The present treaty, of which the French and English texts are both authentic, shall be ratified.
The deposit of ratifications shall be made at Paris as soon as possible.
Powers of which the seat of the Government is outside Europe will be entitled merely to inform the Government of the French Republic through their diplomatic representative at Paris that their ratification has been given; in that case they must transmit the instrument of ratification as soon as possible.
A first procès-verbal of the deposit of ratifications will be drawn up as soon as the treaty has been ratified by Germany on the one hand, and by three of the principal Allied and Associated Powers on the other hand.
From the date of the first procès-verbal the treaty will come into force between the high contracting parties who have ratified it. For the determination of all periods of time provided for in the present treaty this date will be the date of the coming into force of the treaty.
In all other respects the treaty will enter into force for each power at the date of the deposit of its ratification.
The French Government will transmit to all the signatory powers a certified copy of the procès-verbaux of the deposit of ratifications.
IN FAITH WHEREOF the above-named plenipotentiaries (1) except as indicated in the footnotes to the preamble, have signed the present treaty.
DONE AT VERSAILLES, in a single copy which will remain deposited in the archives of the French Republic, and of which authenticated copies will be transmitted to each of the signatory powers.