3 FAM 1000 General
3 FAM 1100
INTRODUCTION
PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION AUTHORITY, REGULATIONS, AND PROCEDURES
(CT:PER-1229; 05-24-2025)
(Office of Origin: GTM/ER/WLD)
3 FAM 1111 SCOPE AND AUTHORITY
3 FAM 1111.1 Policy
(CT:PER-515; 01-07-2004)
a. Many basic policies and procedures apply to foreign affairs agencies’ personnel, whether Civil Service or Foreign Service, either by law or as a matter of sound administration. It is the policy of the Department of State and the foreign affairs agencies to use both personnel systems in a compatible manner and to prevent unfair advantage or disadvantage to any individual on the basis of the personnel system under which the individual is employed.
b. This volume of the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) describes these basic policies, and provides sources for the relevant procedures covered in its supplemental Foreign Affairs Handbooks (FAH).
3 FAM 1111.2 Applicability
(CT:PER-678; 06-22-2012)
a. The applicability of each numbered paragraph is defined in two italicized lines, which appear immediately under the transmittal line:
(1) The first of these two lines identifies the agencies, which have adopted the specific regulation (e.g., “State Only” or “Uniform State/USAID”, etc.); and
(2) The second line identifies whether the regulations applies to Foreign Service employees, Overseas Employees (Locally Employed Staff (Foreign Service Nationals and U.S. citizens paid under the Local Compensation Plan), Eligible Family Members paid under the FP schedule, and Not Ordinarily Resident employees paid under the FP schedule) (refer to 3 FAM 7120), Civil Service employees, or some combination of this group.
b. Regulations, which identify coverage of civil service employees, apply only to Civil Service employees of the Department of State. Regulations in this volume do not apply to Civil Service employees of other Foreign Affairs agencies.
3 FAM 1111.3 Authorities
(CT:PER-515; 01-07-2004)
Personnel administration, as set forth in this volume of the FAM, is carried out under the applicable laws of the United States, principally those contained in:
(1) Title 5 of the United States Code;
(2) The Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3901 et. seq.);
(3) Enabling legislation of the foreign affairs agencies; and
(4) Implementing Executive Orders, regulations, and directives.
3 FAM 1111.4 (Pending FAM Update)
(CT:PER-1229; 05-24-2025)
THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE IS COMPRISED OF THE BEST AMERICA HAS TO OFFER
(a) The federal workforce, including the Department of State, shall be comprised of the best America has to offer.
• For example, “The attainment of U.S. foreign policy objectives depends substantially on the confidence of both the American and foreign public in the individuals selected to serve in the Foreign Service. The agencies, therefore, require the maintenance of the highest standards of conduct by employees of the Foreign Service, including an especially high degree of integrity, reliability, and prudence.” 3 FAM 4114.
(b) The Secretary of State insists on excellence at every level—especially at the top.
• “Employees in leadership positions or in law enforcement positions must understand that they will be held to a higher standard of conduct and that they are expected to model professionalism, integrity, and responsibility.” 3 FAM 4544(3) (“Civil Service”) and 3 FAM 4374(3) (“Foreign Service”).
• “All employees are on notice that misconduct toward, or exploitation of, those who are particularly vulnerable to the employee's authority and control, e.g., subordinates, are considered to be particularly egregious and will not be tolerated.” 3 FAM 4542(b) (“Civil Service”). See also 3 FAM 4372(b) (“Foreign Service”).
(c) Excellent performance is not a choice. It is a Constitutional imperative.
• “Article II of the United States Constitution vests the power to conduct foreign policy in the President of the United States. Presidents rely on their Secretaries of State and their subordinate officials to ensure that the United States is served and protected at home and abroad. As the principal steward of the President’s foreign policy, the Secretary must maintain an exceptional workforce of patriots to implement this policy effectively.” Executive Order 14211.
(d) The Department’s performance standards shall reward and promote those who exceed expectations, and take steps to improve the performance of or, as appropriate, separate or remove, those who do not meet the high standards that the taxpayers of this country deserve and demand. Employees who engage in misconduct shall be subject to appropriate discipline and those whose offenses warrant removal shall be removed, as expeditiously as possible, in accordance with the law.
• “The President's power to remove subordinates is a core part of the Executive power vested by Article II of the Constitution and is necessary for the President to perform his duty to ‘take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.’” 90 Fed. Reg. 8481 (2025).
