28 USC § 1741 - Foreign official documents

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t28/s1741"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "28 USC § 1741 - Foreign official documents"
title_number: 28
title_name: "JUDICIARY AND JUDICIAL PROCEDURE"
section_number: "1741"
section_name: "Foreign official documents"
chapter_number: 115
chapter_name: "EVIDENCE; DOCUMENTARY"
part_number: "V"
part_name: "PROCEDURE"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 948; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, § 92(b), 63 Stat. 103; Pub. L. 88–619, § 5(a), Oct. 3, 1964, 78 Stat. 996.)"
---


# § 1741. Foreign official documents

An official record or document of a foreign country may be evidenced by a copy, summary, or excerpt authenticated as provided in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

---

**Source Credit**: (June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 948; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, § 92(b), 63 Stat. 103; Pub. L. 88–619, § 5(a), Oct. 3, 1964, 78 Stat. 996.)

### Historical and Revision Notes

### 1948 Act

Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 695e (, ).

Words “Nothing contained in this section shall be deemed to alter, amend, or repeal ,” at the end of , U.S.C., 1940 ed., were omitted. Although significant in the original Act, such words are unnecessary in a revision wherein both sections in question, as revised, are enacted at the same time.

See also Rule 44 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

, U.S.C., 1940 ed., providing for certification of Vatican City Documents will be incorporated in title 22, U.S.C., Foreign Relations and Intercourse.

Changes were made in phraseology.

### 1949 Act

This section corrects a typographical error in , U.S.C.

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1964— substituted “An official record or document of a foreign country may be evidenced by a copy, summary, or excerpt authenticated as provided in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure” for “A copy of any foreign document of record or on file in a public office of a foreign country or political subdivision thereof, certified by the lawful custodian thereof, shall be admissible in evidence when authenticated by a certificate of a consular officer of the United States resident in such foreign country, under the seal of his office, that the copy has been certified by the lawful custodian” in text, and “official documents” for “documents, generally; copies” in section catchline.

1949—Act , corrected spelling of “admissible”.