprises persons of similar background, habits or
social status. A claim to fear of persecution under this heading may frequently overlap with a
claim to fear of persecution on other grounds, i.e. race, religion or nationality.
78. Membership of such a particular social group may be at the root of persecution because
there is no confidence in the group's loyalty to the Government or because the political outlook,
antecedents or economic activity of its members, or the very existence of the social group as
such, is held to be an obstacle to the Government's policies.
79. Mere membership of a particular social group will not normally be enough to substantiate
a claim to refugee status. There may, however, be special circumstances where mere
membership can be a sufficient ground to fear persecution.
(f) Political opinion
80. Holding political opinions different from those of the Government is not in itself a ground
for claiming refugee status, and an applicant must show that he has a fear of persecution for
holding such opinions. This presupposes that the applicant holds opinions not tolerated by the
authorities, which are critical of their policies or methods. It also presupposes that such opinions
have come to the notice of the authorities or are attributed by them to the applicant. The political
opinions of a teacher or writer may be more manifest than those of a person in a less exposed
position. The relative importance or tenacity of the applicant's opinions--in so far as this can be
established from all the circumstances of the case--will also be relevant.
81. While the definition speaks of persecution for reasons of political opinion it may not
always be possible to establish a causal link between the opinion expressed and the related
measures suffered or feared by the applicant. Such measures have only rarely been based
expressly on opinion. More frequently, such measures take the form of sanctions for alleged
criminal acts against the ruling power. It will, therefore, be necessary to establish the applicant's
political opinion, which is at the root of his behaviour, and the fact that it has led or may lead to
the persecution that he claims to fear.
82. As indicated above, persecution for reasons of political opinion implies that an applicant
holds an opinion that either has been expressed or has come to the attention of the authorities.
There may, however, also be situations in which the applicant has not given any expression to his
opinions. Due to the strength of his convictions, however, it may be reasonable to assume that
his opinions will sooner or later find expression and that the applicant will, as a result, come into
conflict with the authorities. Where this can reasonably be assumed, the applicant can be
considered to have fear of persecution for reasons of political opinion.
83. An applicant claiming fear of persecution because of political opinion need not show that
the authorities of his country of origin knew of his opinions before he left the country. He may
have concealed his political opinion and never have suffered any discrimination or persecution.
However, the mere fact of refusing to avail himself of the protection of his Government, or a
refusal to return, may disclose the applicant's true state of mind and give rise to fear of
persecution. In such circumstances the test of well-founded fear would be based on an
assessment of the consequences that an applicant having certain political dispositions would
have to face if he returned. This applies particularly to the so-called refugee sur place.10
84. Where a person is subject to prosecution or punishment for a political offence, a
distinction may have to be drawn according to whether the prosecution is for political opinion or
for politically-motivated acts. If the prosecution pertains to a punishable act committed out of
political motives, and if the anticipated punishment is in conformity with the general law of the
country concerned, fear of such prosecution will not in itself make the applicant a refugee.
85. Whether a political offender can also be considered a refugee will depend upon various
other factors. Prosecution for an offence may, depending upon the circumstances, be a pretext
for punishing the offender for his political opinions or the expression thereof. Again, there may be
reason to believe that a political offender would be exposed to excessive or arbitrary punishment
for the alleged offence. Such excessive or arbitrary punishment will amount to persecution.
10 See paragraphs 94 to 96.

86. In determining whether a political offender can be considered a refugee, regard should
also be had to the following elements: personality of the applicant, his political opinion, the motive
behind the act, the nature of the act committed, the nature of the prosecution and its motives;
finally, also, the nature of the law on which the prosecution is based. These elements may go to
show that the person concerned has a fear of persecution and not merely a fear of prosecution
and punishment--within the law--for an act committed by him.
(4) is outside the country of his nationality
88. It is a general requirement for refugee status that an applicant who has a nationality be
outside the country of his nationality. There are no exceptions to this rule. International protection
cannot come into play as long as a person is within the territorial jurisdiction of his home
country.11
87. In this context, nationality refers to citizenship. The phrase is outside the country of
his nationality relates to persons who have a nationality, as distinct from stateless persons. In the
majority of cases, refugees retain the nationality of their country of origin.
89. Where, therefore, an applicant alleges fear of persecution in relation to the country of his
nationality, it should be established that he does in fact possess the nationality of that country.
There may, however, be uncertainty as to whether a person has a nationality. He may not know
himself, or he may wrongly claim to have a particular nationality or to be stateless. Where his
nationality cannot be clearly established, his refugee status should be determined in a similar
manner to that of a stateless person, i.e. instead of the country of his nationality, the country of
his former habitual residence will have to be taken into account. (See paragraphs 101 to 105
below.)
90. As mentioned above, an applicant's well-founded fear of persecution must be in relation
to the country of his nationality. As long as he has no fear in relation to the country of his
nationality, he can be expected to avail himself of that country's protection. He is not in need of
international protection and is therefore not a refugee.
91. The fear of being persecuted need not always extend to the whole territory of the
refugee's country of nationality. Thus in ethnic clashes or in cases of grave disturbances involving
civil war conditions, persecution of a specific ethnic or national group may occur in only one part
of the country. In such situations, a person will not be excluded from refugee status merely
because he could have sought refuge in another part of the same country, if under all the
circumstances it would not have been reasonable to expect him to do so.
92. The situation of persons having more than one nationality is dealt with in paragraphs 106
and 107 below.
93. Nationality may be proved by the possession of a national passport. Possession of such
a passport creates a prima facie presumption that the holder is a national of the country of issue,
unless the passport itself states otherwise. A person holding a passport showing him to be a
national of the issuing country, but who claims that he does not possess that country's nationality,
must substantiate his claim, for example, by showing that the passport is a so-called passport of
convenience (an apparently regular national passport that is sometimes issued by a national
authority to non-nationals). However, a mere assertion by the holder that the passport was issued
11 In certain countries, particularly in Latin America, there is a custom of "diplomatic asylum", i.e.
granting refuge to political fugitives in foreign embassies. While a person thus sheltered may be
considered to be outside his country's jurisdiction, he is not outside its territory and cannot
therefore be considered under the terms of the 1951 Convention. The former notion of the
"extraterritoriality" of embassies has lately been replaced by the term "inviolability" used in the
1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
to him as a matter of convenience for travel purposes only is not sufficient to rebut the
presumption of nationality. In certain cases, it might be possible to obtain information from the
authority that issued the passport. If such information cannot be obtained, or cannot be obtained
within reasonable time, the examiner will have to decide on the credibility of the applicant's
assertion in weighing all other elements of his story.
(b) Refugees sur place
94. The requirement that a person must be outside his country to be a refugee does not
mean that he must necessarily have left that country illegally, or even that he must have left it on
account of well-founded fear. He may have decided to ask for recognition of his refugee status
after having already been abroad for some time. A person who was not a refugee when he left his
country, but who becomes a refugee at a later date, is called a refugee sur place.
95. A person becomes a refugee sur place due to circumstances arising in his country of
origin during his absence. Diplomats and other officials serving abroad, prisoners of war,
students, migrant workers and others have applied for refugee status during their residence
abroad and have been recognized as refugees.
96. A person may become a refugee sur place as a result of his own actions, such as
associating with refugees already recognized, or expressing his political views in his country of
residence. Whether such actions are sufficient to justify a well-founded fear of persecution must
be determined by a careful examination of the circumstances. Regard should be had in particular
to whether such actions may have come to the notice of the authorities of the person's country of
origin and how they are likely to be viewed by those authorities.
(5) and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of
that country
97. Unlike the phrase dealt with under (6) below, the present phrase relates to persons who
have a nationality. Whether unable or unwilling to avail himself of the protection of his
Government, a refugee is always a person who does not enjoy such protection.
98. Being unable to avail himself of such protection implies circumstances that are beyond
the will of the person concerned. There may, for example, be a state of war, civil war or other
grave disturbance, which prevents the country of nationality from extending protection or makes
such protection ineffective. Protection by the country of nationality may also have been denied to
the applicant. Such denial of protection may confirm or strengthen the applicant's fear of
persecution, and may indeed be an element of persecution.
99. What constitutes a refusal of protection must be determined according to the
circumstances of the case. If it appears that the applicant has been denied services (e.g., refusal
of a national passport or extension of its validity, or denial of admittance to the home territory)
normally accorded to his co-nationals, this may constitute a refusal of protection within the
definition.
100. The term unwilling refers to refugees who refuse to accept the protection of the
Government of the country of their nationality.12 It is qualified by the phrase owing to such fear.
Where a person is willing to avail himself of the protection of his home country, such willingness
would normally be incompatible with a claim that he is outside that country owing to well-founded
fear of persecution. Whenever the protection of the country of nationality is available, and there
is no ground based on well-founded fear for refusing it, the person concerned is not in need of
international protection and is not a refugee.
(6) or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual
residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return
to it
12 UN Document E/1618, p. 39.

