Title 22 — Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-73
§4301 Congressional declaration of findings and policy
Title 22 › Chapter CHAPTER 53— - AUTHORITIES RELATING TO THE REGULATION OF FOREIGN MISSIONS › § 4301
Summary
Gives the federal government authority over how foreign embassies, international organizations, and their official missions operate in the United States, including what they can do and where their facilities are located. It says the United States will support safe and efficient operations for U.S. missions abroad and for foreign missions here, help them get appropriate benefits, privileges, and immunities, and require they meet matching obligations under international law. The Secretary decides how each foreign mission is treated in the United States after considering how U.S. missions are treated in that country and how to protect U.S. interests.
Full Legal Text
Title 22, §4301
Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)The Congress finds that the operation in the United States of foreign missions and public international organizations and the official missions to such organizations, including the permissible scope of their activities and the location and size of their facilities, is a proper subject for the exercise of Federal jurisdiction.
(b)The Congress declares that it is the policy of the United States to support the secure and efficient operation of United States missions abroad, to facilitate the secure and efficient operation in the United States of foreign missions and public international organizations and the official missions to such organizations, and to assist in obtaining appropriate benefits, privileges, and immunities for those missions and organizations and to require their observance of corresponding obligations in accordance with international law.
(c)The treatment to be accorded to a foreign mission in the United States shall be determined by the Secretary after due consideration of the benefits, privileges, and immunities provided to missions of the United States in the country or territory represented by that foreign mission, as well as matters relating to the protection of the interests of the United States.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1985—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 99–93 inserted “, as well as matters relating to the protection of the interests of the United States”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
Pub. L. 97–241, title II, § 204, Aug. 24, 1982, 96 Stat. 291, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by this title [see
Short Title
note below] shall take effect on October 1, 1982.”
Short Title
of 1983 Amendment Pub. L. 98–164, title VI, § 601, Nov. 22, 1983, 97 Stat. 1042, provided that: “This title [enacting section 4304a of this title, amending section 254e and 4303 of this title, and enacting provisions set out as a note under section 4303 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Foreign Missions
Amendments
Act of 1983’.”
Short Title
Pub. L. 97–241, title II, § 201, Aug. 24, 1982, 96 Stat. 282, provided that: “This title [enacting this chapter, amending section 254a, 254b, 254c, 2662, and 2684 of this title and section 1364 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure, and enacting provisions set out as a note under this section] may be cited as the ‘Foreign Missions Act’.” United States Department of State Freedom of Expression Pub. L. 100–204, title I, § 133, Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1344, provided that: “(a) Finding.—Congress finds that the United States Department of State, on September 15, 1987, declared itself to be a temporary foreign diplomatic mission for the purpose of denying free speech to American citizens who planned to protest the tyranny of the Soviet regime. “(b) Prohibition.—It is not in the national security interest of the United States for the Department of State to declare, and it shall not declare, itself to be a foreign diplomatic mission.” United States-Soviet Reciprocity in Matters Relating to Embassies Pub. L. 101–246, title I, § 134, Feb. 16, 1990, 104 Stat. 33, authorized Secretary of State to allow Soviet mission to United States to occupy, on a reciprocal basis, a consulate facility in United States, provided that United States mission in Kiev would be able to occupy an interim facility intended for conduct of unclassified activities, and required Secretary of State to submit to Congress a long-term plan for acquiring secure permanent facilities for United States mission in Kiev, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 103–199, title V, § 502(c)(1), Dec. 17, 1993, 107 Stat. 2326. Pub. L. 100–204, title I, § 153(a)–(d), Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1353, authorized Secretary of State to obtain full cooperation of Soviet government, on a reciprocal basis, in areas of diplomatic and consular finance, access to goods, and use of real property and prohibited Secretary of State from allowing Soviet mission to United States to occupy any new consulate in United States until United States mission in Kiev was able to occupy secure permanent facilities, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 103–199, title V, § 502(e)(1), Dec. 17, 1993, 107 Stat. 2326. section 153(d) of Pub. L. 100–204 was also repealed by Pub. L. 103–236, title I, § 139(15), Apr. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 398.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
22 U.S.C. § 4301
Title 22 — Foreign Relations and Intercourse
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73