---
kind: "section"
citation: "22 U.S.C. § 9124"
title: "22"
title_heading: "Foreign Relations and Intercourse"
number: "9124"
heading: "Waiver by the Secretary of State"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/22/9124"
units:
  - "Chapter 98 — International Child Abduction Prevention and Return"
  - "Subchapter II — Actions by the Secretary of State"
---

# §9124. Waiver by the Secretary of State

- (a) **In general—** Subject to [subsection (b)](#b), the Secretary of State may waive the [application](/usc/22/9101.md?p=6) of any of the actions described in subsections (d) and (e) of [section 9122 of this title](/usc/22/9122.md) with respect to a country if the [Secretary](/usc/22/277d–43.md?p=5) determines and notifies the [appropriate congressional committees](/usc/22/9101.md?p=7) that—
  - (1) the government of such country—
    - (A) has satisfactorily resolved the [abduction](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2) cases giving rise to the [application](/usc/22/9101.md?p=6) of any of such actions; or
    - (B) has ended such country’s [pattern of noncompliance](/usc/22/9101.md?p=19-A); or
  - (2) the national security interest of the United States requires the exercise of such waiver authority.
- (b) **Congressional notification—** Not later than the date on which the Secretary of State exercises the waiver authority under [subsection (a)](#a), the [Secretary](/usc/22/277d–43.md?p=5) shall—
  - (1) notify the [appropriate congressional committees](/usc/22/9101.md?p=7) of such waiver; and
  - (2) provide such committees with a detailed justification for such waiver, including an explanation of the steps the noncompliant government has taken—
    - (A) to resolve [abductions](/usc/22/9101.md?p=2) cases; or
    - (B) to end its [pattern of noncompliance](/usc/22/9101.md?p=19-A).
- (c) **Publication in Federal Register—** Subject to [subsection (d)](#d), the Secretary of State shall ensure that each waiver determination under this section—
  - (1) is published in the Federal Register; or
  - (2) is posted on the Department of State website.
- (d) **Limited disclosure of information—** The Secretary of State may limit the publication of information under [subsection (c)](#c) in the same manner and to the same extent as the President may limit the publication of findings and determinations described in [section 2414(c) of this title](/usc/22/2414.md?p=c), if the [Secretary](/usc/22/277d–43.md?p=5) determines that the publication of such information would be harmful to the national security of the United States and would not further the purposes of this chapter.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 113–150, title II, § 204, Aug. 8, 2014, 128 Stat. 1821.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsec. (d), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 113–150, Aug. 8, 2014, 126 Stat. 1807, known as the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2014, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 9101 of this title and Tables.