{"data":{"id":"us/22-cfr-72.24","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"22 CFR 72.24","heading":"Conflicting claims.","body":"Neither the consular officer nor the Department of State has the authority or responsibility to mediate or determine the validity or order of contending claims to the personal estate of a deceased United States citizen or non-citizen national. If rival claimants, executors or administrators demand the personal estate in the consular officer's possession, the officer should not release the estate to any claimant until a legally binding agreement in writing has been reached or until the dispute is settled by a court of competent jurisdiction, and/or the Department has approved the release.","path":["Title 22—Foreign Relations","CHAPTER I—DEPARTMENT OF STATE","SUBCHAPTER H—PROTECTION AND WELFARE OF AMERICANS, THEIR PROPERTY AND ESTATES","PART 72—DEATHS AND ESTATES"],"source_url":"https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-08-25/title-22.xml","current_through":"2026-08-25","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T02:24:49Z","sha256":"ebcf39dbceb57965999860263cd6149bcdb2d350c56cfa6c50631594683673d1","source_id":"us-cfr","stale":true,"prev":"us/22-cfr-72.23","next":"us/22-cfr-72.25"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}