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Title 22 — Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-73

§2715b Notification of next of kin; reports of death

Title 22 › Chapter CHAPTER 38— - DEPARTMENT OF STATE › § 2715b

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

When a United States citizen or national dies overseas, consular officers must try to notify the next of kin or a legal guardian quickly, or help the Secretary of State do so. For deaths involving Peace Corps volunteers, members of the Armed Forces, their dependents, or Department of Defense employees, consular officers must help the Peace Corps or the military with the notification. Consular officers can create an official death report or a presumed-death report when local authorities declare a death. If local officials do not make a finding, consular officers can still issue a presumed-death report. The Secretary of State must write rules to carry out these duties.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §2715b

Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Whenever a United States citizen or national dies abroad, a consular officer shall endeavor to notify, or assist the Secretary of State in notifying, the next of kin or legal guardian as soon as possible, except that, in the case of death of any Peace Corps volunteer (within the meaning of section 2504(a) of this title), any member of the Armed Forces, any dependent of such a volunteer or member, or any Department of Defense employee, the consular officer shall assist the Peace Corps or the appropriate military authorities, as the case may be, in making such notifications.
(b)The consular officer may, for any United States citizen who dies abroad—
(1)in the case of a finding of death by the appropriate local authorities, issue a report of death or of presumptive death; or
(2)in the absence of a finding of death by the appropriate local authorities, issue a report of presumptive death.
(c)The Secretary of State shall prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out this section.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Pub. L. 106–113, div. B, § 1000(a)(7) [div. A, title II, § 234(c)], Nov. 29, 1999, 113 Stat. 1536, 1501A–429, provided that: “The repeal and amendment made by this section [enacting this section and section 2715c of this title and repealing section 4195 of this title] shall take effect six months after the date of enactment of this Act [Nov. 29, 1999].” Administrative Assistance in Arrangements Following Death of United States Citizen Abroad Pub. L. 95–426, title I, § 121, Oct. 7, 1978, 92 Stat. 970, as amended by Pub. L. 97–241, title V, § 505(a)(2), (b)(1), Aug. 24, 1982, 96 Stat. 299, provided that: “The Congress finds that the Department of State should, in the performance of its consular duties, render all reasonable administrative assistance to a United States citizen who is making necessary arrangements following the death of another United States citizen abroad.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 2715b

Title 22 — Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73