Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial ProcedureRelease 119-102

§1604 Immunity of a Foreign State From Jurisdiction

Title 28 › PART IV — JURISDICTION AND VENUE › CHAPTER 97 — JURISDICTIONAL IMMUNITIES OF FOREIGN STATES › § 1604

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

If international agreements were already in effect when this Act was passed, those agreements apply. A foreign country cannot be sued in U.S. federal or state courts unless sections 1605 to 1607 say otherwise.

Full Legal Text

Title 28, §1604

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 a foreign state shall be immune from the jurisdiction of the courts of the United States and of the States except as provided in sections 1605 to 1607 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. § 1604

Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102