Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees

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 documents. The Contracting States may
issue such a travel document to any other refugee in their
territory ; they shall in particular give sympathetic considera-
tion 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 inter-
national agreements by parties thereto shall be recognised 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 applica-
tion 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 resettle-
ment 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,
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 authorisation, provided they present them-
selves 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 necess-
ary and such restrictions shall only be applied until their
status in the country is regularised 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 submit
evidence 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 reason-
able 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 terri-
tories 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 m
which he is, or who, having been convicted by a final judg-
ment of a particularly serious crime, constitutes a danger to
the community of that country.

ARTICLE 34
Naturalisation
The Contracting States shall as far as possible facilitate the
assimilation and naturalisation of refugees. They shall in
particular make every effort to expedite naturalisation pro-
ceedings and to reduce as far as possible the charges and
costs 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 Comissioner 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 pro-
visions 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 here-
after be, in force relating to refugees.

Author: international

Mentioned in these Entries

Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, Due Process, Refugees, country.