FederalRegister.gov regulatory documents
Filter the reviewed cache from January 1, 2025 forward by document type, structured agency, publication date, and source-supplied open comment deadline.
In support of the President's Executive Order of April 9, 2025, on Reforming Foreign Defense Sales to Improve Speed and Accountability, the Department of State (the Department) issues this interim final rule removing firearm silencers, mufflers, and sound suppressors for non-automatic and semi-automatic firearms from the U.S. Munitions List (USML).
In support of the policy directed in Executive Order 14268 to reduce rules and regulations involved in the development, execution, and monitoring of foreign defense sales and of arms transfer cases, the Department of State proposes to amend the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to modernize and streamline reporting on certain political contributions and fees or commissions.
The Department of State's (Department's) Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs administers the Exchange Visitor Program, as set forth at 22 CFR part 62, wherein exchange visitors on educational and cultural exchange programs travel to the United States in the J visa category. The Department tracks the status and geographic location of exchange visitors through the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a database administered by the Department of Homeland Security. This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Proposed Rule) seeks to clarify the conditions under which a sponsor must terminate an exchange visitor's program and authorizes the Department, in its discretion, to terminate an exchange visitor's program in limited circumstances; modifies Extension of Program and Reinstatement to valid program status in their entirety by eliminating outdated requirements and introducing updated procedures that make use of current SEVIS functionality; amends Definitions to include definitions for "Unauthorized Employment" and "Valid Program Status"; and rescinds the separate extension of program provision for au pairs.
This temporary final rule (TFR) temporarily amends the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services (Schedule) to create a $750 fee for an expedited B1/B2, business and tourism, nonimmigrant visa (NIV) interview appointment. This new fee will allow B1/B2 visa applicants who pay the fee to secure an interview appointment at selected posts within ten business days. This service will be an optional premium addition to the standard NIV application fee and will be offered only to applicants at limited posts as published on travel.state.gov and in limited quantities.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposes to revise the Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance to improve government- wide policies and requirements related to the management of grants, cooperative agreements, and other forms of assistance. OMB is proposing revisions that would improve transparency, accountability, and oversight for Federal awards across the Federal Government. This includes ensuring that American tax dollars are not wasted or misused, activities performed under Federal awards are consistent with law and policy, and recipients are held accountable when they fail to meet relevant standards. The revisions also aim to ensure that basic American principles of equality and equal opportunity are upheld throughout all stages of the award making process and that unlawful discrimination is no longer permitted. Proposed changes also include providing further clarification on the regulatory status of the OMB requirements and on the process for future updates to the government- wide requirements. Finally, OMB also proposes changes to reduce recipient burden. The listed Federal grant-making agencies propose conforming changes to their respective adopting regulations, or, in the case of some agencies and other entities, establishing new adopting regulations or policies. The proposed changes reflect the administration's commitment to transparency, accountability, and proper oversight for the Federal grantmaking process. The proposed regulations seek to ensure that American tax dollars are ultimately used to serve the needs of the American public.
The Department of State (the Department) establishes rules for the registration program and hand delivery procedures for courier companies used by applicants to transport their passport applications, and U.S. passports issued to them, to and from participating passport agencies. This supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking, along with the original notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), is intended to continue the program that was established by prior policy, to maintain vigilance over the security of the passport application process, to require companies to register with the Department prior to providing hand delivery services to certain applicants for U.S. passports, and to follow a uniform set of hand delivery procedures.
The Department of State ("Department") proposes to amend regulations governing the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program ("DV Program") to improve the integrity and combat fraud in the program. The Department proposes to require petitioners to the DV Program to provide valid, unexpired passport information and a scan of the biographic and signature page uploaded to their electronic entry form, or otherwise indicate that they are exempt from this requirement. Additionally, the Department also proposes to standardize and amend language in 22 CFR part 42, including by adding the word "shall" to simplify guidance for consular officers; ensuring the use of the term "sex" in lieu of "gender" as mandated by Executive Order 14168; and replacing the term "age" in 22 CFR 42.33(h)(1)(i) with the phrase "date of birth" to accurately reflect the information collected and maintained by the Department during the immigrant visa process.
