The first international Convention concerning the Carriage of Passengers and Luggage by Rail (CIV) was adopted on 23 October 1924 and came into force on 1 October 1928.

The CIV was a response to the urgent need to adopt international legal rules and principles in a context of very strong growth in international rail traffic.

The Central Office for International Carriage by Rail, a supranational body founded in Berne in 1893, was responsible for overseeing the CIV and the International Convention concerning the Carriage of Goods by Rail (CIM).

The CIV was then incorporated into the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF) to form Appendix A, or the “Uniform Rules concerning the Contract of International Carriage of Passengers by Rail” (CIV UR).