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Title 22, Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-110

§3927 Chief of Mission

Title 22 › CHAPTER 52 — FOREIGN SERVICE › SUBCHAPTER II — MANAGEMENT OF SERVICE › § 3927

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The chief of mission must be in charge of leading, coordinating, and supervising all U.S. executive branch employees in a foreign country. They must stay fully informed about U.S. activities there and make sure those employees follow the chief of mission’s directions. Agencies with people in that country must keep the chief of mission up to date about what their staff are doing and must make sure their staff obey the chief of mission’s instructions. The chief of mission’s main jobs also include promoting U.S. goods and services for export and advancing U.S. economic and commercial interests in that country. The rule does not apply to Voice of America correspondents on official assignment or to employees under the command of a U.S. area military commander.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §3927

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Duties
Under the direction of the President, the chief of mission to a foreign country—
(1)shall have full responsibility for the direction, coordination, and supervision of all Government executive branch employees in that country (except for Voice of America correspondents on official assignment and employees under the command of a United States area military commander); and
(2)shall keep fully and currently informed with respect to all activities and operations of the Government within that country, and shall insure that all Government executive branch employees in that country (except for Voice of America correspondents on official assignment and employees under the command of a United States area military commander) comply fully with all applicable directives of the chief of mission.
(b)Duties of agencies with employees in foreign countries
Any executive branch agency having employees in a foreign country shall keep the chief of mission to that country fully and currently informed with respect to all activities and operations of its employees in that country, and shall insure that all of its employees in that country (except for Voice of America correspondents on official assignment and employees under the command of a United States area military commander) comply fully with all applicable directives of the chief of mission.
(c)Promotion of United States goods and services
Each chief of mission to a foreign country shall have as a principal duty the promotion of United States goods and services for export to such country.
(d)Promotion of United States economic interests
Each chief of mission to a foreign country shall have as a principal duty the promotion of United States economic and commercial interests in such country.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2019—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 116–94 added subsec. (d). 2002—Subsecs. (a)(1), (2), (b). Pub. L. 107–228 inserted “Voice of America correspondents on official assignment and” after “except for”. 1987—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 100–204, § 136(1), (2), inserted “executive branch” after “Government” in par. (1) and after second reference to “Government” in par. (2). Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 100–204, § 136(3), inserted “executive branch” after “Any”. 1982—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 97–241 added subsec. (c).

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 3927

Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110