CISG (UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods)
The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, a uniform legal framework applicable in over 90 countries.
The CISG (United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods), also known as the Vienna Convention (1980), is the primary international legal instrument governing sales contracts for goods between parties in different countries.
Ratified by over 95 states (including France, Germany, China, the United States), it applies automatically when both parties are established in contracting states, unless expressly excluded in the contract.
The CISG covers:
- Contract formation: offer, acceptance, general terms (Part II)
- Seller's obligations: delivery, conformity, warranty against defects (Part III)
- Buyer's obligations: payment of the price, taking delivery
- Remedies for breach: avoidance, damages, price reduction
It does not cover contract validity, transfer of ownership, or product liability. Article 6 allows parties to exclude or modify the Convention's application.
The CISG is an essential tool for legal predictability: it avoids conflicts of laws and provides a neutral framework that neither seller nor buyer can consider unfavourable.