101. This phrase, which relates to stateless refugees, is parallel to the preceding phrase,
which concerns refugees who have a nationality. In the case of stateless refugees, the country of
nationality is replaced by the country of his former habitual residence, and the expression
unwilling to avail himself of the protection... is replaced by the words unwilling to return to it. In
the case of a stateless refugee, the question of availment of protection of the country of his
former habitual residence does not, of course, arise. Moreover, once a stateless person has
abandoned the country of his former habitual residence for the reasons indicated in the definition,
he is usually unable to return.
102. It will be noted that not all stateless persons are refugees. they must be outside the
country of their former habitual residence for the reasons indicated in the definition. Where these
reasons do not exist, the stateless person is not a refugee.
103. Such reasons must be examined in relation to the country of former habitual residence
in regard to which fear is alleged. This was defined by the drafters of the 1951 Convention as the
country in which he had resided and where he had suffered or fears he would suffer persecution if
he returned.13
104. A stateless person may have more than one country of former habitual residence, and he
may have a fear of persecution in relation to more than one of them. The definition does not
require that he satisfies the criteria in relation to all of them.
105. Once a stateless person has been determined a refugee in relation to the country of his
former habitual residence, any further change of country of habitual residence will not affect his
refugee status.
(7) Dual or multiple nationality
Article 1 A (2), paragraph 2, of the 1951 Convention:
In the case of a person who has more than one nationality, the term the country of his
nationality shall mean each of the countries of which he is a national, and a person shall not be
deemed to be lacking the protection of the country of his nationality if, without any valid reason
based on well-founded fear, he has not availed himself of the protection of one of the countries of
which he is a national.
106. This clause, which is largely self-explanatory, is intended to exclude from refugee status
all persons with dual or multiple nationality who can avail themselves of the protection of at least
one of the countries of which they are nationals. Wherever available, national protection takes
precedence over international protection.
107. In examining the case of an applicant with dual or multiple nationality, it is necessary,
however, to distinguish between the possession of a nationality in the legal sense and the
availability of protection by the country concerned. There will be cases where the applicant has
the nationality of a country in regard to which he alleges no fear, but such nationality may be
deemed to be ineffective as it does not entail the protection normally granted to nationals. In such
circumstances, the possession of the second nationality would not be inconsistent with refugee
status. As a rule, there should have been a request for, and a refusal of, protection before it can
be established that a given nationality is ineffective. If there is no explicit refusal of protection,
absence of a reply within reasonable time may be considered a refusal.
(8) Geographical scope
108. At the time when the 1951 Convention was drafted, there was a desire by a number of
States not to assume obligations the extent of which could not be foreseen. This desire led to the
inclusion of the 1951 dateline, to which reference has already been made (paragraphs 35 and 36
above). In response to the wish of certain Governments, the 1951 Convention also gave to
13 loc. cit.
Contracting States the possibility of limiting their obligations under the Convention to persons who
had become refugees as a result of events occurring in Europe.
109. Accordingly, Article 1 B of the 1951 Convention states that:
(1) For the purposes of this Convention, the words events occurring before 1 January 1951 in
Article 1, Section A, shall be understood to mean either
(a) events occurring in Europe before 1 January 1951; or
(b) events occurring in Europe and elsewhere before 1 January 1951;
and each Contracting State shall make a declaration at the time of signature, ratification or
accession, specifying which of these meanings it applies for the purposes of its obligations under
this Convention.
(2) Any Contracting State which has adopted alternative (a) may at any time extend its obligations
by adopting alternative (b) by means of a notification addressed to the Secretary-General of the
United Nations.
110. Of the States parties to the 1951 Convention, at the time of writing 9 still adhere to
alternative (a), events occurring in Europe.14 While refugees from other parts of the world
frequently obtain asylum in some of these countries, they are not normally accorded refugee
status under the 1951 Convention.
CHAPTER III CESSATION CLAUSES
A. General
111. The so-called cessation clauses (Article 1 C (1) to (6) of the 1951 Convention) spell out
the conditions under which a refugee ceases to be a refugee. They are based on the
consideration that international protection should not be granted where it is no longer necessary
or justified.
112. Once a person's status as a refugee has been determined, it is maintained unless he
comes within the terms of one of the cessation clauses.15 This strict approach towards the
determination of refugee status results from the need to provide refugees with the assurance that
their status will not be subject to constant review in the light of temporary changes-not of a
fundamental character--in the situation prevailing in their country of origin.
113. Article 1 C of the 1951 Convention provides that:
This Convention shall cease to apply to any person falling under the terms of section A if:
(1) He has voluntarily re-availed himself of the protection of the country of his nationality; or
(2) Having lost his nationality, he has voluntarily re-acquired it; or
(3) He has acquired a new nationality, and enjoys the protection of the country of his new
nationality; or
(4) He has voluntarily re-established himself in the country which he left or outside which he
remained owing to fear of persecution; or
14 See Annex IV.
15 In some cases refugee status may continue, even though the reasons for such status have
evidently ceased to exist. Cf sub-sections (5) and (6) (paragraphs 135 to 139 below).
(5) He can no longer, because the circumstances in connexion with which he has been
recognized as a refugee have ceased to exist, continue to refuse to avail himself of the protection
of the country of his nationality;
Provided that this paragraph shall not apply to a refugee falling under Section A (1) of this Article
who is able to invoke compelling reasons arising out of previous persecution for refusing to avail
himself of the protection of the country of nationality;
(6) Being a person who has no nationality he is, because the circumstances in connexion with
which he has been recognized as a refugee have ceased to exist, able to return to the country of
his former habitual residence;
Provided that this paragraph shall not apply to a refugee falling under section A (1) of this Article
who is able to invoke compelling reasons arising out of previous persecution for refusing to return
to the country of his former habitual residence.
114. Of the six cessation clauses, the first four reflect a change in the situation of the refugee
that has been brought about by himself, namely:
(1) voluntary re-availment of national protection;
(2) voluntary re-acquisition of nationality;
(3) acquisition of a new nationality;
(4) voluntary re-establishment in the country where persecution was feared.
115. The last two cessation clauses, (5) and (6), are based on the consideration that
international protection is no longer justified on account of changes in the country where
persecution was feared, because the reasons for a person becoming a refugee have ceased to
exist.
116. The cessation clauses are negative in character and are exhaustively enumerated. They
should therefore be interpreted restrictively, and no other reasons may be adduced by way of
analogy to justify the withdrawal of refugee status. Needless to say, if a refugee, for whatever
reasons, no longer wishes to be considered a refugee, there will be no call for continuing to grant
him refugee status and international protection.
117. Article 1 C does not deal with the cancellation of refugee status. Circumstances may,
however, come to light that indicate that a person should never have been recognized as a
refugee in the first place; e.g. if it subsequently appears that refugee status was obtained by a
misrepresentation of material facts, or that the person concerned possesses another nationality,
or that one of the exclusion clauses would have applied to him had all the relevant facts been
known. In such cases, the decision by which he was determined to be a refugee will normally be
cancelled.
(1) Voluntary re-availment of national protection
Article 1 C (1) of the 1951 Convention:
He has voluntarily re-availed himself of the protection of the country of his nationality;
118. This cessation clause refers to a refugee possessing a nationality who remains outside
the country of his nationality. (The situation of a refugee who has actually returned to the country
of his nationality is governed by the fourth cessation clause, which speaks of a person having re-
established himself in that country.) A refugee who has voluntarily re-availed himself of national
protection is no longer in need of international protection. He has demonstrated that he is no
longer unable or unwilling to avail himself of the protection of the country of his nationality.
119. This cessation clause implies three requirements:
(a) voluntariness: the refugee must act voluntarily;
(b) intention: the refugee must intend by his action to re-avail himself of the protection of the
country of his nationality;
(c) re-availment: the refugee must actually obtain such protection.
120. If the refugee does not act voluntarily, he will not cease to be a refugee. If he is instructed
by an authority, e.g. of his country of residence, to perform against his will an act that could be
interpreted as a re-availment of the protection of the country of his nationality, such as applying to
his Consulate for a national passport, he will not cease to be a refugee merely because he obeys
such an instruction. He may also be constrained, by circumstances beyond his control, to have
recourse to a measure of protection from his country of nationality. He may, for instance, need to
apply for a divorce in his home country because no other divorce may have the necessary
international recognition. Such an act cannot be considered to be a voluntary re-availment of
protection and will not deprive a person of refugee status.
121. In determining whether refugee status is lost in these circumstances, a distinction should
be drawn between actual re-availment of protection and occasional and incidental contacts with
the national authorities. If a refugee applies for and obtains a national passport or its renewal, it
will, in the absence of proof to the contrary, be presumed that he intends to avail himself of the
protection of the country of his nationality. On the other hand, the acquisition of documents from
the national authorities, for which non-nationals would likewise have to apply--such as a birth or
marriage certificate--or similar services, cannot be regarded as a re-availment of protection.
122. A refugee requesting protection from the authorities of the country of his nationality has
only re-availed himself of that protection when his request has actually been granted. The most
frequent case of re-availment of protection will be where the refugee wishes to return to his
country of nationality. He will not cease to be a refugee merely by applying for repatriation. On the
other hand, obtaining an entry permit or a national passport for the purposes of returning will, in
the absence of proof to the contrary, be considered as terminating refugee status.16 This does
not, however, preclude assistance being given to the repatriant-also by UNHCR--in order to
facilitate his return.
123. A refugee may have voluntarily obtained a national passport, intending either to avail
himself of the protection of his country of origin while staying outside that country, or to return to
that country. As stated above, with the receipt of such a document he normally ceases to be a
refugee. If he subsequently renounces either intention, his refugee status will need to be
determined afresh. He will need to explain why he changed his mind, and to show that there has
been no basic change in the conditions that originally made him a refugee.
124. Obtaining a national passport or an extension of its validity may, under certain
exceptional conditions, not involve termination of refugee status (see paragraph 120 above). This
could for example be the case where the holder of a national passport is not permitted to return to
the country of his nationality without specific permission.
125. Where a refugee visits his former home country not with a national passport but, for
example, with a travel document issued by his country of residence, he has been considered by
certain States to have re-availed himself of the protection of his former home country and to have
lost his refugee status under the present cessation clause. Cases of this kind should, however, be
judged on their individual merits. Visiting an old or sick parent will have a different bearing on the
refugee's relation to his former home country than regular visits to that country spent on holidays
or for the purpose of establishing business relations.
16 The above applies to a refugee who is still outside his country. It will be noted that the fourth
cessation clause provides that any refugee will cease to be a refugee when he has voluntarily "re-
established" himself in his country of nationality or former habitual residence.
(2) Voluntary re-acquisition of nationality
Having lost his nationality, he has voluntarily re-acquired it;
126. This clause is similar to the preceding one. It applies to cases where a refugee, having
lost the nationality of the country in respect of which he was recognized as having well-founded
fear of persecution, voluntarily re-acquires such nationality.
127. While under the preceding clause (Article 1 C (1)) a person having a nationality ceases to
be a refugee if he re-avails himself of the protection attaching to such nationality, under the
present clause (Article 1 C (2)) he loses his refugee status by re-acquiring the nationality
previously lost.17
128. The re-acquisition of nationality must be voluntary. The granting of nationality by
operation of law or by decree does not imply voluntary reacquisition, unless the nationality has
been expressly or impliedly accepted. A person does not cease to be a refugee merely because
he could have reacquired his former nationality by option, unless this option has actually been
exercised. If such former nationality is granted by operation of law, subject to an option to reject, it
will be regarded as a voluntary re-acquisition if the refugee, with full knowledge, has not
exercised this option; unless he is able to invoke special reasons showing that it was not in fact
his intention to re-acquire his former nationality.
(3) Acquisition of a new nationality and protection
He has acquired a new nationality and enjoys the protection of the country of his new
nationality;
129. As in the case of the re-acquisition of nationality, this third cessation clause derives from
the principle that a person who enjoys national protection is not in need of international
protection.
130. The nationality that the refugee acquires is usually that of the country of his residence. A
refugee living in one country may, however, in certain cases, acquire the nationality of another
country. If he does so, his refugee status will also cease, provided that the new nationality also
carries the protection of the country concerned. This requirement results from the phrase and
enjoys the protection of the country of his new nationality.
131. If a person has ceased to be a refugee, having acquired a new nationality, and then
claims well-founded fear in relation to the country of his new nationality, this creates a completely
new situation and his status must be determined in relation to the country of his new nationality.
132. Where refugee status has terminated through the acquisition of a new nationality, and
such new nationality has been lost, depending on the circumstances of such loss, refugee status
may be revived.
(4) Voluntary re-establishment in the country where persecution was feared
He has voluntarily re-established himself in the country which he left or outside which he
remained owing to fear of persecution;
17 In the majority of cases a refugee maintains the nationality of his former home country. Such
nationality may be lost by individual or collective measures of deprivation of nationality. Loss of
nationality (statelessness) is therefore not necessarily implicit in refugee status.
133. This fourth cessation clause applies both to refugees who have a nationality and to
stateless refugees. It relates to refugees who, having returned to their country of origin or
previous residence, have not previously ceased to be refugees under the first or second
cessation clauses while still in their country of refuge.
134. The clause refers to voluntary re-establishment. This is to be understood as return to
the country of nationality or former habitual residence with a view to permanently residing there. A
temporary visit by a refugee to his former home country, not with a national passport but, for
example, with a travel document issued by his country of residence, does not constitute re-
establishment and will not involve loss of refugee status under the present clause.18
(5) Nationals whose reasons for becoming a refugee have ceased to exist
He can no longer, because the circumstances in connexion with which he has been recognized
as a refugee have ceased to exist, continue to refuse to avail himself of the protection of the
country of his nationality;
himself of the protection of the country of nationality;
135. Circumstances refer to fundamental changes in the country, which can be assumed to
remove the basis of the fear of persecution. A mere--possibly transitory--change in the facts
surrounding the individual refugee's fear, which does not entail such major changes of
circumstances, is not sufficient to make this clause applicable. A refugee's status should not in
principle be subject to frequent review to the detriment of his sense of security, which
international protection is intended to provide.
136. The second paragraph of this clause contains an exception to the cessation provision
contained in the first paragraph. It deals with the special situation where a person may have been
subjected to very serious persecution in the past and will not therefore cease to be a refugee,
even if fundamental changes have occurred in his country of origin. The reference to Article 1 A
(1) indicates that the exception applies to statutory refugees. At the time when the 1951
Convention was elaborated, these 'formed the majority of refugees. The exception, however,
reflects a more general humanitarian principle, which could also be applied to refugees other than
statutory refugees. It is frequently recognized that a person who--or whose family--has suffered
under atrocious forms of persecution should not be expected to repatriate. Even though there
may have been a change of regime in his country, this may not always produce a complete
change in the attitude of the population, nor, in view of his past experiences, in the mind of the
refugee.
(6) Stateless persons whose reasons for becoming a refugee have ceased to exist
Being a person who has no nationality he is, because the circumstances in connexion with which
he has been recognized as a refugee have ceased to exist, able to return to the country of his
former habitual residence;
18 See paragraph 125 above.

