---
kind: "section"
citation: "22 U.S.C. § 9111"
title: "22"
title_heading: "Foreign Relations and Intercourse"
number: "9111"
heading: "Annual Report"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/22/9111"
units:
  - "Chapter 98 — International Child Abduction Prevention and Return"
  - "Subchapter I — Department of State Actions"
---

# §9111. Annual Report

- (a) **In general—** Not later than April 30 of each year, the Secretary of State shall submit to the [appropriate congressional committees](/usc/22/9101.md?p=7) an [Annual Report](/usc/22/9101.md?p=5) on International [Child](/usc/22/9101.md?p=11) [Abduction](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2). The [Secretary](/usc/22/277d–43.md?p=5) shall post the [Annual Report](/usc/22/9101.md?p=5) to the publicly accessible website of the Department of State.
- (b) **Contents—** Each [Annual Report](/usc/22/9101.md?p=5) shall include—
  - (1) a list of all countries in which there were 1 or more [abduction](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2) cases, during the preceding calendar year, relating to a [child](/usc/22/9101.md?p=11) whose habitual residence is the United States, including a description of whether each such country—
    - (A) is a [Convention country](/usc/22/9101.md?p=12);
    - (B) is a [bilateral procedures country](/usc/22/9101.md?p=9);
    - (C) has other procedures for resolving such [abductions](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2); or
    - (D) adheres to no protocols with respect to [child](/usc/22/9101.md?p=11) [abduction](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2);
  - (2) for each country with respect to which there were 5 or more pending [abduction](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2) cases, during the preceding year, relating to a [child](/usc/22/9101.md?p=11) whose habitual residence is the United States—
    - (A) the number of such new [abduction](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2) and [access cases](/usc/22/9101.md?p=4), respectively, reported during the preceding year and the number of children involved;
    - (B) for Convention and [bilateral procedures countries](/usc/22/9101.md?p=9)—
      - (i) the number of [abduction](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2) and [access cases](/usc/22/9101.md?p=4) that the [Central Authority](/usc/22/9101.md?p=10) of the United States transmitted to the [Central Authority](/usc/22/9101.md?p=10) of such country; and
      - (ii) the number of [abduction](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2) and [access cases](/usc/22/9101.md?p=4) that were not submitted by the [Central Authority](/usc/22/9101.md?p=10) to the judicial or administrative authority, as applicable, of such country;
    - (C) the reason for the delay in submission of each case identified in [subparagraph (B)(ii)](#b-2-B-ii) by the [Central Authority](/usc/22/9101.md?p=10) of such country to the judicial or administrative authority of that country;
    - (D) the number of unresolved [abduction](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2) and [access cases](/usc/22/9101.md?p=4), respectively, the number of children involved, and the length of time each case has been pending;
    - (E) the number and percentage of [unresolved abduction cases](/usc/22/9101.md?p=23-A) in which law enforcement authorities have—
      - (i) not located the [abducted child](/usc/22/9101.md?p=1);
      - (ii) failed to undertake serious efforts to locate the [abducted child](/usc/22/9101.md?p=1); and
      - (iii) failed to enforce a return order rendered by the judicial or administrative authorities of such country;
    - (F) the total number and the percentage of the total number of [abduction](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2) and [access cases](/usc/22/9101.md?p=4), respectively, resolved during the preceding year;
    - (G) recommendations to improve the resolution of [abduction](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2) and [access cases](/usc/22/9101.md?p=4); and
    - (H) the average time it takes to locate a [child](/usc/22/9101.md?p=11);
  - (3) the number of abducted children whose habitual residence is in the United States and who were returned to the United States from—
    - (A) [Convention countries](/usc/22/9101.md?p=12);
    - (B) [bilateral procedures countries](/usc/22/9101.md?p=9);
    - (C) countries having other procedures for resolving such [abductions](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2); or
    - (D) countries adhering to no protocols with respect to [child](/usc/22/9101.md?p=11) [abduction](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2);
  - (4) a list of [Convention countries](/usc/22/9101.md?p=12) and [bilateral procedures countries](/usc/22/9101.md?p=9) that have failed to comply with any of their obligations under the [Hague Abduction Convention](/usc/22/9101.md?p=13) or [bilateral procedures](/usc/22/9101.md?p=8), as applicable, with respect to the resolution of [abduction](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2) and [access cases](/usc/22/9101.md?p=4);
  - (5) a list of countries demonstrating a [pattern of noncompliance](/usc/22/9101.md?p=19-A) and a description of the criteria on which the determination of a [pattern of noncompliance](/usc/22/9101.md?p=19-A) for each country is based;
  - (6) information on efforts by the Secretary of State to encourage [non-Convention countries](/usc/22/9101.md?p=16)—
    - (A) to ratify or accede to the [Hague Abduction Convention](/usc/22/9101.md?p=13);
