Who the notice touches
The Under Secretary of State for Management, Jason Evans, signed the delegation on August 11, 2026. It reaches the two officials who lead the Office of Presidential Appointments and no one else directly. The Under Secretary's signature cites Delegation of Authority 514 from the Secretary of State as its source of power. It says the Director and Deputy Director act consistent with their duties as set out in the Foreign Affairs Manual and Foreign Affairs Handbook.
If you are a Foreign Service member, a locally employed staff member, or a contractor seeking a title exception or accreditation, this is the office that decides those questions. If you are an ordinary traveler, a dual national, or a retiree applying for anything through a consulate, the notice does not describe your case.
What the office can now decide
The notice lists four functions. Read them closely, because each one is narrower than the headline suggests.
First, the Director and Deputy Director may prescribe regulations and approve exceptions under laws administered by or relating to the office's programs. The text does not name those laws or list the exceptions.
Second, they may approve Minister-Counselor and Counselor diplomatic title requests that fall outside the usual rules. The test in the notice is specific: the lack of the title must "constitute a major impairment to the effective performance of the member's duties or the function of the mission. That is the bar. A request that is merely convenient does not meet it on the face of this document.
Third, they may approve accreditation for persons who are not U.S. government employees but work abroad. The notice names three groups: U.S. government personal services contractors, commercial contractors doing business on behalf of the U.S. government, and grantees.
Fourth, they serve as Custodian of the Great Seal of the United States, and they carry out every function tied to operating the Seal and maintaining the press. That last item is the one most readers will find unusual. It is also the one the notice describes in the fewest words.
Other officials keep the power
The Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources, and the Under Secretary for Management may each exercise any of these functions at any time. So this is a delegation, not a transfer. The people above the office still hold the same authority.
Actions already taken
The notice ratifies earlier actions the office took under its Foreign Affairs Manual duties before the delegation date. Those actions stay in force "as if taken under this delegation of authority," unless someone later rescinds, amends, or supersedes them. If you received an accreditation or title approval before August 11, 2026, this clause covers it. The notice does not name any specific case.
Standing references
The notice also says any act, executive order, regulation, manual or procedure that the delegation touches is treated as amended from time to time. In other words, the delegation follows the underlying documents as they change. It also defines "function" broadly, to include any duty, power, discretion, or activity. That breadth matters. It means the four listed items are not the whole story of what the office can do under this notice.
What to do now
Most readers need to do nothing. The notice does not create a form, a fee, or a deadline, and the document does not set one. If your question concerns a title exception or accreditation, ask your post, your employing bureau, or the contact the notice lists: Alice Kottmyer, Attorney-Adviser in the Office of the Legal Adviser (L/M), at 202-679-8083. The notice gives an email address as well, but it appears in the published HTML only as a protected link, so the phone number is the more reliable route.
What the notice leaves open
The document does not say how the office will process a title exception request, what supporting records it needs, or how long a review takes. It does not list the "laws and regulations" that the first function covers. It does not say which exceptions the office has granted or plans to grant. It also does not explain why the delegation was made in 2026, or whether it changes any existing practice. It is a short document, and its silences are the real open questions.
The notice's dates section says the delegation was signed on "August 11, 2029. The rest of the document, including the signature block and the summary, gives August 11, 2026. The 2029 date is almost certainly a typographical error, but the notice does not correct it. The 2026 date is the one to rely on.
General information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Confirm the details with State Department before you act.