137. This sixth and last cessation clause is parallel to the fifth cessation clause, which
concerns persons who have a nationality. The present clause deals exclusively with stateless
persons who are able to return to the country of their former habitual residence.
138. Circumstances should be interpreted in the same way as under the fifth cessation
clause.
139. It should be stressed that, apart from the changed circumstances in his country of former
habitual residence, the person concerned must be able to return there. This, in the case of a
stateless person, may not always be possible.
CHAPTER IV EXCLUSION CLAUSES
A. General
140. The 1951 Convention, in Sections D, E and F of Article 1, contains provisions whereby
persons otherwise having the characteristics of refugees, as defined in Article 1, Section A, are
excluded from refugee status. Such persons fall into three groups. The first group (Article 1 D)
consists of persons already receiving United Nations protection or assistance; the second group
(Article 1 E) deals with persons who are not considered to be in need of international protection;
and the third group (Article 1 F) enumerates the categories of persons who are not considered to
be deserving of international protection.
141. Normally it will be during the process of determining a person's refugee status that the
facts leading to exclusion under these clauses will emerge. It may, however, also happen that
facts justifying exclusion will become known only after a person has been recognized as a
refugee. In such cases, the exclusion clause will call for a cancellation of the decision previously
taken.
(1) Persons already receiving United Nations protection or assistance
Article 1 D of the 1951 Convention:
This Convention shall not apply to persons who are at present receiving from organs or agencies
of the United Nations other than the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees protection
or assistance.
When such protection or assistance has ceased for any reason, without the position of such
persons being definitively settled in accordance with the relevant resolutions adopted by the
General Assembly of the United Nations, these persons shall ipso facto be entitled to the benefits
of this Convention.
142. Exclusion under this clause applies to any person who is in receipt of protection or
assistance from organs or agencies of the United Nations, other than the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees. Such protection or assistance was previously given by the former
United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency (UNKRA) and is currently given by the United
Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees In the Near East (UNRWA). There
could be other similar situations in the future.
143. With regard to refugees from Palestine, it will be noted that UNRWA operates only in
certain areas of the Middle East, and it is only there that its protection or assistance are given.
Thus, a refugee from Palestine who finds himself outside that area does not enjoy the assistance
mentioned and may be considered for determination of his refugee status under the criteria of the
1951 Convention. It should normally be sufficient to establish that the circumstances which
originally made him qualify for protection or assistance from UNRWA still persist and that he has
neither ceased to be a refugee under one of the cessation clauses nor is excluded from the
application of the Convention under one of the exclusion clauses.
(2) Persons not considered to be in need of international protection
Article 1 E of the 1951 Convention:
This Convention shall not apply to a person who is recognized by the competent authorities of
the country in which he has taken residence as having the rights and obligations which are
attached to the possession of the nationality of that country.
144. This provision relates to persons who might otherwise qualify for refugee status and who
have been received in a country where they have been granted most of the rights normally
enjoyed by nationals, but not formal citizenship. (They are frequently referred to as national
refugees.) The country that has received them is frequently one where the population is of the
same ethnic origin as themselves.19
145. There is no precise definition of rights and obligations that would constitute a reason for
exclusion under this clause. It may, however, be said that the exclusion operates if a person's
status is largely assimilated to that of a national of the country. In particular he must, like a
national, be fully protected against deportation or expulsion.
146. The clause refers to a person who has taken residence in the country concerned. This
implies continued residence and not a mere visit. A person who resides outside the country and
does not enjoy the diplomatic protection of that country is not affected by the exclusion clause.
(3) Persons considered not to be deserving of international protection
Article 1 F of the 1951 Convention:
The provisions of this Convention shall not apply to any person with respect to whom there are
serious reasons for considering that:
(a) he has committed a crime against peace, a war crime, or a crime against humanity, as
defined in the international instruments drawn up to make provision in respect of such crimes;
(b) he has committed a serious non-political crime outside the country of refuge prior to his
admission to that country as a refugee;
(c) he has been guilty of acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
147. The pre-war international instruments that defined various categories of refugees
contained no provisions for the exclusion of criminals. It was immediately after the Second World
War that for the first time special provisions were drawn up to exclude from the large group of
then assisted refugees certain persons who were deemed unworthy of international protection.
148. At the time when the Convention was drafted, the memory of the trials of major war
criminals was still very much alive, and there was agreement on the part of States that war
criminals should not be protected. There was also a desire on the part of States to deny
admission to their territories of criminals who would present a danger to security and public order.
149. The competence to decide whether any of these exclusion clauses are applicable is
incumbent upon the Contracting State in whose territory the applicant seeks recognition of his
refugee status. For these clauses to apply, it is sufficient to establish that there are serious
reasons for considering that one of the acts described has been committed. Formal proof of
previous penal prosecution is not required. Considering the serious consequences of exclusion
for the person concerned, however, the interpretation of these exclusion clauses must be
restrictive.
(a) War crimes, etc.
19 In elaborating this exclusion clause, the drafters of the Convention had principally in mind
refugees of German extraction having arrived in the Federal Republic of Germany who were
recognized as possessing the rights and obligations attaching to German nationality
(a) he has committed a crime against peace, a war crime or a crime against humanity, as
defined in the international instruments drawn up to make provision in respect of such crimes.
150. In mentioning crimes against peace, war crimes or crimes against humanity, the
Convention refers generally to international instruments drawn up to make provision in respect of
such crimes. There are a considerable number of such instruments dating from the end of the
Second World War up to the present time. All of them contain definitions of what constitute
crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The most comprehensive
definition will be found in the 1945 London Agreement and Charter of the International Military
tribunal. The definitions contained in the above-mentioned London Agreement and a list of other
pertinent instruments are given in Annexes V and VI.
(b) Common crimes
admission to that country as a refugee.
151. The aim of this exclusion clause is to protect the community of a receiving country from
the danger of admitting a refugee who has committed a serious common crime. It also seeks to
render due justice to a refugee who has committed a common crime (or crimes) of a less serious
nature or has committed a political offence.
152. In determining whether an offence is non-political or is, on the contrary, a political
crime, regard should be given in the first place to its nature and purpose i.e. whether it has been
committed out of genuine political motives and not merely for personal reasons or gain. There
should also be a close and direct causal link between the crime committed and its alleged political
purpose and object. The political element of the offence should also outweigh its common-law
character. This would not be the case if the acts committed are grossly out of proportion to the
alleged objective. The political nature of the offence is also more difficult to accept if it involves
acts of an atrocious nature.
153. Only a crime committed or presumed to have been committed by an applicant outside
the country of refuge prior to his admission to that country as a refugee is a ground for exclusion.
The country outside would normally be the country of origin, but it could also be another country,
except the country of refuge where the applicant seeks recognition of his refugee status.
154. A refugee committing a serious crime in the country of refuge is subject to due process of
law in that country. In extreme cases, Article 33 paragraph 2 of the Convention permits a
refugee's expulsion or return to his former home country if, having been convicted by a final
judgement of a particularly serious common crime, he constitutes a danger to the community of
his country of refuge.
155. What constitutes a serious non-political crime for the purposes of this exclusion clause
is difficult to define, especially since the term crime has different connotations in different legal
systems. in some countries the word crime denotes only offences of a serious character. In
other countries it may comprise anything from petty larceny to murder. In the present context,
however, a serious crime must be a capital crime or a very grave punishable act. Minor offences
punishable by moderate sentences are not grounds for exclusion under Article 1 F (b) even if
technically referred to as crimes in the penal law of the country concerned.
156. In applying this exclusion clause, it is also necessary to strike a balance between the
nature of the offence presumed to have been committed by the applicant and the degree of
persecution feared. If a person has well-founded fear of very severe persecution, e.g. persecution
endangering his life or freedom, a crime must be very grave in order to exclude him. If the
persecution feared is less serious, it will be necessary to have regard to the nature of the crime or
crimes presumed to have been committed in order to establish whether the applicant is not in
reality a fugitive from justice or whether his criminal character does not outweigh his character as
a bona fide refugee.
157. In evaluating the nature of the crime presumed to have been committed, all the relevant
factors--including any mitigating circumstances--must be taken into account. It is also necessary
to have regard to any aggravating circumstances as, for example, the fact that the applicant may
already have a criminal record. The fact that an applicant convicted of a serious non-political
crime has already served his sentence or has been granted a pardon or has benefited from an
amnesty is also relevant. In the latter case, there is a presumption that the exclusion clause is no
longer applicable, unless it can be shown that, despite the pardon or amnesty, the applicant's
criminal character still predominates.
158. Considerations similar to those mentioned in the preceding paragraphs will apply when a
crime--in the widest sense--has been committed as a means of, or concomitant with, escape from
the country where persecution was feared. Such crimes may range from the theft of a means of
locomotion to endangering or taking the lives of innocent people. While for the purposes of the
present exclusion clause it may be possible to over-look the fact that a refugee, not finding any
other means of escape, may have crashed the border in a stolen car, decisions will be more
difficult where he has hijacked an aircraft, i.e. forced its crew, under threat of arms or with actual
violence, to change destination in order to bring him to a country of refuge.
159. As regards hijacking, the question has arisen as to whether, if committed in order to
escape from persecution, it constitutes a serious non-political crime within the meaning of the
present exclusion clause. Governments have considered the unlawful seizure of aircraft on
several occasions within the framework of the United Nations, and a number of international
conventions have been adopted dealing with the subject. None of these instruments mentions
refugees. However, one of the reports leading to the of States under instruments relating to the
status of refugees and stateless persons. Another report states that the adoption of the draft
Resolution cannot prejudice any international legal rights or duties of States with respect to
asylum.20
160. The various conventions adopted in this connexion21 deal mainly with the manner in
which the perpetrators of such acts have to be treated. They invariably give Contracting States
the alternative of extraditing such persons or instituting penal proceedings for the act on their own
territory, which implies the right to grant asylum.
161. While there is thus a possibility of granting asylum, the gravity of the persecution of which
the offender may have been in fear, and the extent to which such fear is well-founded, will have to
be duly considered in determining his possible refugee status under the 1951 Convention. The
question of the exclusion under Article 1 F (b) of an applicant who has committed an unlawful
seizure of an aircraft will also have to be carefully examined in each individual case.
(c) Acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations
162. It will be seen that this very generally-worded exclusion clause overlaps with the
exclusion clause in Article 1 F (a); for it is evident that a crime against peace, a war crime or a
crime against humanity is also an act contrary to the purposes and principles of the United
Nations. While Article 1 F (c) does not introduce any specific new element, it is intended to cover
in a general way such acts against the purposes and principles of the United Nations that might
not be fully covered by the two preceding exclusion clauses. Taken in conjunction with the latter,
20 Reports of the Sixth Committee on General Assembly resolutions 2645 (XXV). United Nations
document A/8716, and 2551 (XXIV), United Nations document A/7845.
21 Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft, Tokyo, 14
September 1963. Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft, the Hague, 16
December 1970. Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil
Aviation, Montreal, 23 September 1971.
it has to be assumed, although this is not specifically stated, that the acts covered by the present
clause must also be of a criminal nature.
163. The purposes and principles of the United Nations are set out in the Preamble and
Articles 1 and 2 of the Charter of the United Nations. They enumerate fundamental principles that
should govern the conduct of their members in relation to each other and in relation to the
international community as a whole. From this it could be inferred that an individual, in order to
have committed an act contrary to these principles, must have been in a position of power in a
member State and instrumental to his State's infringing these principles. However, there are
hardly any precedents on record for the application of this clause, which, due to its very general
character, should be applied with caution.
CHAPTER V SPECIAL CASES
A. War refugees
164. Persons compelled to leave their country of origin as a result of international or national
armed conflicts are not normally considered refugees under the 1951 Convention or 1967
Protocol.22 They do, however, have the protection provided for in other international instruments,
e.g. the Geneva Conventions of 1949 on the Protection of War Victims and the 1977 Protocol
additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 relating to the protection of Victims of International
Armed Conflicts.23
165. However, foreign invasion or occupation of all or part of a country can result--and
occasionally has resulted--in persecution for one or more of the reasons enumerated in the 1951
Convention. In such cases, refugee status will depend upon whether the applicant is able to show
that he has a well-founded fear of being persecuted in the occupied territory and, in addition,
upon whether or not he is able to avail himself of the protection of his government, or of a
protecting power whose duty it is to safeguard the interests of his country during the armed
conflict, and whether such protection can be considered to be effective.
166. Protection may not be available if there are no diplomatic relations between the
applicant's host country and his country of origin. If the applicant's government is itself in exile,
the effectiveness of the protection that it is able to extend may be open to question. Thus, every
case has to be judged on its merits, both in respect of well-founded fear of persecution and of the
availability of effective protection on the part of the government of the country of origin.
B. Deserters and persons avoiding military service

167. In countries where military service is compulsory, failure to perform this duty is frequently
punishable by law. Moreover, whether military service is compulsory or not, desertion is invariably
considered a criminal offence. The Penalties may vary from country to country, and are not
normally regarded as persecution. Fear of prosecution and punishment for desertion or draft-
evasion does not in itself constitute well-founded fear of persecution under the definition.
Desertion or draft-evasion does not, on the other hand, exclude a person from being a refugee,
and a person may be a refugee in addition to being a deserter or draft-evader.
168. A person is clearly not a refugee if his only reason for desertion or draft-evasion is his
dislike of military service or fear of combat. He may, however, be a refugee if his desertion or
evasion of military service is concomitant with other relevant motives for leaving or remaining
outside his country, or if he otherwise has reasons, within the meaning of the definition, to fear
persecution.
22 In respect of Africa, however, see the definition in Article 1 (2) of the OAU Convention
concerning the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, quoted in paragraph 22 above.
23 See Annex VI, items (6) and (7).