    - (B) to enter into or implement other [bilateral procedures](/usc/22/9101.md?p=8), including memoranda of understanding, with the United States; and
    - (C) to address pending [abduction](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2) and [access cases](/usc/22/9101.md?p=4);
  - (7) the number of cases resolved without abducted children being returned to the United States from [Convention countries](/usc/22/9101.md?p=12), [bilateral procedures countries](/usc/22/9101.md?p=9), or other [non-Convention countries](/usc/22/9101.md?p=16), and number of children involved in such cases;
  - (8) a list of countries that became [Convention countries](/usc/22/9101.md?p=12) with respect to the United States during the preceding year;
  - (9) information about efforts to seek resolution of [abduction](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2) cases of children whose habitual residence is in the United States and whose [abduction](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2) occurred before the [Hague Abduction Convention](/usc/22/9101.md?p=13) entered into force with respect to the United States; and
  - (10) the total number of pending cases the Department of State has assigned to case officers and number of children involved for each country and as a total for all countries.
- (c) **Exceptions—** Unless a [left-behind parent](/usc/22/9101.md?p=15) provides written permission to the [Central Authority](/usc/22/9101.md?p=10) of the United States to include personally identifiable information about the parent or the [child](/usc/22/9101.md?p=11) in the [Annual Report](/usc/22/9101.md?p=5), the [Annual Report](/usc/22/9101.md?p=5) may not include any personally identifiable information about any such parent, [child](/usc/22/9101.md?p=11), or party to an [abduction](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2) or [access case](/usc/22/9101.md?p=4) involving such parent or [child](/usc/22/9101.md?p=11).
- (d) **Additional sections—** Each [Annual Report](/usc/22/9101.md?p=5) shall also include—
  - (1) information on the number of [unresolved abduction cases](/usc/22/9101.md?p=23-A) affecting military parents;
  - (2) a description of the assistance offered to such military parents;
  - (3) information on the use of airlines in [abductions](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2), voluntary airline practices to prevent [abductions](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2), and recommendations for best airline practices to prevent [abductions](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2);
  - (4) information on actions taken by the [Central Authority](/usc/22/9101.md?p=10) of the United States to train domestic judges in the [application](/usc/22/9101.md?p=6) of the [Hague Abduction Convention](/usc/22/9101.md?p=13); and
  - (5) information on actions taken by the [Central Authority](/usc/22/9101.md?p=10) of the United States to train United States Armed Forces legal assistance personnel, military chaplains, and military family [support](/usc/22/7432.md?p=12) center personnel about—
    - (A) [abductions](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2);
    - (B) the risk of loss of contact with children; and
    - (C) the legal means available to resolve such cases.
- (e) **Omitted—**
- (f) **Notification to Congress on countries in noncompliance—**
  - (1) **In general—** The Secretary of State shall include, in a separate section of the [Annual Report](/usc/22/9101.md?p=5), the [Secretary](/usc/22/277d–43.md?p=5)’s determination, pursuant to the provisions under [section 9122(b) of this title](/usc/22/9122.md?p=b), of whether each country listed in the report has engaged in a [pattern of noncompliance](/usc/22/9101.md?p=19-A) in cases of [child](/usc/22/9101.md?p=11) [abduction](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2) during the preceding 12 months.
  - (2) **Contents—** The section described in [paragraph (1)](#f-1)—
    - (A) shall identify any action or actions described in [section 9122(d) of this title](/usc/22/9122.md?p=d) (or commensurate action as provided in [section 9122(e) of this title](/usc/22/9122.md?p=e)) that have been taken by the [Secretary](/usc/22/277d–43.md?p=5) with respect to each country;
    - (B) shall describe the basis for the [Secretary](/usc/22/277d–43.md?p=5)’s determination of the [pattern of noncompliance](/usc/22/9101.md?p=19-A) by each country;
    - (C) shall indicate whether noneconomic policy options designed to resolve the [pattern of noncompliance](/usc/22/9101.md?p=19-A) have reasonably been exhausted, including the consultations required under [section 9123 of this title](/usc/22/9123.md).

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 113–150, title I, § 101, Aug. 8, 2014, 128 Stat. 1813; Pub. L. 117–81, div. E, title LVII, § 5702, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2381.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section is comprised of section 101 of Pub. L. 113–150. Subsec. (e) of section 101 of Pub. L. 113–150 repealed section 11611 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare.

### Amendments

2021—Subsec. (b)(2)(A). Pub. L. 117–81, § 5702(1)(A), inserted “, respectively,” after “access cases” and “and the number of children involved” before semicolon at end.

Subsec. (b)(2)(D). Pub. L. 117–81, § 5702(1)(B), inserted “respectively, the number of children involved,” after “access cases,”.

Subsec. (b)(7). Pub. L. 117–81, § 5702(2), inserted “, and number of children involved in such cases” before semicolon at end.

Subsec. (b)(10). Pub. L. 117–81, § 5702(3)–(5), added par. (10).