By this rule, the Department of State ("Department") amends its regulations implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ("Title VI") to align its regulations with Title VI and, relatedly, to conform to Executive Order 14281.
The Secretary of State is promulgating rules defining the membership and operating procedures of the Department of State's Security Review Committee, an internal panel that reviews serious security incidents.
The Department of State is correcting a rulemaking that appeared in the Federal Register on March 13, 2026. There was an erroneous paragraph designation in an amendatory instruction.
The Department of State ("Department") proposes an adjustment to the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services of the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs ("Schedule of Fees" or "Schedule"), to implement the First Responders Passport Act by adding an additional exemption from the payment of passport fees. This exemption authorizes the Special Issuance Agency (SIA) to issue no-fee regular passports to applicants who meet the criteria listed in the statute.
Abstract not supplied.
This rule provides a change in the dates for allowable claims under the HAVANA Act of 2021. The change, mandated by the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, changes the dates for allowable claims from "on or after January 1, 2016" to "on or after September 11, 2001." This rule also provides a deadline for applicants to submit appeals of adverse decisions on their applications, plus administrative changes.
This final rule adjusts the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services by reducing the fee for Administrative Processing of Request for Certificate of Loss of Nationality of the United States from $2,350 to $450.
The Department of State ("Department") is amending regulations governing the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program ("DV Program") to improve the integrity of, and combat fraud in, the program. These amendments require a petitioner to the DV Program to provide valid, unexpired passport information and to upload a scan of the biographic and signature page in the electronic entry form or to otherwise indicate that he or she is exempt from this requirement. Additionally, the Department is standardizing and amending its regulations to add the word "shall" to simplify guidance for consular officers; ensure the use of the term "sex" in lieu of "gender"; and replace the term "age" in the DV Program regulations with the phrase "date of birth" to accurately reflect the information collected and maintained by the Department during the immigrant visa process.
To implement the Presidential Memorandum of January 24, 2025, reinstating the Mexico City Policy in support of the foreign policy objective of the United States not to support abortion as a method of family planning overseas directly or indirectly, the U.S. Department of State (Department) is adding a new award term for grants, cooperative agreements, and voluntary contributions entitled "Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance." The award term imposes certain abortion-related requirements on foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), United States NGOs, public international organizations, foreign governments, and parastatals. The award term is issued consistent with authorities under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA) and other foreign assistance authorities, such as the FREEDOM Support Act, the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962, and the SEED Act of 1989, which authorize the Department to provide foreign assistance on such terms and conditions as the President, and by delegation, the Secretary of State, may determine. Consistent with past Mexico City Policy protocol, the provision will be incorporated as applicable into grants and cooperative agreements when new funds are added as well as into new awards.
To implement the foreign policy objective of the United States not to support the promotion of discriminatory equity ideology overseas directly or indirectly, the U.S. Department of State (Department) is adding a new award term for grants, cooperative agreements, and voluntary contributions entitled "Combating Discriminatory Equity Ideology in Foreign Assistance." The award term imposes certain requirements relating to discriminatory equity ideology on foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), United States NGOs, international organizations, foreign governments, and parastatals. The award term is issued consistent with the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA) and other foreign assistance authorities such as the FREEDOM Support Act, the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962, and the SEED Act of 1989, which authorize the Department to provide foreign assistance on such terms and conditions as the President, and by delegation, the Secretary of State, may determine.
To implement the foreign policy objective of the United States not to support the promotion of gender ideology overseas, the U.S. Department of State (Department) is adding a new award term for grants, cooperative agreements, and voluntary contributions entitled "Combating Gender Ideology in Foreign Assistance." The award term imposes certain requirements relating to gender ideology on foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), United States NGOs, international organizations, foreign governments, and parastatals. The award term is issued consistent with the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA) and other foreign assistance authorities such as the FREEDOM Support Act, the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962, and the SEED Act of 1989, which authorize the Department to provide foreign assistance on such terms and conditions as the President, and by delegation, the Secretary of State, may determine. Consistent with past Mexico City Policy protocol, the provision will be incorporated as applicable into grants and cooperative agreements when new funds are added as well as into new awards.
