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CYIL 7 ȍ2016Ȏ
THE CONCEPTUAL ROLE OF HABITUAL RESIDENCE
Immediately after Germany used the concept of habitual residence in treaty
negotiations and thus settled its usage in the system of international law. The first
international treaty with Belgium of 18 October 1878, however, governed the ‘place’
of habitual residence
(gewöhnliche Aufenthaltort)
.
53
The Agreement
(Übereinkunft)
governed legal relations with an international element. Confirmation of insolvency
was issued by the competent authority in the place of habitual residence of a foreigner.
The role of the concept has singularly changed in the context of international law
as opposed to German national law. The concept was related to the jurisdiction and
competence of the national authority.
The concept was inserted into subsequent bilateral treaties,
54
which were entered
into by German Chancellery – with France, 20 February 1880,
55
and with the
Austrian-Hungarian Empire, 9 May 1886.
56
The Hague Conference on Private
International Law employed the concept of habitual residence as well. The 1896
Convention on Civil Procedure of 1896 thus used the concept of habitual residence
(
résidence habituelle
) and actual residence (
résidence actuelle
) in its Article 15.
57
The
concept was also used in Art. 2 of the 1902 Convention on Guardianship:
Si la loi nationale n’organise pas la tutelle dans le pays du mineur en vue du cas
où celui-ci aurait sa résidence habituelle à l’ étranger, l’agent diplomatique ou
consulaire autorisé par l’Etat dont le mineur est le ressortissant pourra y pourvoir,
conformément à la loi de cet Etat, si l’Etat de la résidence habituelle du mineur ne
s’y oppose pas.
If the national law does not regulate the guardianship in the foreign country where the
minor has his habitual residence, the diplomatic agent or consular agent authorized
by the State of which the minor is a citizen is allowed to establish a guardianship
in accordance with the law of that State, if the State of the habitual residence of the
minor does not oppose.
However, the initial preparatory work did not presuppose the use of the concept
of habitual residence. It is clear that after the second conference meeting, which
ended in 13 July 1894, the draft still entailed the concept of nationality and concepts
of residence and domicile.
58
At that point several members requested adoption of
a new approach, as neither nationality nor domicile or residence covered the newly
53
Übereinkunft zwischen dem Deutschen Reich und Belgien wegen gegenseitiger Zullasung der
beiderseitigen Staatsangehörigen zum Armenrecht: „Das Armuthszeugniß ist dem Ausländer, welcher
zum Armenrechte zugelassen werden will, in allen Fällen von der Behörde seines gewöhnlichen
Aufenthaltsortes auszustellen.“ Reichsgesetzblatt (RGBl.), 1879, p. 316.
54
KRÄNZLE, Michael.
Heimat als Rechtsbegriff
. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014, pp. 99-100.
55
Reichsgesetzblatt (RGBl.),1881, p. 81.
56
Reichsgesetzblatt (RGBl.),1887, p. 120.
57
DROZ, Georges A. L.,
op. cit .
, pp. 2-3.
58
Actes de la Deuxième Conférence de La Haye chargée de réglementer diverses matières de droit
international privé (25 juin au 13 juillet 1894).