Article 13

(1)

Except in so far as in any particular case any privilege or immunity is waived by the Government of the Party which they represent, representatives of Parties shall enjoy, while performing their official functions and in the course of their journeys to and from the place of performance of those functions –

(a)

immunity from any form of arrest or detention and from seizure of their personal luggage, except in the case of a grave crime, or when they are found committing, attempting to commit or just having committed a criminal offence;

(b)

immunity from suit and legal process (even after the termination of their mission) in respect of acts, including words written or spoken, done by them in the performance of their official functions, except in respect of a civil action by a third party for damage arising from an accident caused by a motor vehicle or other means of transport belonging to or driven by a representative or in respect of a traffic offence involving such a vehicle and committed by him; and

(c)

the like inviolability for all official papers and documents that are related to the official activities of the Organisation as is accorded to diplomatic agents.

(2)

Except in so far as in any particular case any privilege or immunity is waived by the Government of the Party whose Signatory they represent, representatives of Signatories shall enjoy, while performing their official functions in relation to the work of the Organisation and in the course of their journeys to and from their place of work, the like immunity as is described in paragraph (1)(b) of this Article and the like inviolability for all official papers and documents that are related to the official activities of the Organisation as is described in paragraph (1)(c) of this Article.

(3)

Part IV of Schedule 1 to the Act shall not operate so as to confer any privilege or immunity on the official staff of representatives, other than alternate representatives and advisers.

(4)

Part IV of Schedule 1 to the Act shall not operate so as to confer any privilege or immunity on any member of the family of a representative, alternate representative or adviser.

(5)

Neither the provisions of the preceding paragraphs of this Article, nor those of Part IV of Schedule 1 to the Act, shall operate so as to confer –

(a)

any privilege or immunity on any person as the representative of the United Kingdom, or as the representative of the Signatory designated by the United Kingdom, or as the alternate representative or the adviser of such a person, or as a member of his staff; or

(b)

any entitlement to the immunity described in paragraph 1(a) of this Article on any person who is a United Kingdom national and or a permanent resident of the United Kingdom.

(6)

In this Article, “grave crime” has the same meaning as in section 1(2) of the Consular Relations Act 1968^f1

Annotations

Footnotes

f1: 1968 c. 18.