April 11, 1899

Treaty of Paris (1898)

Treaty of Paris enters into force after ratifications are exchanged

By the time Spain's cession of the Philippines became legally effective, the American and Filipino armies had already been fighting each other for more than two months.

An exchange of documents in Washington

On 11 April 1899 the United States and Spain exchanged their instruments of ratification in Washington, bringing the Treaty of Paris into force four months after diplomats had signed it in Paris.

President William McKinley proclaimed and published the treaty that day, directing that its articles be observed in good faith. The proclamation did not use the listing's formula that he declared the war to be at an end.

What took effect

Spain relinquished its claim of sovereignty over Cuba and ceded Puerto Rico, other Spanish West Indian islands, Guam and the defined Philippine archipelago to the United States. The United States was to pay Spain $20,000,000 for the Philippine cession within three months of the exchange.

Residents had one year from that exchange to elect to retain Spanish nationality. The Senate had consented to ratification by 57 votes to 27 — one above the required two-thirds.

Neither independence nor peaceful possession

Cuba did not become independent that day, and it did not become an American protectorate. The treaty expressly contemplated United States occupation, which continued until 1902, and the Platt Amendment of 1901 created the protectorate-like relationship.

The transfer of Spain's asserted title to the Philippines was not the same as possession of them: the Philippine–American War had begun on 4 February 1899.

Sources

Researched 24 Aug 2026 7 sources not yet audited

How this was checked

Researched from the web into a fact sheet and rewritten from that sheet. This article has not yet had an independent model audit. How the pipeline works →

What the sources leave uncertain

The date of entry into force is unambiguous: 11 April 1899.
Sources sometimes call the 10 December 1898 signing the formal end of the war, while treaty law records 11 April 1899—the exchange and entry-into-force date—as its final legal consummation.
The treaty transferred Spain’s asserted title to the Philippines, but that title and U.S. rule were actively contested by the Philippine Republic.