169. A deserter or draft-evader may also be considered a refugee if it can be shown that he
would suffer disproportionately severe punishment for the military offence on account of his race,
religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. The same would
apply if it can be shown that he has well-founded fear of persecution on these grounds above and
beyond the punishment for desertion.
170. There are, however, also cases where the necessity to perform military service may be
the sole ground for a claim to refugee status, i.e. when a person can show that the performance
of military service would have required his participation in military action contrary to his genuine
political, religious or moral convictions, or to valid reasons of conscience.
171. Not every conviction, genuine though it may be, will constitute a sufficient reason for
claiming refugee status after desertion or draft-evasion. It is not enough for a person to be in
disagreement with his government regarding the political justification for a particular military
action. Where, however, the type of military action, with which an individual does not wish to be
associated, is condemned by the international community as contrary to basic rules of human
conduct, punishment for desertion or draft-evasion could, in the light of all other requirements of
the definition, in itself be regarded as persecution.
172. Refusal to perform military service may also be based on religious convictions. If an
applicant is able to show that his religious convictions are genuine, and that such convictions are
not taken into account by the authorities of his country in requiring him to perform military service,
he may be able to establish a claim to refugee status. Such a claim would, of course, be
supported by any additional indications that the applicant or his family may have encountered
difficulties due to their religious convictions.
173. The question as to whether objection to performing military service for reasons of
conscience can give rise to a valid claim to refugee status should also be considered in the light
of more recent developments in this field. An increasing number of States have introduced
legislation or administrative regulations whereby persons who can invoke genuine reasons of
conscience are exempted from military service, either entirely or subject to their performing
alternative (i.e. civilian) service. The introduction of such legislation or administrative regulations
has also been the subject of recommendations by international agencies.24 In the light of these
developments, it would be open to Contracting States, to grant refugee status to persons who
object to performing military service for genuine reasons of conscience.
174. The genuineness of a person's political, religious or moral convictions, or of his reasons
of conscience for objecting to performing military service, will of course need to be established by
a thorough investigation of his personality and background. The fact that he may have manifested
his views prior to being called to arms, or that he may already have encountered difficulties with
the authorities because of his convictions, are relevant considerations. Whether he has been
drafted into compulsory service or joined the army as a volunteer may also be indicative of the
genuineness of his convictions.
C. Persons having resorted to force or committed acts of

violence
175. Applications for refugee status are frequently made by persons who have used force or
committed acts of violence. Such conduct is frequently associated with, or claimed to be
associated with, political activities or political opinions. They may be the result of individual
initiatives, or may have been committed within the framework of organized groups. The latter may
either be clandestine groupings or political cum military organizations that are officially recognized
24 Cf Recommendation 816 (1977) on the Right of Conscientious Objection to Military Service,

adopted at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe at its Twenty-ninth Ordinary
Session (5-13 October 1977).
or whose activities are widely acknowledged.25 Account should also be taken of the fact that the
use of force is an aspect of the maintenance of law and order and may--by definition--be lawfully
resorted to by the police and armed forces in the exercise of their functions.
176. An application for refugee status by a person having (or presumed to have) used force, or
to have committed acts of violence of whatever nature and within whatever context, must in the
first place--like any other application--be examined from the standpoint of the inclusion clauses in
the 1951 Convention (paragraphs 32-110 above).
177. Where it has been determined that an applicant fulfils the inclusion criteria, the question
may arise as to whether, in view of the acts involving the use of force or violence committed by
him, he may not be covered by the terms of one or more of the exclusion clauses. These
exclusion clauses, which figure in Article 1 F (a) to (c) of the 1951 Convention, have already been
examined (paragraphs 147 to 163 above).
178. The exclusion clause in Article 1 F (a) was originally intended to exclude from refugee
status any person in respect of whom there were serious reasons for considering that he has
committed a crime against peace, a war crime, or a crime against humanity in an official
capacity. This exclusion clause is, however, also applicable to persons who have committed such
crimes within the framework of various non-governmental groupings, whether officially
recognized, clandestine or self-styled.
179. The exclusion clause in Article 1 F (b), which refers to a serious non-political crime, is
normally not relevant to the use of force or to acts of violence committed in an official capacity.
The interpretation of this exclusion clause has already been discussed. The exclusion clause in
Article 1 F (c) has also been considered. As previously indicated, because of its vague character,
it should be applied with caution.
180. It will also be recalled that, due to their nature and the serious consequences of their
application to a person in fear of persecution, the exclusion clauses should be applied in a
restrictive manner.
CHAPTER VI THE PRINCIPLE OF FAMILY UNITY
181. Beginning with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that the family is
the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the
State, most international instruments dealing with human rights contain similar provisions for the
protection of the unit of a family.
182. The Final Act of the Conference that adopted the 1951 Convention:
Recommends Governments to take the necessary measures for the protection of the refugee's
family, especially with a view to:
(1) Ensuring that the unity of the refugee's family is maintained particularly in cases where
the head of the family has fulfilled the necessary conditions for admission to a particular country.
(2) The protection of refugees who are minors, in particular unaccompanied children and
girls, with special reference to guardianship and adoption.26
183. The 1951 Convention does not incorporate the principle of family unity in the definition of
the term refugee. The above-mentioned Recommendation in the Final Act of the Conference is,
25 A number of liberation movements, which often include an armed wing, have been officially
recognized by the General Assembly of the United Nations. Other liberation movements have
only been recognized by a limited number of governments. Others again have no official
recognition.
26 See Annex 1.
however, observed by the majority of States, whether or not parties to the 1951 Convention or to
the 1967 Protocol.
184. If the head of a family meets the criteria of the definition, his dependants are normally
granted refugee status according to the principle of family unity. It is obvious, however, that
formal refugee status should not be granted to a dependant if this is incompatible with his
personal legal status. Thus, a dependant member of a refugee family may be a national of the
country of asylum or of another country, and may enjoy that country's protection. To grant him
refugee status in such circumstances would not be called for.
185. As to which family members may benefit from the principle of family unity, the minimum
requirement is the inclusion of the spouse and minor children. In practice, other dependants, such
as aged parents of refugees, are normally considered if they are living in the same household. On
the other hand, if the head of the family is not a refugee, there is nothing to prevent any one of his
dependants, if they can invoke reasons on their own account, from applying for recognition as
refugees under the 1951 Convention or the 1967 Protocol. In other words, the principle of family
unity operates in favour of dependants, and not against them.
186. The principle of the unity of the family does not only operate where all family members
become refugees at the same time. It applies equally to cases where a family unit has been
temporarily disrupted through the flight of one or more of its members.
187. Where the unity of a refugee's family is destroyed by divorce, separation or death,
dependants who have been granted refugee status on the basis of family unity will retain such
refugee status unless they fall within the terms of a cessation clause; or if they do not have
reasons other than those of personal convenience for wishing to retain refugee status; or if they
themselves no longer wish to be considered as refugees.
188. If the dependant of a refugee falls within the terms of one of the exclusion clauses,
refugee status should be denied to him.
PART TWO Procedures for the Determination of Refugee Status
A. GENERAL
189. It has been seen that the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol define who is a refugee
for the purposes of these instruments. It is obvious that, to enable States parties to the
Convention and to the Protocol to implement their provisions, refugees have to be identified.
Such identification, i.e. the determination of refugee status, although mentioned in the 1951
Convention (cf. Article 9), is not specifically regulated. In particular, the Convention does not
indicate what type of procedures are to be adopted for the determination of refugee status. It is
therefore left to each Contracting State to establish the procedure that it considers most
appropriate, having regard to its particular constitutional and administrative structure.
190. It should be recalled that an applicant for refugee status is normally in a particularly
vulnerable situation. He finds himself in an alien environment and may experience serious
difficulties, technical and psychological, in submitting his case to the authorities of a foreign
country, often in a language not his own. His application should therefore be examined within the
framework of specially established procedures by qualified personnel having the necessary
knowledge and experience, and an understanding of an applicant's particular difficulties and
needs.
191. Due to the fact that the matter is not specifically regulated by the 1951 Convention,
procedures adopted by States parties to the 1951 Convention and to the 1967 Protocol vary
considerably. In a number of countries, refugee status is determined under formal procedures
specifically established for this purpose. In other countries, the question of refugee status is
considered within the framework of general procedures for the admission of aliens. In yet other
countries, refugee status is determined under informal arrangements, or ad hoc for specific
purposes, such as the issuance of travel documents.
192. In view of this situation and of the unlikelihood that all States bound by the 1951
Convention and the 1967 Protocol could establish identical procedures, the Executive Committee
of the High Commissioner's Programme, at its twenty-eighth session in October 1977,
recommended that procedures should satisfy certain basic requirements. These basic
requirements, which reflect the special situation of the applicant for refugee status, to which
reference has been made above, and which would ensure that the applicant is provided with
certain essential guarantees, are the following:
(i) The competent official (e.g., immigration officer or border police officer) to whom the
applicant addresses himself at the border or in the territory of a Contracting State should have
clear instructions for dealing with cases which might come within the purview of the relevant
international instruments. He should be required to act in accordance with the principle of non-
refoulement and to refer such cases to a higher authority.
(ii) The applicant should receive the necessary guidance as to the procedure to be followed.
(iii) There should be a clearly identified authority-wherever possible a single central authority-
with responsibility for examining requests for refugee status and taking a decision in the first
instance.
(iv) The applicant should be given the necessary facilities, including the services of a
competent interpreter, for submitting his case to the authorities concerned. Applicants should also
be given the opportunity, of which they should be duly informed, to contact a representative of
UNHCR.
(v) If the applicant is recognized as a refugee, he should be informed accordingly and issued
with documentation certifying his refugee status.
(vi) If the applicant is not recognized, he should be given a reasonable time to appeal for a
formal reconsideration of the decision, either to the same or to a different authority, whether
administrative or judicial, according to the prevailing system.
(vii) The applicant should be permitted to remain in the country pending a decision on his
initial request by the competent authority referred to in paragraph (iii) above, unless it has been
established by that authority that his request is clearly abusive. He should also be permitted to
remain in the country while an appeal to a higher administrative authority or to the courts is
pending.27
193. The Executive Committee also expressed the hope that all States parties to the 1951
Convention and the 1967 Protocol that had not yet done so would take appropriate steps to
establish such procedures in the near future and give favourable consideration to UNHCR
participation in such procedures in appropriate form.
194. Determination of refugee status, which is closely related to questions of asylum and
admission, is of concern to the High Commissioner in the exercise of his function to provide
international protection for refugees. In a number of countries, the Office of the High
Commissioner participates in various forms, in procedures for the determination of refugee status.
Such participation is based on Article 35 of the 1951 Convention and the corresponding Article 11
of the 1967 Protocol, which provide for co-operation by the Contracting States with the High
Commissioner's Office.
B. ESTABLISHING THE FACTS
(1) Principles and methods

195. The relevant facts of the individual case will have to be furnished in the first place by the
applicant himself. It will then be up to the person charged with determining his status (the
examiner) to assess the validity of any evidence and the credibility of the applicant's statements.
196. It is a general legal principle that the burden of proof lies on the person submitting a
claim. Often, however, an applicant may not be able to support his statements by documentary or
other proof, and cases in which an applicant can provide evidence of all his statements will be the
exception rather than the rule. In most cases a person fleeing from persecution will have arrived
with the barest necessities and very frequently even without personal documents. Thus, while the
burden of proof in principle rests on the applicant, the duty to ascertain and evaluate all the
relevant facts is shared between the applicant and the examiner. Indeed, in some cases, it may
be for the examiner to use all the means at his disposal to produce the necessary evidence in
support of the application. Even such independent research may not, however, always be
successful and there may also be statements that are not susceptible of proof. In such cases, if
the applicant's account appears credible, he should, unless there are good reasons to the
contrary, be given the benefit of the doubt.
197. The requirement of evidence should thus not be too strictly applied in view of the difficulty
of proof inherent in the special situation in which an applicant for refugee status finds himself.
Allowance for such possible lack of evidence does not, however, mean that unsupported
statements must necessarily be accepted as true if they are inconsistent with the general account
put forward by the applicant.
198. A person who, because of his experiences, was in fear of the authorities in his own
country may still feel apprehensive vis--vis any authority. He may therefore be afraid to speak
freely and give a full and accurate account of his case.
27 Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirty-second Session, Supplement No. 12

(A/32/12/Add.1), paragraph 53 (6) (e).
199. While an initial interview should normally suffice to bring an applicant's story to light, it
may be necessary for the examiner to clarify any apparent inconsistencies and to resolve any
contradictions in a further interview, and to find an explanation for any misrepresentation or
concealment of material facts. Untrue statements by themselves are not a reason for refusal of
refugee status and it is the examiner's responsibility to evaluate such statements in the light of all
the circumstances of the case.
200. An examination in depth of the different methods of fact-finding is outside the scope of
the present Handbook. It may be mentioned, however, that basic information is frequently given,
in the first instance, by completing a standard questionnaire. Such basic information will normally
not be sufficient to enable the examiner to reach a decision, and one or more personal interviews
will be required. It will be necessary for the examiner to gain the confidence of the applicant in
order to assist the latter in putting forward his case and in fully explaining his opinions and
feelings. In creating such a climate of confidence it is, of course, of the utmost importance that the
applicant's statements will be treated as confidential and that he be so informed.
201. Very frequently the fact-finding process will not be complete until a wide range of
circumstances has been ascertained. Taking isolated incidents out of context may be misleading.
The cumulative effect of the applicant's experience must be taken into account. Where no single
incident stands out above the others, sometimes a small incident may be the last straw; and
although no single incident may be sufficient, all the incidents related by the applicant taken
together, could make his fear well-founded (see paragraph 53 above).
202. Since the examiner's conclusion on the facts of the case and his personal impression of
the applicant will lead to a decision that affects human lives, he must apply the criteria in a spirit
of justice and understanding and his judgement should not, of course, be influenced by the
personal consideration that the applicant may be an undeserving case.
(2) Benefit of the doubt