(e) The federal workforce shall be comprised of employees who are reliable, loyal, trustworthy, and who strive for excellence in their daily work. All employees are subject to transparent standards of conduct and are accountable for their actions. All employees should report unlawful behavior or other misconduct (See, e.g. 1 FAM 053.2-3 for statutory reporting requirements), and all allegations of unlawful behavior or other misconduct shall be addressed consistent with Department policy and U.S. law. Where there is substantiated misconduct, employees shall be subject to appropriate action, up to and including separation or removal from the Department or Federal service. The exact outcome in each instance of reported misconduct is inevitably a case-by-case determination based on the findings of fact, the employee’s performance record, whether it evinces a pattern of misconduct, and other factors.
TRUTHFUL REPORTING
(a) The bedrock of any successful policy is truth. Officers of the United States, including those employed at the Department of State, begin their employment with an oath that means nothing if it is not sworn honestly. So it also goes for every decision an employee makes every single day for the rest of his or her career.
(b) Allegations of and inquiries into misconduct are extremely serious matters that require, above all, a commitment by all employees to truthful reporting. An employee shall not falsely allege misconduct, knowingly or in bad faith. An employee shall not falsely record fact findings about misconduct, whether through lies of omission that cause material facts to be unrecorded or lies of commission that find material facts without basis in truth. Employees reporting misconduct and employees inquiring into misconduct shall share the same goal: truthful fact-finding. Failing to report or failing to inquire in a truthful manner may warrant disciplinary action, up to and including separation from the Department and from Federal service, for reasons that include—but are not limited to—those:
• offenses listed in 3 FAM 4130 (“Suitability”) (e.g. “Criminal, dishonest, or disgraceful conduct,” “Conduct which clearly shows poor judgment or lack of discretion which may reasonably affect an individual or the agency’s ability to carry out its responsibilities or mission”); or
• offenses listed in 3 FAM 7720 (“LE Staff”) (e.g. “Deliberate misrepresentation or dishonesty in official matters; fraud; falsification; deliberate concealment of a material fact in connection with matters” or “Defamation – knowingly making false, malicious or unauthorized disclosures against other employees, supervisors or damaging the reputation, authority or official standing of colleagues”); or
• offenses listed in 3 FAM 4540 (“Civil Service”) and 3 FAM 4370 (“Foreign Service”) (e.g. “creating a disturbance which adversely affects efficiency” or “failure to address a toxic workplace”).
3 FAM 1112 PURPOSE
(CT:PER-515; 01-07-2004)
The FAM is supplemented by related FAH material. This FAH material carries the same weight and force as the FAM material. Likewise, in both the FAM and FAH, exhibits carry the same weight and force as the text.
3 FAM 1112.1 Volume 3, Foreign Affairs Manual (3 FAM)
(CT:PER-947; 05-23-2019)
a. This volume of the FAM sets forth the policies and regulations governing the administration of the personnel system applicable to the Department of State. Regulations adopted jointly by the Department of State and other agencies (e.g., U.S. Agency for Global Media, USAID, Commerce, Agriculture, Peace Corps,) are so identified wherever they appear in this volume.
b. Volume 3 of the FAM is organized around eight major personnel topics, each of which is assigned a series of nine chapters of 89 subchapters. In so far as is practicable, each subchapter is restricted to a single topic. Since some topics relate to both Foreign Service and Civil Service employees, while others relate to employees of only one of the services, subchapters, or parts thereof, contain a legend, which indicates coverage.
3 FAM 1113 STRUCTURE
3 FAM 1113.1 The 1000 Series-General
(CT:PER-515; 01-07-2004)
a. Chapters in the 1000 series contain general information on the organization of the FAM and general policies and regulations relating to all Civil Service and/or Foreign Service employees.
b. Related handbook material which contains procedures and guidelines which implement the regulations found in the 1000 series of the FAM is published in 3 FAH-1 H-1100 to 3 FAH-1 H-1900 of 3 FAH-1, The Personnel Operations Handbook. Chapters in that handbook are numbered to correspond to chapters of the same number in the FAM.
