Four states join the International Meter Convention of 1875

The International Convention on the Metre, dated May 20, 1875, will henceforth apply to four additional states: Albania, Azerbaijan, the Dominican Republic, and Peru have acceded to the international treaty. The Federal Foreign Office established the expanded scope of application with a notification dated September 3, 2026, which was published on September 9, 2026, in the Federal Law Gazette (Bundesgesetzblatt) Part II under number 201.

The notification is based on Article 11 of the Metre Convention in conjunction with Article 3 of the International Agreement of October 6, 1921, amending the Convention and its Regulations. It follows the previous notification of August 31, 2018 (BGBl. II p. 411) and thus documents the ongoing expansion of the treaty framework.

The new member states and their dates of accession

The Convention entered into force for the four states on different days in 2026:

Albania – entered into force on June 4, 2026
Azerbaijan – entered into force on August 17, 2026
Dominican Republic – entered into force on April 14, 2026
Peru – entered into force on August 11, 2026

What the Metre Convention regulates

The International Convention on the Metre was concluded in Paris on May 20, 1875, and forms the legal basis of the international system of units. It establishes common definitions for units of measurement such as the metre and kilogram and creates a central institution, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, to ensure globally comparable measurement standards. The associated regulations and transitional provisions were already promulgated in 1876 in the Imperial Law Gazette (RGBl. 1876 p. 191).

The accession of new states expands the circle of contracting parties and strengthens the international harmonization of metrological standards. For trade, science, and industry, this means greater reliability in the recognition of measurement results and calibrations across national borders.

Official promulgation and signature

The notification was signed in Berlin on September 3, 2026, by the Federal Foreign Office on behalf of Dr. Julia Monar. The publisher of the gazette is the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection. The publication in the Federal Law Gazette Part II of September 9, 2026, number 201, makes the expanded scope of the Convention binding for the German legal system.

Significance for readers

With the accession of the four states, the number of contracting parties to the Metre Convention continues to grow, which improves the comparability of measurements in international trade and science. Companies and authorities collaborating with these countries can henceforth rely on uniform metrological standards and mutually recognized measurement results.

Source: Federal Law Gazette, Part II No. 201 of September 9, 2026, Announcement on the scope of application of the International Convention on the Metre, p. 1 (official reference: BGBl. 2026 II No. 201).