涉外債權契約之法律適用問題研究──以近年來臺灣司法裁判為中心

A Study on the Application of Law to Contracts Involving Foreign Elements－Focusing on Recent Judicial Decisions in Taiwan

本文探討涉外債權契約的法律適用問題，並以臺灣近年來的司法裁判為中心進行分析。探討當事人意思自主原則在涉外契約中應如何具體運用，並討論準據法的選擇、確認及限制。特別探討當事人是否可以自由選擇非國家規則作為準據法，並分析契約準據法的適用範圍，涵蓋契約成立、生效、條款合法性等問題。
本文認為契約準據法的適用範圍應包括決定契約的成立與生效、契約條款的合法性、履行義務及違約後果、契約的解釋與解消等。當事人的締約能力和契約履行方式則不在其適用範圍內，需依其他法律適用原則處理。同時，於當事人對於涉外契約成立與否有所爭執時，我國法院應依涉外民法第1條，援用「假定契約存在時之準據法原則」為法理，作為法律適用之判斷基礎。

This article explores the issue of the application of law to contracts involving foreign elements, focusing on recent judicial decisions in Taiwan. It examines how the principle of party autonomy should be specifically applied in foreign-related contracts and discusses the selection, confirmation, and limitations of the applicable law. Special attention is given to whether parties can freely choose non-national rules as the governing law, as well as the scope of the applicable law, covering issues such as contract formation, validity, and the legality of its terms.
The article argues that the scope of the governing law should include determining the formation and validity of the contract, the legality of the contract terms, performance obligations, consequences of breach, contract interpretation, and contract termination. However, issues concerning the contracting parties’capacity and the manner of contract performance fall outside this scope and should be handled under other legal principles. Moreover, when there is a dispute about the formation of a contract involving foreign elements, Taiwanese courts should apply the“putative proper law doctrine”under Article 1 of the Act Governing the Choice of Law in Civil Matters Involving Foreign Elements as the basis for determining the applicable law.