203. After the applicant has made a genuine effort to substantiate his story there may still be a
lack of evidence for some of his statements. As explained above (paragraph 196), it is hardly
possible for a refugee to prove every part of his case and, indeed, if this were a requirement the
majority of refugees would not be recognized. It is therefore frequently necessary to give the
applicant the benefit of the doubt.
204. The benefit of the doubt should, however, only be given when all available evidence has
been obtained and checked and when the examiner is satisfied as to the applicant's general
credibility. The applicant's statements must be coherent and plausible, and must not run counter
to generally known facts.
(3) Summary
205. The process of ascertaining and evaluating the facts can therefore be summarized as
follows:
(a) The applicant should:
(i) Tell the truth and assist the examiner to the full in establishing the facts of his case.
(ii) Make an effort to support his statements by any available evidence and give a
satisfactory explanation for any lack of evidence. If necessary he must make an effort to procure
additional evidence.
(iii) Supply all pertinent information concerning himself and his past experience in as much
detail as is necessary to enable the examiner to establish the relevant facts. He should be asked
to give a coherent explanation of all the reasons invoked in support of his application for refugee
status and he should answer any questions put to him.
(b) The examiner should:
(i) Ensure that the applicant presents his case as fully as possible and with all available
evidence.
(ii) Assess the applicant's credibility and evaluate the evidence (if necessary giving the
applicant the benefit of the doubt), in order to establish the objective and the subjective elements
of the case.
(iii) Relate these elements to the relevant criteria of the 1951 Convention, in order to arrive at
a correct conclusion as to the applicant's refugee status.
C. CASES GIVING RISE TO SPECIAL PROBLEMS IN ESTABLISHING THE FACTS
(1) Mentally disturbed persons

206. It has been seen that in determining refugee status the subjective element of fear and the
objective element of its well-foundedness need to be established.
207. It frequently happens that an examiner is confronted with an applicant having mental or
emotional disturbances that impede a normal examination of his case. A mentally disturbed
person may, however, be a refugee, and while his claim cannot therefore be disregarded, it will
call for different techniques of examination.
208. The examiner should, in such cases, whenever possible, obtain expert medical advice.
The medical report should provide information on the nature and degree of mental illness and
should assess the applicant's ability to fulfil the requirements normally expected of an applicant in
presenting his case (see paragraph 205 (a) above). The conclusions of the medical report will
determine the examiner's further approach.
209. This approach has to vary according to the degree of the applicant's affliction and no rigid
rules can be laid down. The nature and degree of the applicant's fear must also be taken into
consideration, since some degree of mental disturbance is frequently found in persons who have
been exposed to severe persecution. Where there are indications that the fear expressed by the
applicant may not be based on actual experience or may be an exaggerated fear, it may be
necessary, in arriving at a decision, to lay greater emphasis on the objective circumstances,
rather than on the statements made by the applicant.
210. It will, in any event, be necessary to lighten the burden of proof normally incumbent upon
the applicant, and information that cannot easily be obtained from the applicant may have to be
sought elsewhere, e.g. from friends, relatives and other persons closely acquainted with the
applicant, or from his guardian, if one has been appointed. It may also be necessary to draw
certain conclusions from the surrounding circumstances. If, for instance, the applicant belongs to
and is in the company of a group of refugees, there is a presumption that he shares their fate and
qualifies in the same manner as they do.
211. In examining his application, therefore, it may not be possible to attach the same
importance as is normally attached to the subjective element of fear, which may be less reliable,
and it may be necessary to place greater emphasis on the objective situation.
212. In view of the above considerations, investigation into the refugee status of a mentally
disturbed person will, as a rule, have to be more searching than in a normal case and will call
for a close examination of the applicant's past history and background, using whatever outside
sources of information may be available.
(2) Unaccompanied minors

213. There is no special provision in the 1951 Convention regarding the refugee status of
persons under age. The same definition of a refugee applies to all individuals, regardless of their
age. When it is necessary to determine the refugee status of a minor, problems may arise due to
the difficulty of applying the criteria of well-founded fear in his case. If a minor is accompanied
by one (or both) of his parents, or another family member on whom he is dependent, who
requests refugee status, the minor's own refugee status will be determined according to the
principle of family unity (paragraphs 181 to 188 above).
214. The question of whether an unaccompanied minor may qualify for refugee status must be
determined in the first instance according to the degree of his mental development and maturity.
In the case of children, it will generally be necessary to enrol the services of experts conversant
with child mentality. A child--and for that matter, an adolescent--not being legally independent
should, if appropriate, have a guardian appointed whose task it would be to promote a decision
that will be in the minor's best interests. In the absence of parents or of a legally appointed
guardian, it is for the authorities to ensure that the interests of an applicant for refugee status who
is a minor are fully safeguarded.
215. Where a minor is no longer a child but an adolescent, it will be easier to determine
refugee status as in the case of an adult, although this again will depend upon the actual degree
of the adolescent's maturity. It can be assumed that--in the absence of indications to the contrary-
-a person of 16 or over may be regarded as sufficiently mature to have a well-founded fear of
persecution. Minors under 16 years of age may normally be assumed not to be sufficiently
mature. They may have fear and a will of their own, but these may not have the same
significance as in the case of an adult.
216. It should, however, be stressed that these are only general guidelines and that a minor's
mental maturity must normally be determined in the light of his personal, family and cultural
background.
217. Where the minor has not reached a sufficient degree of maturity to make it possible to
establish well-founded fear in the same way as for an adult, it may be necessary to have greater
regard to certain objective factors. Thus, if an unaccompanied minor finds himself in the company
of a group of refugees, this may--depending on the circumstances--indicate that the minor is also
a refugee.
218. The circumstances of the parents and other family members, including their situation in
the minor's country of origin, will have to be taken into account. If there is reason to believe that
the parents wish their child to be outside the country of origin on grounds of well-founded fear of
persecution, the child himself may be presumed to have such fear.
219. If the will of the parents cannot be ascertained or if such will is in doubt or in conflict with
the will of the child, then the examiner, in cooperation with the experts assisting him, will have to
come to a decision as to the well-foundedness of the minor's fear on the basis of all the known
circumstances, which may call for a liberal application of the benefit of the doubt.
CONCLUSION
220. In the present Handbook an attempt has been made to define certain guidelines that, in
the experience of UNHCR, have proved useful in determining refugee status for the purposes of
the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees. In so doing,
particular attention has been paid to the definitions of the term refugee in these two instruments,
and to various problems of interpretation arising out of these definitions. It has also been sought
to show how these definitions may be applied in concrete cases and to focus attention on various
procedural problems arising in regard to the determination of refugee status.
221. The Office of the High Commissioner is fully aware of the shortcomings inherent in a
Handbook of this nature, bearing in mind that it is not possible to encompass every situation in
which a person may apply for refugee status. Such situations are manifold and depend upon the
infinitely varied conditions prevailing in countries of origin and on the special personal factors
relating to the individual applicant.
222. The explanations given have shown that the determination of refugee status is by no
means a mechanical and routine process. On the contrary, it calls for specialized knowledge,
training and experience and--what is more important--an understanding of the particular situation
of the applicant and of the human factors involved.
223. Within the above limits it is hoped that the present Handbook may provide some
guidance to those who in their daily work are called upon to determine refugee status.
Annex I
EXCERPT FROM THE FINAL ACT OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE
OF PLENIPOTENTIARIES ON THE STATUS OF REFUGEES AND
STATELESS PERSONS 28
IV
The Conference adopted unanimously the following recommendations:
A.
THE CONFERENCE,
Considering that the issue and recognition of travel documents is necessary to facilitate the
movement of refugees, and in particular their resettlement,
Urges Governments which are parties to the Inter-Governmental Agreement on Refugee Travel
Documents signed in London 15 October 1946, or which recognize travel documents issued in
accordance with the Agreement, to continue to issue or to recognize such travel documents, and
to extend the issue of such documents to refugees as defined in article 1 of the Convention
relating to the Status of Refugees or to recognize the travel documents so issued to such
persons, until they shall have undertaken obligations under article 28 of the said Convention.
B.
THE CONFERENCE,
Considering that the unity of the family, the natural and fundamental group of society, is an
essential right of the refugee, and that such unity is constantly threatened, and
Noting with satisfaction that, according to the official commentary of the ad hoc Committee on
Statelessness and Related Problems the rights granted to a refugee are extended to members of
his family,
Recommends Governments to take the necessary measure protection of the refugee's family,
especially with a view to:
(1) Ensuring that the unity of the refugee's family is maintained particularly in cases where
the head of the family has fulfilled the necessary conditions for admission to a particular country,
(2) The protection of refugees who are minors, in particular unaccompanied children and
girls, with special reference to guardianship and adoption.
C.
THE CONFERENCE,
Considering that, in the moral, legal and material spheres, refugees need the help of suitable
welfare services, especially that of appropriate non-governmental organizations,
Recommends Governments and inter-governmental bodies to facilitate, encourage and sustain
the efforts of properly qualified or organizations.
D.
THE CONFERENCE,
28 United Nations Treaty Series, vol. 189, p. 37

Considering that many persons still leave their country of origin for reasons of persecution and
are entitled to special protection on account of their position,
Recommends that Governments continue to receive refugees in their territories and that they act
in concert in a true spirit of international co-operation in order that these refugees may find
asylum and the possibility of resettlement.
E.
THE CONFERENCE,
Expresses the hope that the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees will have value as an
example exceeding its contractual scope and that all nations will be guided by it in granting so far
as possible to persons in their territory as refugees and who would not be covered by the terms of
the Convention, the treatment for which it provides.
Annex II
1951 CONVENTION RELATING TO THE STATUS OF REFUGEES 29
PREAMBLE
THE HIGH CONTRACTING PARTIES
Considering that the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights approved on 10 December 1948 by the General Assembly have affirmed the principle that
human beings shall enjoy fundamental rights and freedoms without discrimination,
Considering that the United Nations has, on various occasions, manifested its profound concern
for refugees and endeavored to assure refugees the widest possible exercise of these
fundamental rights and freedoms,
Considering that it is desirable to revise and consolidate previous international agreements
relating to the status of refugees and to extend the scope of and the protection accorded by such
instruments by means of a new agreement,
Considering that the grant of asylum may place unduly heavy burdens on certain countries, and
that a satisfactory solution of a problem of which the United Nations has recognized the
international scope and nature the cannot therefore be achieved without international co-
operation,
Expressing the wish that all States, recognizing the social and humanitarian nature of the problem
of refugees, will do everything within their power to prevent this problem from becoming a cause
of tension between States,
Noting that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is charged with the task of
supervising international conventions providing for the protection of Refugees, and recognizing
that the effective co-ordination of measures taken to deal with this problem will depend upon the
co-operation of States with the High Commissioner,
Have agreed as follows:
CHAPTER I GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 1
Definition of the term Refugee
A. For the purposes of the present Convention, the term refugee shall apply to any person who:
(1) Has been considered a refugee under the Arrangements of 12 May 1926 and 30 June
1928 or under the Conventions of 28 October 1933 and 10 February 1938, the Protocol of 14
September 1939 or the Constitution of the International Refugee Organization;
Decisions of non-eligibility taken by the International Refugee Organization during the period of its
activities shall not prevent the status of refugee being accorded to persons who fulfil the
conditions of paragraph 2 of this section;
(2) As a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951 and owing to well-founded fear of
being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group
or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is
unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and
29 United Nations Treaty Series, vol. 189, p. 137.

