Fifteen-day rule for transmittal of concluded international agreements and qualifying non-binding instruments to the Department of State.
22 C.F.R. § 181.7
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01(a) This rule, which is required by section 112b(d) of the Act, is essential for purposes of permitting the Department of State to meet its obligations under the Act to transmit concluded international agreements and qualifying non-binding instruments to the Congress by the end of the month following their conclusion, and to report on international agreements and qualifying non-binding instruments that entered into force or became operative by the end of the month following the date on which they entered into force or became operative.
(1) International agreements. Any agency, including the Department of State, that concludes an international agreement within the meaning of the Act, whether entered into in the name of the U.S. Government or in the name of the agency, must transmit the following documents and certification to the Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for Treaty Affairs at the Department of State in accordance with the procedures set out in Volume 11, Foreign Affairs Manual, Chapter 700, as soon as possible and in no event to arrive at that office later than fifteen (15) days after the date the agreement is signed or otherwise concluded:
(i) Signed or initialed original texts constituting the agreement, together with all accompanying papers, including any annex, appendix, codicil, side agreement, side letter, or any document of similar purpose or function to the aforementioned regardless of the title of the document that is entered into contemporaneously and in conjunction with the agreement, and any implementing agreements or arrangements or any document of similar purpose or function to the aforementioned regardless of the title of the document that is entered into contemporaneously and in conjunction with the agreement. (See § 181.10.) The texts transmitted must be accurate, legible, and complete, and must include the texts of all languages in which the international agreement was signed, or initialed;
(A) Where the original texts of concluded international agreements are not available, certified copies must be transmitted in the same manner as original texts. A certified copy must be an exact copy of the signed original.
(B) When an exchange of diplomatic notes between the United States and a foreign government constitutes an international agreement or has the effect of extending, modifying, or terminating an international agreement, a properly certified copy of the note from the United States to the foreign government, and the signed original or the note from the foreign government to the United States, must be transmitted.
(C) If in conjunction with the international agreement signed, other diplomatic notes are exchanged (either at the same time, beforehand, or subsequently), properly certified copies of the diplomatic notes from the United States to the foreign government must be transmitted with the signed originals of the notes from the foreign government.
(D) Copies may be certified either by a certification on the document itself, or by a separate certification attached to the document.
(1) A certification on the document itself is placed at the end of the document, either typed or stamped, and states that the document is a true copy of the original text signed or initialed by (insert full name of signatory), and is signed by the certifying officer.
(2) A certification on a separate document is typed and briefly describes the document being certified and states that it is a true copy of the original text signed or initialed by (insert full name of signatory), and is signed by the certifying officer.
(ii) A signed memorandum of language conformity obtained pursuant to § 181.6(g), as applicable;
(iii) A statement listing the names and titles/positions of the individuals signing or initialing the international agreement for the foreign government as well as for the United States, unless clear in the texts being transmitted;
(iv) A statement identifying the Circular 175 authorization pursuant to which the international agreement was concluded, so that the sources of legal authority relevant to the agreement's conclusion and implementation may be readily identified for inclusion in reporting to Congress under the Act; and
(v) the exchange of diplomatic notes bringing an international agreement into force, as applicable.
(2) Qualifying non-binding instruments. (i) When a Department of State bureau identifies a non-binding instrument that is not covered by section 112b(k)(5)(B) of the Act as one that could reasonably be expected to have a significant impact on the foreign policy of the United States pursuant to § 181.5(b), the bureau shall provide to the Bureau of Legislative Affairs and the Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for Treaty Affairs within 15 days of the conclusion of the qualifying non-binding instrument the documents and information specified in paragraph (a)(1)(iv) of this section.
(ii) When an agency other than the Department of State, applying the criteria in § 181.4(b), determines that a non-binding instrument (other than a non-binding instrument covered by section 112b(k)(5)(B) of the Act) could reasonably be expected to have a significant impact on the foreign policy of the United States, the agency shall transmit to the Department via a memorandum addressed to the Department's Executive Secretary within 15 days of the conclusion of the qualifying non-binding instrument the documents and information specified in subparagraph iv.
(iii) When a Department of State bureau or an agency receives from the Department of State's Bureau of Legislative Affairs notice of a written communication related to a qualifying non-binding instrument from the Chair or Ranking Member of either of the appropriate congressional committees in accordance with § 181.5(c), the bureau or agency shall provide to the Bureau of Legislative Affairs and the Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for Treaty Affairs within 15 days the documents and information specified in subparagraph iv.
(iv) The documents and information to be provided pursuant to paragraphs (a)(2)(i), (ii), and (iii) of this section are as follows:
(A) The text of the qualifying non-binding instrument (the signed original instrument need not be submitted), together with all accompanying papers, including any annex, appendix, codicil, side agreement, side letter, or any document of similar purpose or function to the aforementioned regardless of the title of the document that is entered into contemporaneously and in conjunction with the instrument, and any implementing agreements or arrangements or any document of similar purpose or function to the aforementioned regardless of the title of the document that is entered into contemporaneously and in conjunction with the instrument (See section 181.10);
(B) A detailed description of the Constitutional, statutory, or treaty authority relied upon to conclude the qualifying non-binding instrument. If multiple authorities are relied upon, all such authorities shall be cited. All citations to the Constitution of the United States, a treaty, or a statute shall include the specific article or section and subsection reference whenever available and, if not available, shall be as specific as possible. If the authority relied upon is or includes article II of the Constitution of the United States, the basis for that reliance shall be explained;
(C) A description of any new or amended statutory or regulatory authority anticipated to be required to implement the instrument for inclusion in reporting to Congress under the Act; and
(D) An indication of whether the text has been published on the website of the Department of State or of another U.S. Government agency, or by a depositary or other similar administrative body.
(b) On an ongoing basis, State Department bureaus and U.S. Government agencies shall promptly provide to the Bureau of Legislative Affairs and the Assistant Legal Adviser for Treaty Affairs any implementing materials related to an international agreement or qualifying non-binding instrument needed to respond to a request from the Chair or Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate or the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives for such materials in accordance with 1 U.S.C. 112b(c). State Department bureaus and U.S. Government agencies shall provide to the Bureau of Legislative Affairs and the Assistant Legal Adviser for Treaty Affairs materials responsive to the congressional communication within 15 days of being informed of such communication.
(c) In the event the text of an international agreement or qualifying non-binding instrument changes between the time of its conclusion and the time of its entry into force or effect, State Department bureaus and U.S. Government agencies shall provide to the Assistant Legal Adviser for Treaty Affairs the revised text of the agreement or qualifying non-binding instrument within 15 days of its entry into force or effect so that the Department is able to provide the revised text to Congress within the statutorily-required time period.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-22.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026