---
kind: "section"
citation: "22 U.S.C. § 4198"
title: "22"
title_heading: "Foreign Relations and Intercourse"
number: "4198"
heading: "Bond as administrator or guardian; action on bond"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/22/4198"
units:
  - "Chapter 52 — Foreign Service"
  - "Subchapter XIV — Powers, Duties and Liabilities of Consular Officers Generally"
---

# §4198. Bond as administrator or guardian; action on bond


No consular officer of the United States shall accept an appointment from any foreign state as [administrator](/usc/22/277d–43.md?p=1), guardian, or to any other office or trust for the settlement or conservation of estates of deceased [persons](/usc/22/4102.md?p=14) or of their heirs or of [persons](/usc/22/4102.md?p=14) under legal disabilities, without executing a bond, with security, to be approved by the Secretary of State, and in a penal sum to be fixed by him and in such form as he may prescribe, conditioned for the true and faithful performance of all his duties according to law and for the true and faithful accounting for delivering, and paying over to the [persons](/usc/22/4102.md?p=14) thereto entitled of all moneys, goods, effects, and other property which shall come to his hands or to the hands of any other [person](/usc/22/4102.md?p=14) to his use as such [administrator](/usc/22/277d–43.md?p=1), guardian, or in other fiduciary capacity. Said bond shall be deposited with the [Secretary](/usc/22/3902.md?p=10) of the Treasury. In case of a breach of any such bond, any [person](/usc/22/4102.md?p=14) injured by the failure of such officer faithfully to discharge the duties of his said trust according to law, may institute, in his own name and for his sole use, a suit upon said bond and thereupon recover such damages as shall be legally assessed, with costs of suit, for which execution may issue in due form; but if such party fails to recover in the suit, judgment shall be rendered and execution may issue against him for costs in favor of the defendant; and the United States shall in no case be liable for the same. The said bond shall remain, after any judgment rendered thereon, as a security for the benefit of any [person](/usc/22/4102.md?p=14) injured by a breach of the condition of the same until the whole penalty has been recovered.


## Source credit

(June 30, 1902, ch. 1331, § 1, 32 Stat. 546.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section was not enacted as part of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 which comprises this chapter.

Section was formerly classified to section 1178 of this title, and prior thereto to section 78 of this title.