Ratificering

Ratification is the formal act by which a state expresses its consent to be bound by a treaty, after having signed it or otherwise agreed to it. In international law, a signature often signals intent, while ratification completes the state's commitment and allows the treaty to bind the state. The term is most commonly used for multilateral treaties, though it also applies to bilateral instruments.

Domestic procedure varies by country. In many states, ratification requires approval by the legislature, sometimes by referendum. In others, the executive branch can deposit the instrument of ratification after obtaining parliamentary authorization. Once the instrument of ratification is deposited with the treaty depository, the state becomes a party, and the treaty enters into force for that state either on a date specified in the treaty or on the date the requisite number of ratifications is reached. Some treaties specify different entry-into-force rules.

Rights and obligations arise upon ratification. The state is bound by the treaty’s provisions and cannot evade consequences solely by arguing lack of domestic authorization, though reservations, interpretive declarations, and transitional arrangements may be used under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. Reservations must be compatible with the treaty’s object and purpose. A party may also terminate or withdraw from a treaty in accordance with its terms.

Distinctions: ratification is consent after signing; accession is consent by a state that did not sign the treaty; signature alone may carry provisional commitments in some contexts. Ratification is a key step in transforming international norms into binding obligations on a state.