Consular Notification and Access - Third Edition, September 2010

This manual, "Consular Notification and Access," contains instructions and guidance relating to the obligations of federal, state, and local government officials to provide information to foreign consular officers and to permit foreign consular officers to assist their nationals in the United States. It focuses on the obligations of consular notification and access that pertain to the arrest and detention of foreign nationals; the appointment of guardians for minor and adult foreign nationals; deaths and serious injuries of foreign nationals; and wrecks or crashes of foreign ships or aircraft on U.S. territory. It also addresses related issues pertaining to the provision of consular services by foreign consular officers to their nationals in the United States. The instructions and guidance in this manual pertain to all foreign nationals in the United States, regardless of their legal status. This manual is designed to help ensure that foreign governments can extend appropriate consular services to their nationals in the United States and that the United States complies with its legal obligations to such governments. These legal obligations arise primarily from treaties, which form part of the supreme law of the land under Article VI of the U.S. Constitution. The instructions and guidance contained in this manual must be followed by all federal, state, and local government officials, whether law enforcement, judicial, or other, insofar as they pertain to foreign nationals subject to the officials' authority or to matters within the officials' competence. Compliance with these instructions and guidance will also help ensure that the United States can insist upon rigorous compliance by foreign governments with respect to U.S. nationals abroad, and will help prevent both international and domestic litigation. The Department of State appreciates the assistance of all federal, state, and local government officials in helping to achieve these objectives.