{"data":{"id":"us/22-u.s.c.-3952","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"22 U.S.C. § 3952","heading":"Diplomatic and consular missions","body":"(a) Recommendations by Secretary of State; appointment by President; vice consul; performance of official functions under commissionThe Secretary of State may recommend to the President that a member of the Service who is a citizen of the United States be commissioned as a diplomatic or consular officer or both. The President may, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, commission such member of the Service as a diplomatic or consular officer or both. The Secretary of State may commission as a vice consul a member of the Service who is a citizen of the United States. All official functions performed by a diplomatic or consular officer, including a vice consul, shall be performed under such a commission. (b) Function of commissioned Service membersMembers of the Service commissioned under this section may, in accordance with their commissions, perform any function which any category of diplomatic officer (other than a chief of mission) or consular officer is authorized by law to perform. (c) Limits of consular districtsThe Secretary of State shall define the limits of consular districts.","path":["Title 22—FOREIGN RELATIONS AND INTERCOURSE","CHAPTER 52—FOREIGN SERVICE"],"source_url":"https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/103/xml_usc22@119-103.zip","current_through":"Public Law 119-103 (09/02/2026)","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-10T05:57:55Z","sha256":"62fd720657135911983de6a7be0323371386c23a848955d99d86fe2c7e9bb2c9","source_id":"us","stale":true,"prev":"us/22-u.s.c.-3951","next":"us/22-u.s.c.-3961"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}