Executive Order 496

by President of the United States

The following is a description by the Department of State of the fees prescribed in the order, not the actual order text.

TARIFF OF UNITED STATES CONSULAR FEES

[Revised to take effect November 1, 1906.]

Following is the tariff of fees prescribed by the President, under the act for the reorganization of the consular service, to be charged by consular officers of the United States. All consular charges must be in strict accordance with and be collected in gold or its equivalent, and no fee or compensation will be collected for any service not covered by this tariff. American vessels and seamen are exempted by law from the payment of consular fees. Foreign-built vessels, unregistered, owned by American citizens, are not exempt from the payment of the prescribed fees.

Nature of service.	Fee.
Miscellaneous services.
1. Certificate to invoice, including declaration, in triplicate or quadruplicate, covering either importations or transit shipments, including any additional declaration or certificate not otherwise provided for which is required by law or regulations for use in connection with the entry of the wares or the forwarding of the same in bond	$2.50
2. Invoice of returned American goods	1.00
3. Extra certificates or declarations as above described, including immigrant's oath (Form No. 128), when issued without an invoice certificate, each[1]	1.00
4. Certificate to extra copies of invoices, each	1.00
5. Certificate of disinfection, in triplicate or quadruplicate	2.50
6. Landing certificate, including oaths of master and mate, and the complete execution of the certificate	2.50
7. Sealing cars coming from Canada or Mexico, for each manifest in quadruplicate with the consul's certificate, including sealing of each car, vessel, bale, barrel, box, or package[1]	1.00
8. Issuing a passport—Form No. 9[2][3][4]	1.00
9. Visaing a passport—Form No. 10[3][4]	1.00
10. Visaing a Chinese passport or certificate	1.00
11. Marriage certificate, in duplicate, Form No. 87	1.00
12. For taking into possession the personal estate of any citizen who shall die within the limits of a consulate, inventorying, selling, and finally settling and preparing or transmitting, according to law, the balance due thereon, $2 for each $100 of value or fraction thereof. If part of such estate shall be delivered over before final settlement, $1 for each $100 of value or fraction thereof to be charged on the part so delivered over as is not in money, and $2 for each $100 of value or fraction thereof on the gross amount of the residue. If among the effects of the deceased are found certificates of foreign stock, loans, or other property, $1 for each $100 of value or fraction thereof on the amount thereof. No charge will be made for placing the official seal upon the personal property or effects of such deceased citizen, or for breaking or removing the seals.
13. For each certificate of protection, semsar, or certificate of employment issued at Tangier	2.00
Services to vessels and seamen.
14. Bill of health, in duplicate[* 1]	5.00
15. Supplemental bill of health, in duplicate[* 1]	2.50
16. For receiving and delivering ship's register and papers, including consular certificates, as prescribed in Forms Nos. 13 and 14, $1 for each 100 tons or fraction thereof, registered measurement (net), of the vessel for which the service is performed, if under 1,000 tons; but for American vessels running regularly by weekly or monthly trips, or otherwise, to or even between foreign ports, this tonnage fee will not be charged for more than four trips in a year; and tonnage fees shall not be exacted for any vessel touching at or near ports in Canada on her regular voyage from one port to another within the United States, unless some official service required by law shall be performed
17. And for every additional 100 tons net or fraction thereof	.50
18. Shipping or discharging seamen, including the certificates thereof attached to crew list and shipping articles and given to seamen	2.00
19. Authentication of copies of protests or other necessary documents for vessels or seamen not otherwise provided for	2.00
20. Preparation and acknowledgment for vessels or seamen of any oath or declaration for which a form is given in the Consular Regulations, or a similar necessary service not otherwise provided for	2.00
21. Preparation and execution for vessels or seamen of any certificate for which a form is given in the Consular Regulations, or similar necessary service not otherwise provided for	2.00
22. Orders or letters for vessels or seamen for which forms are given in the Consular Regulations, or other similar necessary service not otherwise provided for	2.00
23. Recording, when necessary, for vessels or seamen any document covered by the provisions of the Consular Regulations, for every hundred words or fraction thereof	.50
24. Noting marine protest—Form No. 37	2.00
25. Extending marine protest—Form No. 38	3.00
If it exceed two hundred words, for every additional one hundred words	.50
26. Protest of master against charterers or freighters—Form No. 39	2.00
27. Clearance when issued by the consul, as at free ports	2.00
28. Attending an appraisement of vessel's goods or effects, for each day's attendance	5.00
29. Attending sale of vessel's goods, for each day's attendance during which the sale continues	5.00
30. Attendance at a shipwreck, or for the purpose of assisting a ship in distress, or of saving wrecked goods or property, over and above traveling expenses, whenever the consul's interposition is required by the parties interested, for each day	5.00
Notarial and other services
31. Administering an oath and certificate thereof[5]	2.00
32. Administering oath and preparing passport application[3]	1.00
33. Acknowledgment of a deed or power of attorney, or similar service, including one or more signatures, with certificate thereof[1]	2.00
34. Administering any and all oaths required to be made by pensioners and their witnesses in the execution of their pension vouchers, or certifying to the competency of a local official before whom the same were executed[1]	No fee.
35. Acknowledgments connected with the transfer of United States bonds	No fee.
36. Administering oaths to or taking acknowledgments of officials or employees of the United States Government in connection with their official business or accounts	No fee.
37. For rendering notarial services to officials of foreign governments who render gratuitously reciprocal courtesies to American diplomatic and consular officers	No fee.
38. Certifying to official character of a foreign notary or other official	2.00
39. For taking depositions, executing commissions or letters rogatory, where the record of testimony, including caption and certificate, does not exceed 500 words...	10.00
For each additional 100 words or fraction thereof	.50
The foregoing fee shall cover the administration of the oath and all services of the consul as commissioner, but shall not include services of clerk, stenographer or typewriter, which shall be additional at the rate prescribed herein for copying.
40. Copies:[1]
For the first hundred words or fraction	.50
For every additional hundred words or less	.25
41. Translations; for every one hundred words or fraction[1]	.50
42. Additional fee for all services contemplated by fees numbered 31, 32, 33, 38, 39 when rendered elsewhere than at the consular office at the request of the interested parties, for each hour or fraction thereof....	1.00
In connection with any service rendered outside of the consular office at the request of private individuals, the exact amount of the expenses actually and necessarily incurred by the person rendering the service shall be collected from the persons for whom the service is performed in addition to the fee or fees prescribed therefor and a note of the amount shall be made on the margin of the fee book and fee return opposite the entry of the service and fee; but no amount in excess of the fee or fees prescribed and such actual and necessary expenses shall be charged or accepted.

1. Foreign war vessels are exempt from the payment of fees for bills of health.

Notes

1. Amended by Executive Order 1083, June 7, 1909.
2. Amended by Executive Order 698 of October 14, 1907, to add "or extending a passport".
3. Amended by Executive Order 2022 of August 14, 1914, to waive fees until further notice. Fees restored by Department of State Circular No. 399, March 31, 1915.[1]
4. Amended by Executive Order 2619, May 11, 1917.
5. Amended by Executive Order 538 of December 21, 1906, to prescribe that no fee shall be charged for the affidavit of temporary stay of owner of sealskin garment entering the United States from Canada.

Amended by

• Executive Order 538, December 21, 1906
• Executive Order 698, October 14, 1907
• Executive Order 1083, June 7, 1909
• Executive Order 2022, August 14, 1914
• Department of State Circular No. 399, March 31, 1915.[2] (revoked EO 2022)
• Executive Order 2619, May 11, 1917
• Executive Order 2826, March 29, 1918
• Act of Congress, June 4, 1920