This rule provides an additional change in the address for service of process for summonses, complaints, or other legal documents directed to the Department of State or to any Department employee or former employee in connection with Federal or State litigation.
This rule provides a change in the address for service of process for summonses, complaints, or other legal documents directed to the Department of State or to any Department employee or former employee in connection with federal or state litigation.
This rule streamlines defense trade and facilitates cooperation among our allies while reducing the regulatory burden for exporters, in support of the President's Executive Order 14268 of April 9, 2025, "Reforming Foreign Defense Sales to Improve Speed and Accountability". In this rule the Department of State (the Department) finalizes, with changes, the interim final rule published on August 20, 2024. The interim final rule made several amendments to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), pursuant to section 38(l) of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), to facilitate defense trade and cooperation among Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, including through a new exemption to the licensing requirements of the ITAR. The Department is also now responding to public comments received on the interim final rule.
The Department of State is amending the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) in Sec. 126.1 to reflect a determination made by the Secretary of State.
The Department of State ("Department") proposes an adjustment to the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services of the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs ("Schedule of Fees" or "Schedule") to establish a $1 fee to register for the Diversity Visa lottery program. This change will more fairly place the burden of the lottery registration on individuals seeking the benefit of gaining access to the DV application process instead of charging only the small percentage of successful registrants for the costs associated with administering the lottery program for all registrants. To effect this change to the DV program, the Department is also amending its regulations to note that an electronic registration fee will be collected at the time of registration.
The Department of State is correcting a rulemaking that appeared in the Federal Register on August 27, 2025. An asterisk was inadvertently omitted from the amendatory text.
The Department of State is amending the International Traffic in Arms Regulations to reflect current defense trade policy toward Cyprus.
The Department of State (the Department) amends the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to remove from the U.S. Munitions List (USML) items that no longer warrant inclusion, add to the USML items that warrant inclusion, and clarify certain entries. With these amendments, the Department also updates the interim final rule it published on January 17, 2025. In addition, the Department is adding a new license exemption for certain activities related to unmanned underwater vehicles described in the exemption.
The Department of State is correcting a temporary final rule that appeared in the Federal Register on August 5, 2025. The document erroneously provided that one of the amendatory instructions would sunset on August 5, 2026. This document corrects that error and also corrects the designation of paragraphs in the rule.
In this temporary final rule (TFR), the Department of State (the Department) announces the commencement of a 12-month long visa bond pilot program. Aliens applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure (B-1/B-2) and who are nationals of countries identified by the Department as having high visa overstay rates, where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering Citizenship by Investment, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement, may be subject to the pilot program. Consular officers may require covered nonimmigrant visa applicants to post a bond of up to $15,000 as a condition of visa issuance, as determined by the consular officers.
The Department of State is amending the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to update the entries for the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Libya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, pursuant to recent United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). Further, the Department is updating the list of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members and major non-NATO allies and is making other corrections and clarifications within the ITAR.
The Department of State (the Department) amends the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to remove from the U.S. Munitions List (USML) items that no longer warrant inclusion, add to the USML items that warrant inclusion, and clarify certain entries. With these amendments, the Department also supersedes and thus terminates the temporary modification to USML Category VIII that was published on December 4, 2023, and extended on November 26, 2024.
This final rule is issued to adjust the civil monetary penalties (CMP) for regulatory provisions maintained and enforced by the Department of State. The revised CMP adjusts the amount of civil monetary penalties assessed by the Department of State based on the December 2024 guidance from the Office of Management and Budget and by recent legislation. For penalties adjusted according to the December 2024 guidance, the new amounts will apply only to those penalties assessed on or after the effective date of this rule, regardless of the date on which the underlying facts or violations occurred.
The Department of State (the Department) hereby withdraws two notices of proposed rulemaking (NPRMs) that proposed specific contract and grant terms that would have prohibited the discriminatory use of Department foreign assistance funds on specified grounds.
