Article 12

Any State being a Member of the United Nations or of any of the specialised agencies or of the International Atomic Energy Agency or a Party to the Statute of the International Court of Justice and having arrangements for the assay and marking of articles of precious metals necessary to comply with the requirements of the Convention and its Annexes may, upon invitation to the Contracting States to be transmitted by the depositary, accede to this Convention.

The Governments of the Contracting States shall notify their reply to the depositary within four months after receipt of the request by the depositary asking them whether they agree to the invitation. Any Government not replying within that period shall be deemed to have consented to the invitation.

The Governments of the Contracting States shall base their decision whether to invite a State to accede primarily on the report referred to in paragraph 2 of Article 10..

The invited State may accede to this Convention by depositing an instrument of accession with the depositary which shall notify all other Contracting States. The accession shall become effective three months after deposit of that instrument.