Title 28 — Judiciary and Judicial ProcedureRelease 119-73
§1609 Immunity from attachment and execution of property of a foreign state
Title 28 › Part PART IV— - JURISDICTION AND VENUE › Chapter CHAPTER 97— - JURISDICTIONAL IMMUNITIES OF FOREIGN STATES › § 1609
Summary
Foreign states' property in the United States is protected from seizure, arrest, or sale except under sections 1610 and 1611. Then-existing international treaties control.
Full Legal Text
Title 28, §1609
Judiciary and Judicial Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Subject to existing international agreements to which the United States is a party at the time of enactment of this Act the property in the United States of a foreign state shall be immune from attachment 11 So in original. Probably should be followed by a comma. arrest 1 and execution except as provided in section 1610 and 1611 of this chapter.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The time of enactment of this Act, referred to in text, probably means the time of enactment of Pub. L. 94–583, which was approved Oct. 21, 1976.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
Section effective 90 days after Oct. 21, 1976, see section 8 of Pub. L. 94–583, set out as a note under section 1602 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
28 U.S.C. § 1609
Title 28 — Judiciary and Judicial Procedure
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73