being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or,
owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.
In the case of a person who has more than one nationality, the term the country of his
nationality shall mean each of the countries of which he is a national, and a person shall not be
deemed to be lacking the protection of the country of his nationality if, without any valid reason
based on well-founded fear, he has not availed himself of the protection of one of the countries of
which he is a national.
B. (1) For the purposes of this Convention, the words events occurring before 1 January 1951
in Article 1, Section A, shall be understood to mean either:
(a) events occurring in Europe before 1 January 1951 or
(b) events occurring in Europe or elsewhere before 1 January 1951
and each Contracting State shall make a declaration at the time of signature, ratification or
accession, specifying which of these meanings it applies for the purpose of its obligations under
this Convention.
(2) Any Contracting State which has adopted alternative (a) may at any time extend its
obligations by adopting alternative (b) by means of a notification addressed to the Secretary-
General of the United Nations.
C. This Convention shall cease to apply to any person falling under the terms of Section A if:
(1) He has voluntarily re-availed himself of the protection of the country of his nationality; or
(2) Having lost his nationality, he has voluntarily re-acquired it; or
(3) He has acquired a new nationality, and enjoys the protection of the country of his new
nationality; or
(4) He has voluntarily re-established himself in the country which he left or outside which he
remained owing to fear of persecution; or
(5) He can no longer, because the circumstances in connexion with which he has been
recognized as a refugee have ceased to exist, continue to refuse to avail himself of the protection
of the country of his nationality;
himself of the protection of the country of nationality.
(6) Being a person who has no nationality he is, because the circumstances in connexion
with which he has been recognized as a refugee have ceased to exist, able to return to the
country of his former habitual residence;
D. This Convention shall not apply to persons who are at present receiving from organs or
agencies of the United Nations other than the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
protection or assistance.
When such protection or assistance has ceased for any reason, without the position of such
persons being definitively settled in accordance with the relevant resolutions adopted by the
General Assembly of the United Nations, these persons shall ipso facto be entitled to the benefits
of this Convention.
E. This Convention shall not apply to a person who is recognized by the competent authorities of
the country in which he has taken residence as having the rights and obligations which are
attached to the possession of the nationality of that country.
F. The provisions of this Convention shall not apply to any person with respect to whom there are
serious reasons for considering that:
(a) he has committed a crime against peace, a war crime, or a crime against humanity, as
defined in the international instruments drawn up to make provision in respect of such crimes;
admission to that country as a refugee;
Article 2
General obligations
Every refugee has duties to the country in which he finds himself, which require in particular that
he conform to its laws and regulations as well as to measures taken for the maintenance of public
order.
Article 3
Non-Discrimination
The Contracting States shall apply the provisions of this Convention to refugees without
discrimination as to race, religion or country of origin.
Article 4
Religion
The Contracting States shall accord to refugees within their territories treatment at least as
favorable as that accorded to their nationals with respect to freedom to practice their religion and
freedom as regards the religious education of their children.
Article 5
Rights granted apart from this Convention
Nothing in this Convention shall be deemed to impair any rights and benefits granted by a
Contracting State to refugees apart from this Convention.
Article 6
The term in the same circumstances
For the purpose of this Convention, the term in the same circumstances implies that any
requirements (including requirements as to length and conditions of sojourn or residence) which
the particular individual would have to fulfil for the enjoyment of the right in question, if he were
not a refugee, must be fulfilled by him, with the exception of requirements which by their nature a
refugee is incapable of fulfilling.
Article 7
Exemption from reciprocity
1. Except where this Convention contains more favorable provisions, a Contracting State
shall accord to refugees the same treatment as is accorded to aliens generally.
2. After a period of three years' residence, all refugees shall enjoy exemption from
legislative reciprocity in the territory of the Contracting States.
3. Each Contracting State shall continue to accord to refugees the rights and benefits to
which they were already entitled, in the absence of reciprocity, at the date of entry into force of
this Convention for that State.
4. The Contracting States shall consider favorably the possibility of according to refugees, in
the absence of reciprocity, rights and benefits beyond those to which they are entitled according
to paragraphs 2 and 3, and to extending exemption from reciprocity to refugees who do not fulfil
the conditions provided for in paragraphs 2 and 3.
5. The provisions of paragraphs 2 and 3 apply both to the rights and benefits referred to in
articles 13, 18, 19, 21 and 22 of this Convention and to rights and benefits for which this
Convention does not provide.
Article 8
Exemption from exceptional measures
With regard to exceptional measures which may be taken against the person, property or
interests of nationals of a foreign State, the Contracting States shall not apply such measures to a
refugee who is formally a national of the said State solely on account of such nationality.
Contracting States which, under their legislation, are prevented from applying the general
principle expressed in this article, shall, in appropriate cases, grant exemptions in favor of such
refugees.
Article 9
Provisional measures
Nothing in this Convention shall prevent a Contracting State, in time of war or other grave and
exceptional circumstances, from taking provisionally measures which it considers to be essential
to the national security in the case of a particular person, pending a determination by the
Contracting State that person is in fact a refugee and that the continuance of such measures is
necessary in his case in the interests of national security.
Article 10
Continuity of residence
1. Where a refugee has been forcibly displaced during the Second World War and removed
to the territory of a Contracting State, and is resident there, the period of such enforced sojourn
shall be considered to have been lawful residence within that territory.
2. Where a refugee has been forcibly displaced during the Second World War from the
territory of a Contracting State and has, prior to the date of entry into force of this Convention,
returned there for the purpose taking up residence, the period of residence before and after such
enforced displacement shall be regarded as one uninterrupted period for any purposes for which
uninterrupted residence is required.
Article 11
Refugee seamen
In the case of refugees regularly serving as crew members on board a ship flying the flag of a
Contracting State, that state shall give sympathetic consideration to their establishment on its
territory and the issue of travel documents to them on their temporary admissions to its territory
particularly with a view to facilitating their establishment in another country.
CHAPTER II JURIDICAL STATUS
Article 12
Personal status
1. The personal status of a refugee shall be governed by the law of the country of his
domicile or, if he has no domicile, by the law of the country of his residence.
2. Rights previously acquired by a refugee and dependent on personal status, more
particularly rights attaching to marriage, shall be respected by a Contracting State, subject to
compliance, if this be necessary, with the formalities required by the law of that State, provided
that the right in question is one which would have been recognized by the law of that State had
he not become a refugee.
Article 13
Movable and immovable property
The Contracting States shall accord to a refugee treatment as favorable as possible and, in any
event, not less favorable than that accorded to aliens generally in the same circumstances as
regards the acquisition of movable and immovable property and other rights pertaining thereto,
and to leases and other contracts relating to movable and immovable property.
Article 14
Artistic rights and industrial property
In respect of the protection of industrial property, such as inventions, designs or models, trade
marks, trade names, and of rights in literary, artistic and scientific works, a refugee shall be
accorded in the country in which he has his habitual residence the same protection as is
accorded to nationals of that country. In the territory of any other Contracting State, he shall be
accorded the same protection as is accorded in that territory to nationals of the country in which
he has habitual residence.
Article 15
Right of association
As regards non-political and non-profit-making associations and trade unions the Contracting
States shall accord to refugees lawfully staying in their territory the most favorable treatment
accorded to nationals of a foreign country, in the same circumstances.
Article 16
Access to courts
1. A refugee shall have free access to the courts of law on the territory of all Contracting
States.
2. A refugee shall enjoy in the Contracting State in which he has his habitual residence the
same treatment as a national in matters pertaining to access to the Courts, including legal
assistance and exemption from cautio judicatum solvi.
3. A refugee shall be accorded in the matters referred to in paragraph 2 in countries other
than that in which he has his habitual residence the treatment granted to a national of the country
of his habitual residence.
CHAPTER III GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT
Article 17
Wage-earning employment
1. The Contracting State shall accord to refugees lawfully staying in their territory the most
favorable treatment accorded to nationals of a foreign country in the same circumstances, as
regards the right to engage in wage-earning employment.
2. In any case, restrictive measures imposed on aliens or the employment of aliens for the
protection of the national labour market shall not be applied to a refugee who was already exempt
from them at the date of entry into force of this Convention for the Contracting States concerned,
or who fulfills one of the following conditions:
(a) He has completed three years residence in the country;
(b) He has a spouse possessing the nationality of the country of residence. A refugee may
not invoke the benefits of this provision if he has abandoned his spouse;
(c) He has one or more children possessing the nationality of the country of residence.
3. The Contracting States shall give sympathetic consideration to assimilating the rights of
all refugees with regard to wage-earning employment to those of nationals, and in particular of
those refugees who have entered their territory pursuant to programmes of labour recruitment or
under immigration schemes.
Article 18
Self-employment
The Contracting States shall accord to a refugee lawfully in their territory treatment as favorable
as possible and, in any event, not less favorable than that accorded to aliens generally in the
same circumstances, as regards the right to engage on his own account in agriculture, industry,
handicrafts and commerce and to establish commercial and industrial companies.
Article 19
Liberal professions
1. Each Contracting State shall accord to refugees lawfully staying in their territory who hold
diplomas recognized by the competent authorities of that State, and who are desirous of
practising a liberal profession, treatment as favorable as possible and, in any event, not less
favorable than that accorded to aliens generally in the same circumstances.
2. The Contracting States shall use their best endeavours consistently with their laws and
constitutions to secure the settlement of such refugees in the territories, other than the
metropolitan territory, for whose international relations they are responsible.
CHAPTER IV WELFARE
Article 20
Rationing
Where a rationing system exists, which applies to the population at large and regulates the
general distribution of products in short supply, refugees shall be accorded the same treatment as
nationals.
Article 21
Housing
As regards housing, the Contracting States, in so far as the matter is regulated by laws or
regulations or is subject to the control of public authorities, shall accord to refugees lawfully
staying in their territory treatment as favorable as possible and, in any event, not less favorable
than that accorded to aliens generally in the same circumstances.
Article 22
Public education
1. The Contracting States shall accord to refugees the same treatment as is accorded to
nationals with respect to elementary education.
2. The Contracting States shall accord to refugees treatment as favorable as possible, and,
in any event, not less favorable than that accorded to aliens generally in the same circumstances,
with respect to education other than elementary education and, in particular, as regards access to
studies, the recognition of foreign school certificates, diplomas and degrees, the remission of fees
and charges and the award of scholarships.
Article 23
Public relief
The Contracting States shall accord to refugees lawfully staying in their territory the same
treatment with respect to public relief and assistance as is accorded to their nationals.
Article 24
Labour legislation and social security
1. The Contracting States shall accord to refugees lawfully staying in their territory the same
treatment as is accorded to nationals in respect of the following matters:
(a) In so far as such matters are governed by laws or regulations or are subject to the control
of administrative authorities: remuneration, including family allowances where these form part of
remuneration, hours of work, overtime arrangements, holidays with pay, restrictions on home
work, minimum age of employment, apprenticeship and training, women's work and the work of
young persons, and the enjoyment of the benefits of collective bargaining;
(b) Social security (legal provisions in respect of employment injury, occupational diseases,
maternity, sickness, disability, old age, death, unemployment, family responsibilities and any
other contingency which, according to national laws or regulations, is covered by a social security
scheme), subject to the following limitations:
(i) There may be appropriate arrangements for the maintenance of acquired rights and
rights in course of acquisition;
(ii) National laws or regulations of the country of residence may prescribe special
arrangements concerning benefits or portions of benefits which are payable wholly out of public
funds, and concerning allowances paid to persons who do not fulfil the contribution conditions
prescribed for the award of a normal pension.
2. The right to compensation for the death of a refugee resulting from employment injury or
from occupational disease shall not be affected by the fact that the residence of the beneficiary is
outside the territory of the Contracting State.
3. The Contracting States shall extend to refugees the benefits of agreements concluded
between them, or which may be concluded between them in the future, concerning the
maintenance of acquired rights and rights in the process of acquisition in regard to social security,
subject only to the conditions which apply to nationals of the States signatory to the agreements
in question.
4. The Contracting States will give sympathetic consideration to extending to refugees so
far as possible the benefits of similar agreements which may at any time be in force between
such Contracting States and non-contracting States.
CHAPTER V ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES
Article 25
Administrative assistance
1. When the exercise of a right by a refugee would normally require the assistance of
authorities of a foreign country to whom he cannot have recourse, the Contracting States in
whose territory he is -residing shall arrange that such assistance be afforded to him by their own
authorities or by an international authority.
2. The authority or authorities mentioned in paragraph 1 shall deliver or cause to be
delivered under their supervision to refugees such documents or certifications as would normally
be delivered to aliens by or through their national authorities.
3. Documents or certifications so delivered shall stand in the stead of the official instruments
delivered to aliens by or through their national authorities, and shall be given credence in the
absence of proof to the contrary.
4. Subject to such exceptional treatment as may be granted to indigent persons, fees may
be charged for the services mentioned herein, but such fees shall be moderate and
commensurate with those charged to nationals for similar services.
5. The provisions of this article shall be without prejudice to articles 27 and 28.
Article 26
Freedom of movement
Each Contracting State shall accord to refugees lawfully in its territory the right to choose their
place of residence and to move freely within its territory, subject to any regulations applicable to
aliens generally in the same circumstances.
Article 27
Identity papers
The Contracting States shall issue identity papers to any refugee in their territory who does not
possess a valid travel document.
Article 28
Travel documents
1. The Contracting States shall issue to refugees lawfully staying in their territory travel
documents for the purpose of travel outside their territory unless compelling reasons of national
security or public order otherwise require, and the provisions of the Schedule to this Convention
shall apply with respect to such document. The Contracting States may issue such a travel
document to any other refugee in their territory; they shall in particular give sympathetic
consideration to the issue of such a travel document to refugees in their territory who are unable
to obtain a travel document from the country of their lawful residence.
2. Travel documents issued to refugees under previous international agreements by parties
thereto shall be recognized and treated by the Contracting States in the same way as if they had
been issued pursuant to this article.
Article 29
Fiscal charges
1. The Contracting States shall not impose upon refugees duties, charges or taxes, of any
description whatsoever, other or higher than those which are or may be levied on their nationals
in similar situations.
2. Nothing in the above paragraph shall prevent the application to refugees of the laws and
regulations concerning charges in respect of the issue to aliens of administrative documents
including identity papers.
Article 30
Transfer of assets
1. A Contracting State shall, in conformity with its laws and regulations permit refugees to
transfer assets which they have brought into its territory, to another country where they have
been admitted for the purposes of resettlement.
2. A Contracting State shall give sympathetic consideration to the application of refugees for
permission to transfer assets wherever they may be and which are necessary for their
resettlement in another country to which they have been admitted.
Article 31
Refugees unlawfully in the country of refuge
1. The Contracting States shall not impose penalties, on account of their illegal entry or
presence, on refugees who, coming directly from a territory where their life or freedom was
threatened in the sense of Article 1, enter or are present in their territory without authorization,
provided they present themselves without delay to the authorities and show good cause for their
illegal entry or presence.
2. The Contracting States shall not apply to the movements of such refugees restrictions
other than those which are necessary and such restrictions shall only be applied until their status
in the country is regularized or they obtain admission into another country. The Contracting
States shall allow such refugees a reasonable period and all the necessary facilities to obtain
admission into another country.
Article 32
Expulsion
1. The Contracting States shall not expel a refugee lawfully in their territory save on grounds
of national security or public order.
2. The expulsion of such a refugee shall be only in pursuance of a decision reached in
accordance with due process of law. Except where compelling reasons of national security
otherwise require, the refugee shall be allowed to clear himself, and to appeal to and be
represented for the purpose before competent authority or a person or persons specially
designated by the competent authority.
3. The Contracting States shall allow such a refugee a reasonable period within which to
seek legal admission into another country. The Contracting States reserve the right to apply
during that period such internal measures as they may deem necessary.
Article 33
Prohibition of expulsion or return (refoulement)
1. No Contracting State shall expel or return (refouler) a refugee in any manner
whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account
of his race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.
2. The benefit of the present provision may not, however, be claimed by a refugee whom
there are reasonable grounds for regarding as a danger to the security of the country in which he
is, or who, having been convicted by a final judgment of a particularly serious crime, constitutes a
danger to the community of that country.
Article 34
Naturalization
The Contracting States shall as far as possible facilitate the assimilation and naturalization of
refugees. They shall in particular make every effort to expedite naturalization proceedings and to
reduce as far as possible the charges and cost of such proceedings.
CHAPTER VI EXECUTORY AND TRANSITORY PROVISIONS
Article 35
Co-operation of the national authorities with the United Nations
1. The Contracting States undertake to co-operate with the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees, or any other agency of the United Nations which may succeed
it, in the exercise of its functions, and shall in particular facilitate its duty of supervising the
application of the provisions of this Convention.
2. In order to enable the Office of the High Commissioner or any other agency of the United
Nations which may succeed it, to make reports to the competent organs of the United Nations,
the Contracting States undertake to provide them in the appropriate form with information and
statistical data requested concerning:
(a) the condition of refugees,
(b) the implementation of this Convention, and
(c) laws, regulations and decrees which are, or may hereafter be, in force relating to
refugees.
Article 36
Information on national legislation
The Contracting States shall communicate to the Secretary-General of the United Nations the
laws and regulations which they may adopt to ensure the application of this Convention.
Article 37
Relation to previous conventions
Without prejudice to article 28, Paragraph 2, of this Convention, this Convention replaces, as
between parties to it, the Arrangements of 5 July 1922, 31 May 1924, 12 May 1926, 30 June
1928 and 30 July 1935, the Conventions of 28 October 1933 and 10 February 1938, the Protocol
of 14 September 1939 and the Agreement of 15 October 1946.
CHAPTER VII FINAL CLAUSES
Article 38
Settlement of disputes
Any dispute between parties to this Convention relating to its interpretation or application, which
cannot be settled by other means, shall be referred to the International Court of Justice at the
request of any one of the parties to the dispute.
Article 39
Signature, ratification and accession
1. This Convention shall be opened for signature at Geneva on 28 July 1951 shall thereafter
be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. It shall be open for signature at
the European office of the United Nations from 28 July to 31 August 1951 and shall be reopened
for signature at the Headquarters of the United Nations from 17 September 1951 to 31 December
1952.
2. This Convention shall be open for signature on behalf of all States members of the United
Nations and also on behalf of any other State invited to attend the Conference of
Plenipotentiaries on the Status of Refugees and Stateless Persons or to which an invitation to
sign will have been addressed by the General Assembly. It shall be ratified and the instruments of
ratification shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
3. This Convention shall be open from 28 July 1951 for accession by the States referred to
in paragraph 2 of this Article. Accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of
accession with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Article 40
Territorial application clause
1. Any State may, at the time of signature, ratification or accession, declare that this
Convention shall extend to all or any of the territories for the international relations of which it is
responsible. Such a declaration shall take effect when the Convention enters into force for the
States concerned.
2. At any time thereafter any such extension shall be made by notification addressed to the
Secretary-General of the United Nations and shall take effect as from the ninetieth day after the
day of receipt by the Secretary-General of the United Nations of this notification, or as from the
date of entry into force of the Convention for the State concerned, whichever is the later.
3. With respect to those territories to which this Convention is not extended at the time of
signature, ratification or accession, each State concerned shall consider the possibility of taking
the necessary steps in order to extend the application of this Convention to such territories,
subject where necessary for constitutional reasons, to the consent of the governments of such
territories.
Article 41
Federal clause
In the case of a Federal or non-unitary State, the following provisions shall apply:
(a) With respect to those articles of this Convention that come within the legislative
jurisdiction of the federal legislative authority, the obligations of the Federal Government shall to
this extent be the same as those of Parties which are not Federal States,
(b) With respect to those articles of this Convention that come within the legislative
jurisdiction of constituent States, provinces or cantons which are not, under the constitutional
system of the federation, bound to take legislative action, the Federal Government shall bring
such articles with a favorable recommendation, to the notice of the appropriate authorities of
States, provinces or cantons at the earliest possible moment.
(c) A Federal State Party to this Convention shall, at the request of any other Contracting
State transmitted through the Secretary-General of the United Nations, supply a statement of the
law and practice of the Federation and its constituent units in regard to any particular provision of
the Convention showing the extent to which effect has been given to that provision by legislative
or other action.
Article 42
Reservations
1. At the time of signature, ratification or accession, any State may make reservations to
articles of the Convention other than to articles 1, 3, 4, 16 (1), 33, 36 to 46 inclusive.
2. Any State making a reservation in accordance with paragraph 1 of this article may at any
time withdraw the reservation by a communication to that effect addressed to the Secretary-
Article 43
Entry into force
1. This Convention shall come into force on the ninetieth day following the day of deposit of
the sixth instrument of ratification or accession.
2. For each State ratifying or acceding to the Convention after the deposit of the sixth
instrument of ratification or accession, the Convention shall enter into force on the ninetieth day
following the day of deposit by such State of its instrument of ratification or accession.
Article 44
Denunciation
1. Any Contracting State may denounce this Convention at any time by a notification
addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
2. Such denunciation shall take effect for the Contracting State concerned one year from
the date upon which it is received by the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
3. Any State which has made a declaration or notification under article 40 may, at any time
thereafter, by a notification to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, declare that the
Convention shall cease to extend to such territory one year after the date of receipt of the
notification by the Secretary-General.
Article 45
Revision
1. Any Contracting State may request revision of this Convention at any time by a
notification addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
2. The General Assembly of the United Nations shall recommend the steps, if any, to be
taken in respect of such request.
Article 46
Notifications by the Secretary-General of the United Nations
The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform all Members of the United Nations and
non-member States referred to in article 39:
(a) of declarations and notifications in accordance with Section B of Article 1;
(b) of signatures, ratifications and accessions in accordance with article 39;
(c) of declarations and notifications in accordance with article 40;
(d) of reservations and withdrawals in accordance with article 42;
(e) of the date on which this Convention will come into force in accordance with article 43;
(f) of denunciations and notifications in accordance with article 44;
(g) of requests for revision in accordance with article 45.
In faith whereof the undersigned, duly authorized, have signed this Convention on behalf of their
respective Governments,
Done at Geneva, this twenty-eighth day of July, one thousand nine hundred and fifty-one, in a
single copy, of which the English and French texts are equally authentic and which shall remain
deposited in the archives of the United Nations, and certified true copies of which shall be
delivered to all Members of the United Nations and to the non-member States referred to in article
39.
SCHEDULE
Paragraph 1
1. The travel document referred to in article 28 of this Convention shall be similar to the
specimen annexed hereto.
2. The document shall be made out in at least two languages, one of which shall be in
English or French.
Paragraph 2
Subject to the regulations obtaining in the country of issue, children may be included in the travel
document of a parent or, in exceptional circumstances, of another adult refugee.
Paragraph 3
The fees charged for issue of the document shall not exceed the lowest scale of charges for
national passports.
Paragraph 4
Save in special or exceptional cases, the document shall be made valid for the largest possible
number of countries.
Paragraph 5
The document shall have a validity of either one or two years, at the discretion of the issuing
authority.
Paragraph 6
1. The renewal or extension of the validity of the document is a matter for the authority
which issued it, so long as the holder has not established lawful residence in another territory and
resides lawfully in the territory of the said authority. The issue of a new document is, under the
same conditions, a matter for the authority which issued the former document.
2. Diplomatic or consular authorities, specially authorized for the purpose, shall be
empowered to extend, for a period not exceeding six months, the validity of travel documents
issued by the Governments.
3. The Contracting States shall give sympathetic consideration to renewing or extending the
validity of travel documents or issuing new documents to refugees no longer lawfully resident in
their territory who are unable to obtain a travel document from the country of their lawful
residence.
Paragraph 7
The Contracting States shall recognize the validity of the documents issued in accordance with
the provisions of article 28 of this Convention.
Paragraph 8
The competent authorities of the country to which the refugee desires to proceed shall, if they are
prepared to admit him and if a visa is required, affix a visa on the document of which he is the
holder.
Paragraph 9
1. The Contracting States undertake to issue transit visas to refugees who have obtained
visas for a territory of final destination.
2. The issue of such visas may be refused on grounds which would justify refusal of a visa
to any alien.
Paragraph 10
The fees for the issue of exit, entry or transit visas shall not exceed the lowest scale of charges
for visas on foreign passports.
Paragraph 11
When a refugee has lawfully taken up residence in the territory of another Contracting State, the
responsibility for the issue of a new document, under the terms and conditions of article 28, shall
be that of the competent authority of that territory, to which the refugee shall be entitled to apply.
Paragraph 12
The authority issuing a new document shall withdraw the old document and shall return it to the
country of issue, if it is stated in the document that it should be so returned; otherwise it shall
withdraw and cancel the document.
Paragraph 13
1. Each Contracting State undertakes that the holder of a travel document issued by it in
accordance with article 28 of this Convention shall be readmitted to its territory at any time during
the period of its validity.
2. Subject to the provisions of the preceding sub-paragraph, a Contracting State may
require the holder of the document to comply with such formalities as may be prescribed in regard
to exit from or return to its territory.
3. The Contracting States reserve the right, in exceptional cases, or in cases where the
refugee's stay is authorized for a specific period, when issuing the document, to limit the period
during which the refugee may return to a period of not less than three months.
Paragraph 14
Subject only to the terms of paragraph 13, the provisions of this Schedule in no way affect the
laws and regulations governing the conditions of admission to, transit through, residence and
establishment in, and departure from, the territories of the Contracting States.
Paragraph 15
Neither the issue of the document nor the entries made thereon determine or affect the status of
the holder, particularly as regards nationality.
Paragraph 16
The issue of the document does not in any way entitle the holder to the protection of the
diplomatic or consular authorities of the country of issue, and does not confer on these authorities
a right of protection.
ANNEX Specimen Travel Document

