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Locating the Text of the Treaty or Agreement

Treaty Indexes

When the source for the full text of the document is not available, consult a treaty index. More indexes are listed in the section on multilateral treaties.

• Treaties in Force (TIF) (1950-) is an annual publication that lists all U.S. treaties and agreements still in force. Includes both bilateral and multilateral treaties and, when available, references to U.S.T. and T.I.A.S. citations. Entries arranged by country and subject. Available in the subscription databases LexisNexis (INTLAW; USTIF), Westlaw and HeinOnline.
• Treaty Actions are issued by the State Department. Treaty Actions contain current information on bilateral and multilateral treaties and agreements. This is a good way to update TIF.
• United States Treaty Index is one of the most comprehensive sources for U.S. treaty information. There are subject, chronological, and country indexes. This index provides citations to various full-text sources: U.S.T., T.I.A.S., Hein's United States Treaties and Other International Agreements (mentioned below). The set is supplemented by Current Treaty Index. The treaties are available in the subscription database HeinOnline.

Official Full-text Sources

• Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States, 1776-1949 (often cited to as Bevans) is one of the best sources for older treaties and agreements. Available in the subscription database HeinOnline.
• Statutes at Large (cited to as Stat.) (1776-1950). Treaties were published here until 1950. Also available in the subscription databases LexisNexis and Westlaw.
• Treaties and Other International Acts Series (cited to as T.I.A.S.) (1946-date) is the first official publication of new treaties and agreements -- slip treaty -- and is later bound in U.S.T. There is a lag time of about 8 or 9 years. Also available in the subscription database HeinOnline.
• United States Treaties and Other International Agreements (cited to as U.S.T.) (1950-date) is the official source for U.S. treaties and agreements. Unfortunately, there is about a 20 years lag time. Available in the subscription database HeinOnline.

Since the official publications are so slow, most researchers rely on unofficial sources.

• Thomas Treaties website provides some information for locating treaty documents from 90th Congress to the present. Search by Congress, treaty document number, word/phrase, or by type of treaty. Some full-text treaties are available.
• Hein's United States Treaties and Other International Agreements Current Service (1990-) is a microfiche set which is a good source for more recent treaties and agreements. Use the United States Treaty Index and the Current Treaty Index to locate the correct microfiche. Also available in the subscription database HeinOnline.
• Consolidated Treaties and International Agreements (often cited to as CTIA) (1990-) is another good source for more recent treaties and agreements. The electronic version is Treaties and International Agreements Online.
• LexisNexis (INTLAW; USTRTY) contains the full-text of ratified and unratified treaties and international agreements, where the United States is a party or signatory, from 1776 to present .
• Westlaw.com (USTREATIES) provides access to treaties and agreements from the State Dept. as well as the Senate; coverage varies.

Research Tip
Even though U.S. treaties and agreements are available from many different sources, these sources are not all the same. Sometimes it will be necessary to consult more than one of the sources mentioned above to locate the treaty you need. If all else fails, call the Department of State's Office of Treaty Affairs at (202) 647-1345 for up-to-date treaty information. Or, if you are looking for a very recent treaty which has been submitted to the Senate for advice and consent, contact the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations at (202) 224-4651.