28 U.S.C. § 1608 — Service; time to answer; default

Page 434 TITLE 28—JUDICIARY AND JUDICIAL PROCEDURE § 1608 1 So in original. Probably should be followed by a comma. (Added Pub. L. 94–583, § 4(a), Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2894; amended Pub. L. 110–181, div. A, title X, § 1083(b)(2), Jan. 28, 2008, 122 Stat. 341.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 2008—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 110–181 inserted ‘‘or 1605A’’ after ‘‘section 1605’’. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2008 AMENDMENT For applicability of amendments by Pub. L. 110–181 to pending cases, see section 1083(c) of Pub. L. 110–181, set out as an Effective Date note under section 1605A of this title. EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective 90 days after Oct. 21, 1976, see sec- tion 8 of Pub. L. 94–583, set out as a note under section 1602 of this title. § 1608. Service; time to answer; default (a) Service in the courts of the United States and of the States shall be made upon a foreign state or political subdivision of a foreign state: (1) by delivery of a copy of the summons and complaint in accordance with any special ar- rangement for service between the plaintiff and the foreign state or political subdivision; or (2) if no special arrangement exists, by deliv- ery of a copy of the summons and complaint in accordance with an applicable international convention on service of judicial documents; or (3) if service cannot be made under para- graphs (1) or (2), by sending a copy of the sum- mons and complaint and a notice of suit, to- gether with a translation of each into the offi- cial language of the foreign state, by any form of mail requiring a signed receipt, to be ad- dressed and dispatched by the clerk of the court to the head of the ministry of foreign af- fairs of the foreign state concerned, or (4) if service cannot be made within 30 days under paragraph (3), by sending two copies of the summons and complaint and a notice of suit, together with a translation of each into the official language of the foreign state, by any form of mail requiring a signed receipt, to be addressed and dispatched by the clerk of the court to the Secretary of State in Wash- ington, District of Columbia, to the attention of the Director of Special Consular Services— and the Secretary shall transmit one copy of the papers through diplomatic channels to the foreign state and shall send to the clerk of the court a certified copy of the diplomatic note indicating when the papers were transmitted. As used in this subsection, a ‘‘notice of suit’’ shall mean a notice addressed to a foreign state and in a form prescribed by the Secretary of State by regulation. (b) Service in the courts of the United States and of the States shall be made upon an agency or instrumentality of a foreign state: (1) by delivery of a copy of the summons and complaint in accordance with any special ar- rangement for service between the plaintiff and the agency or instrumentality; or (2) if no special arrangement exists, by deliv- ery of a copy of the summons and complaint either to an officer, a managing or general agent, or to any other agent authorized by ap- pointment or by law to receive service of proc- ess in the United States; or in accordance with an applicable international convention on service of judicial documents; or (3) if service cannot be made under para- graphs (1) or (2), and if reasonably calculated to give actual notice, by delivery of a copy of the summons and complaint, together with a translation of each into the official language of the foreign state— (A) as directed by an authority of the for- eign state or political subdivision in re- sponse to a letter rogatory or request or (B) by any form of mail requiring a signed receipt, to be addressed and dispatched by the clerk of the court to the agency or in- strumentality to be served, or (C) as directed by order of the court con- sistent with the law of the place where serv- ice is to be made. (c) Service shall be deemed to have been made— (1) in the case of service under subsection (a)(4), as of the date of transmittal indicated in the certified copy of the diplomatic note; and (2) in any other case under this section, as of the date of receipt indicated in the certifi- cation, signed and returned postal receipt, or other proof of service applicable to the method of service employed. (d) In any action brought in a court of the United States or of a State, a foreign state, a po- litical subdivision thereof, or an agency or in- strumentality of a foreign state shall serve an answer or other responsive pleading to the com- plaint within sixty days after service has been made under this section. (e) No judgment by default shall be entered by a court of the United States or of a State against a foreign state, a political subdivision thereof, or an agency or instrumentality of a foreign state, unless the claimant establishes his claim or right to relief by evidence satisfac- tory to the court. A copy of any such default judgment shall be sent to the foreign state or political subdivision in the manner prescribed for service in this section. (Added Pub. L. 94–583, § 4(a), Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2894.) Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective 90 days after Oct. 21, 1976, see sec- tion 8 of Pub. L. 94–583, set out as a note under section 1602 of this title. § 1609. Immunity from attachment and execution of property of a foreign state Subject to existing international agreements to which the United States is a party at the time of enactment of this Act the property in the United States of a foreign state shall be im- mune from attachment 1 arrest 1 and execution