[not reproduced here]
Annex III
1967 PROTOCOL RELATING TO THE STATUS OF REFUGEES 30
The States Parties to the present Protocol,
Considering that the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees done at Geneva on 28 July
1951 (hereinafter referred to as the Convention) covers only those persons who have become
refugees as a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951,
Considering that new refugee situations have arisen since the Convention was adopted and that
the refugees concerned may therefore not fall within the scope of the Convention,
Considering that it is desirable that equal status should be enjoyed by all refugees covered by the
definition in the Convention irrespective of the dateline 1 January 1951,
Have agreed as follows:
Article I
General provision
1. The States Parties to the present Protocol undertake to apply articles 2 to 34 inclusive of
the Convention to refugees as hereinafter defined.
2. For the purpose of the present Protocol, the term refugee shall, except as regards the
application of paragraph 3 of this article, mean any person within the definition of article 1 of the
Convention as if the words As a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951 and... and the
words ... as a result of such events, in article 1 A (2) were omitted.
3. The present Protocol shall be applied by the States Parties hereto without any
geographic limitation, save that existing declarations made by States already Parties to the
Convention in accordance with article 1 B (1) (a) of the Convention, shall, unless extended under
article 1 B (2) thereof, apply also under the present Protocol.
Article II
Co-operation of the national authorities with the United Nations
1. The States Parties to the present Protocol undertake to co-operate with the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or any other agency of the United Nations
which may succeed it, in the exercise of its functions, and shall in particular facilitate its duty of
supervising the application of the provisions of the present Protocol.
2. In order to enable the Office of the High Commissioner, or any other agency of the United
Nations which may succeed it, to make reports to the competent organs of the United Nations,
the States Parties to the present Protocol undertake to provide them with the information and
statistical data requested, in the appropriate form, concerning:
(a) The condition of refugees;
(b) The implementation of the present Protocol;
(c) Laws, regulations and decrees which are, or may hereafter be, in force relating to refugees.
Article III
30 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol 606, p. 267.

Information on national legislation
The States Parties to the present Protocol shall communicate to the Secretary-General of the
United Nations the laws and regulations which they may adopt to ensure the application of the
present Protocol.
Article IV
Settlement of disputes
Any dispute between States Parties to the present Protocol which relates to its interpretation or
application and which cannot be settled by other means shall be referred to the International
Court of Justice at the request of any one of the parties to the dispute.
Article V
Accession
The present Protocol shall be open for accession on behalf of all States Parties to the Convention
and of any other State Member of the United Nations or member of any of the specialized
agencies or to which an invitation to accede may have been addressed by the General Assembly
of the United Nations. Accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of accession
with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Article VI
Federal clause
In the case of a Federal or non-unitary State, the following provisions shall apply:
(a) With respect to those articles of the Convention to be applied in accordance with article I,
paragraph 1, of the present Protocol that come within the legislative jurisdiction of the federal
legislative authority, the obligations of the Federal Government shall to this extent be the same as
those of States Parties which are not Federal States;
(b) With respect to those articles of the Convention to be applied in accordance with article I,
paragraph 1, of the present Protocol that come within the legislative jurisdiction of constituent
States, provinces or cantons which are not, under the constitutional system of the federation,
bound to take legislative action, the Federal Government shall bring such articles with a
favourable recommendation to the notice of the appropriate authorities of States, provinces or
cantons at the earliest possible moment;
(c) A Federal State Party to the present Protocol shall, at the request of any other State
Party hereto transmitted through the Secretary General of the United Nations, supply a statement
of the law and practice of the Federation and its constituent units in regard to any particular
provision of the Convention to be applied in accordance with article 1, paragraph 1, of the present
Protocol, showing the extent to which effect has been given to that provision by legislative or
other action.
Article VII
Reservations and Declarations
1. At the time of accession, any State may make reservations in respect of article IV of the
present Protocol and in respect of the application in accordance with article I of the present
Protocol of any provisions of the Convention other than those contained in articles 1, 3, 4, 16 (1)
and 33 thereof, provided that in the case of a State Party to the Convention reservations made
under this article shall not extend to refugees in respect of whom the Convention applies.
2. Reservations made by States Parties to the Convention in accordance with article 42
thereof shall, unless withdrawn, be applicable in relation to their obligations under the present
Protocol.
3. Any State making a reservation in accordance with paragraph 1 of this article may at any
time withdraw such reservation by a communication to that effect addressed to the Secretary-
4. Declarations made under article 40, paragraphs 1 and 2, of the Convention by a State
Party thereto which accedes to the present Protocol shall be deemed to apply in respect of the
present Protocol, unless upon accession a notification to the contrary is addressed by the State
Party concerned to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The provisions of article 40,
paragraphs 2 and 3, and of article 44, paragraph 3, of the Convention shall be deemed to apply
mutatis mutandis to the present Protocol.
Article VIII
Entry into force
1. The present Protocol shall come into force on the day of deposit of the sixth instrument of
accession.
2. For each State acceding to the Protocol after the deposit of the sixth instrument of
accession, the Protocol shall come into force on the date of deposit by such State of its
instrument of accession.
Article IX
Denunciation
1. Any State Party hereto may denounce this Protocol at any time by a notification
addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
2. Such denunciation shall take effect for the State Party concerned one year from the date
on which it is received by the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Article X
Notifications by the Secretary-General of the United Nations
The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform the States referred to in article V above
of the date of entry into force, accessions, reservations and withdrawals of reservations to and
denunciations of the present Protocol, and of declarations and notifications relating hereto.
Article XI
Deposit in the Archives of the Secretariat of the United Nations
A copy of the present Protocol, of which the Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts
are equally authentic, signed by the President of the General Assembly and by the Secretary-
General of the United Nations, shall be deposited in the archives of the Secretariat of the United
Nations. The Secretary-General will transmit certified copies thereof to all States Members of the
United Nations and to the other States referred to in article V above.
Annex IV
LIST OF STATES PARTIES
CONVENTION RELATING TO THE STATUS OF REFUGEES OF 28 JULY 1951
(Entry into force - 22 April 1954)
PROTOCOL RELATING TO THE STATUS OF REFUGEES OF 31 JANUARY 1967
(Entry into force - 4 October 1967)
States parties to the 1951 UN Convention: 106
States parties to the 1967 Protocol: 107
States parties to both the 1951 Convention and 103

the 1967 Protocol:
States parties to either one both of these 110

instruments:
I. AFRICA
Algeria Gabon Niger
Angola Gambia Nigeria
Benin Ghana Rwanda
Botswana Guinea Sao Tome and Principe
Burkina Faso Guinea Bissau Senegal
Burundi Ivory Coast Seychelles
Cameroon Kenya Sierra Leone
Cape Verde (P) Lesotho Somalia
Central African
Republic Liberia Sudan
Chad Madagascar (C)* Swaziland (P)
Congo Malawi Togo
Djibouti Mali Tunisia

Egypt Mauritania Uganda
Equatorial Guinea Morocco United Republic of Tanzania
Ethiopia Mozambique Zaire
Zambia Zimbabwe
II. AMERICAS
Argentina Dominican Republic Panama
Belize Ecuador Paraguay
Bolivia El Salvador Peru
Brazil Guatemala Suriname
Canada Haiti United States of America (P)
Chile Jamaica Uruguay
Colombia Nicaragua Venezuela(P)
Costa Rica
III. ASIA
China Israel Philippines
Iran (Islamic Republic of) Japan Yemen
IV. EUROPE
Austria Hungary* Poland
Belgium Iceland Portugal
Cyprus Ireland Romania
Czecoslovakia Italy Spain
Denmark 2) Liechtenstein Sweden
Finland Luxembourg Switzerland
France 3) Malta* Turkey*
Germany, Federal Rep. of 4) Monaco (C)* United Kingdom 6)

Greece Netherlands 5) Yugoslavia
Holy See Norway
V. OCEANIA
Australia 1) New Zealand Samoa (C)
Fiji Papua New Guinea Tuvalu
*) The five States marked with an asterisk: Hungary, Madagascar, Malta, Monaco and Turkey
have made a declaration in accordance with Article I (B) I of the 1951 Convention to the effect
that the words "events occurring before 1 January 1951" in Article 1, Section A, should be
understood to mean "events occurring in Europe before 1 January 1951". All other States Parties
apply the Convention without geographical limitation. The following two States have expressly
maintained their declarations of geographical limitation with regard to the 1951 Convention upon
acceding to the 1967 Protocol: Malta and Turkey. Madagascar and Monaco have not yet adhered
to the 1967 Protocol.
"(C)": the three States marked with a "C" are Parties to the 1951 Convention only;
"(P)" the four States marked with a "P" are Parties to the 1967 Protocol only.
1 Australia exended application of the Convention to Norfolk Island.
2 Denmark declared that the Convention was also applicable to Greenland.
3 France declared that the Convention applied to all territories for the international relations of
which France was responsible.
4 The Federal Republic of Germany made a separate declaration stating that the Convention and
the Protocol also applied to Land Berlin.
5 The Netherlands extended application of the Protocol to Aruba.
6 The United Kingdom extended application of the Convention to the following territories for the
conduct of whose international relations the Government of the United Kingdom is responsible:
Channel Islands, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Isle of Man, St. Helena.
The United Kingdom declared that its accession to the Protocol did not apply to Jersey, but
extended its application to Montserrat.
Annex V
EXCERPT FROM THE CHARTER OF THE INTERNATIONAL MILITARY
TRIBUNAL 31
Article 6
The Tribunal established by the Agreement referred to in Article 1 hereof for the trial and
punishment of the major war criminals of the European Axis countries shall have the power to try
and punish persons who, acting in the interests of the European Axis countries, whether as
individuals or as members of organisations, committed any of the following crimes.
The following acts, or any of them, are crimes coming within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal for
which there shall be individual responsibility:
(a) Crimes against peace: namely, planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of
aggression, or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances, or
participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the foregoing;
(b) War crimes: namely, violations of the laws or customs of war. Such violations shall include,
but not be limited to, murder, ill-treatment or deportation to slave labour or for any other purpose,
of civilian population of or in occupied territory, murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war or
persons on the seas, killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction
of cities, towns or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity;
(c) Crimes against humanity: namely, murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation and other
inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war; or
persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds in execution of or in connection with any
crime within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal, whether or not in violation of the domestic law of the
country where perpetrated.
Leaders, organisers, instigators and accomplices participating in the formulation or execution of
a common plan or conspiracy to commit any of the foregoing crimes are responsible for all acts
performed by any persons in execution of such plan.
31 See "The Charter and Judgment of the Nrnberg Tribunal: History and Analysis" Appendix II -
United Nations General Assembly-International Law Commission 1949 (A/CN. 4/5 of 3 March
1949)
Annex VI
INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS RELATING TO ARTICLE 1 F(a) OF THE
1951 CONVENTION
The main international instruments which pertain to Article 1 F (a) of the 1951 Convention are as
follows:
(1) The London Agreement of 8 August 1945 and Charter of the International Military
Tribunal;
(2) Law No. 10 of the Control Council for Germany of 20 December 1945 for the Punishment
of Persons Guilty of War Crimes, Crimes against Peace and Crimes against Humanity;
(3) United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3 (1) of 13 February 1946 and 95 (1) of 11
December 1946 which confirm war crimes and crimes against humanity as they are defined in the
Charter of the International Military Tribunal of 8 August 1945;
(4) Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948 (Article
III); (entered into force 12 January 1951);
(5) Convention of the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations of War Crimes and Crimes
Against Humanity of 1968 (entered into force 11 November 1970);
(6) Geneva Conventions for the protection of victims of war of August 12, 1949 (Convention
for the protection of the wounded, and sick, Article 50; Convention for the protection of wounded,
sick and shipwrecked, Article 51; Convention relative to the treatment of prisoners of war, Article
130; Convention relative to the protection of civilian persons, Article 147);
(7) Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 Relating to the
Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Article 85 on the repression of breaches of
this Protocol).

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on Procedures and Criteria

2 See paragraphs 35 and 36 below.

3 See paragraphs 108 and 110 below.

5 See Annex IV.

6 UN Document E/1618 page 39.

8 See also paragraph 53.

9 See paragraphs 144 to 156.

10 See paragraphs 94 to 96.

12 UN Document E/1618, p. 39.

14 See Annex IV.

18 See paragraph 125 above.

B. Deserters and persons avoiding military service

23 See Annex VI, items (6) and (7).

C. Persons having resorted to force or committed acts of

24 Cf Recommendation 816 (1977) on the Right of Conscientious Objection to Military Service,

(1) Principles and methods

27 Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirty-second Session, Supplement No. 12

(2) Benefit of the doubt

(1) Mentally disturbed persons

(2) Unaccompanied minors

28 United Nations Treaty Series, vol. 189, p. 37

29 United Nations Treaty Series, vol. 189, p. 137.

ANNEX Specimen Travel Document

30 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol 606, p. 267.

States parties to the 1951 UN Convention: 106

States parties to the 1967 Protocol: 107

States parties to both the 1951 Convention and 103

States parties to either one both of these 110

Algeria Gabon Niger

Angola Gambia Nigeria

Benin Ghana Rwanda

Botswana Guinea Sao Tome and Principe

Burkina Faso Guinea Bissau Senegal

Burundi Ivory Coast Seychelles

Cameroon Kenya Sierra Leone

Cape Verde (P) Lesotho Somalia

Republic Liberia Sudan

Chad Madagascar (C)* Swaziland (P)

Congo Malawi Togo

Djibouti Mali Tunisia

Equatorial Guinea Morocco United Republic of Tanzania

Ethiopia Mozambique Zaire

Argentina Dominican Republic Panama

Belize Ecuador Paraguay

Bolivia El Salvador Peru

Brazil Guatemala Suriname

Canada Haiti United States of America (P)

Chile Jamaica Uruguay

Colombia Nicaragua Venezuela(P)

China Israel Philippines

Iran (Islamic Republic of) Japan Yemen

Austria Hungary* Poland

Belgium Iceland Portugal

Cyprus Ireland Romania

Czecoslovakia Italy Spain

Denmark 2) Liechtenstein Sweden

Finland Luxembourg Switzerland

France 3) Malta* Turkey*