3 FAM 1113.2 The 2000 Series-Personnel Operations
(CT:PER-515; 01-07-2004)
a. Chapters in the 2000 series contain regulations and policies, which govern the day-to-day operations of the Foreign Service and Civil Service personnel systems.
b. Related handbook material which contains procedures, guidelines, and labor management agreements which implement the regulations found in the 2000 series of the FAM is published in 3 FAH-1 H-2100 to 3 FAH-1 H-2900 of 3 FAH-1, The Personnel Operations Handbook. Chapters in that handbook are numbered to correspond to chapters of the same number in the FAM.
3 FAM 1113.3 The 3000 Series-Pay, Benefits and Allowances
(CT:PER-515; 01-07-2004)
a. Chapters in the 3000 series contain regulations and policies which govern Civil Service and Foreign Service pay, leave administration, benefits (e.g. Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB), Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI), Office of Worker’s Compensation Program (OWCP), Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE), Reasonable Accommodations), allowances and travel. In addition, Chapters in the 3000 series contains special program regulations and policies such as Transit Subsidy Program, Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP), and Professional Liability Insurance (PLI).
b. Related handbook material which contains procedures, guidelines, and labor management agreements which implement the regulations found in the 3000 series of the FAM is published in 3 FAH-1 H-3100 to 3 FAH-1 H-3900 of 3 FAH-1, The Personnel Operations Handbook. Chapters in that handbook are numbered to correspond to chapters of the same number in the FAM.
3 FAM 1113.4 The 4000 Series-Employee Relations
(CT:PER-515; 01-07-2004)
a. Chapters in the 4000 series contain regulations and policies which govern the conduct of Foreign Service and Civil Service employees; provide penalties for misconduct; establish grievance and appeals procedures; and provide for awards for outstanding performance.
b. Related handbook material which contains procedures, guidelines, and labor management agreements which implement the regulations found in the 4000 series of the FAM is published in 3 FAH-1 H-4100 to 3 FAH-1 H-4900 of 3 FAH-1, The Personnel Operations Handbook. Chapters in that handbook are numbered to correspond to chapters of the same number in the FAM.
3 FAM 1113.5 The 5000 Series-Labor Relations
(CT:PER-515; 01-07-2004)
a. Chapters in the 5000 series contain regulations and policies, which govern labor management relations in the Department.
b. Related handbook material which contains procedures, guidelines, and labor management agreements which implement the regulations found in the 5000 series of the FAM is published in 3 FAH-1 H-5100 to 3 FAH-1 H-5900 of 3 FAH-1, The Personnel Operations Handbook. Chapters in that handbook are numbered to correspond to chapters of the same number in the FAM.
3 FAM 1113.6 The 6000 Series-Retirement
(CT:PER-515; 01-07-2004)
a. Chapters in the 6000 series contain regulations and policies, which govern the administration of the retirement program for Civil Service and Foreign Service employees.
b. Related handbook material which contains procedures, guidelines, and labor management agreements which implement the regulations found in the 6000 series of the FAM is published in 3 FAH-1 H-6100 to 3 FAH-1 H-6900 of 3 FAH-1, The Personnel Operations Handbook. Chapters in that handbook are numbered to correspond to chapters of the same number in the FAM.
3 FAM 1113.7 The 7000 Series-Overseas Employees
(CT:PER-538; 05-11-2005)
a. Chapters in the 7000 series contain regulations and policies, which govern the administration of the Foreign Service National personnel system for Overseas Employees.
b. There is a related handbook in the 3 FAH-1 series, which contains procedures, guidelines, and classifications standards, which implement the regulations in the 7000 series of the FAM. At the present time, there is no relationship between the chapter numbers in this handbook and the related chapters in 3 FAH-1.
3 FAM 1113.8 The 8000 Series-Overseas Employment Program
(CT:PER-986; 05-11-2020)
a. Chapters in the 8000 series contain regulations and policies, which govern the administration of the various overseas employment programs administered by the Office of Overseas Employment (GTM/OE).
b. Related handbook material which contains procedures and guidelines which implement regulations found in the 8000 series of the FAM is published in 3 FAH-1 H-8100 to 3 FAH-1 H-8900 of 3 FAH-1, The Personnel Operations Handbook. Chapters in that handbook are numbered to correspond to chapters of the same number in the FAM.
3 FAM 1114 UPDATING THE FAM AND FAH
(CT:PER-515; 01-07-2004)
a. Procedures and guidelines governing the revision of 3 FAM and 3 FAH-1 material and a list of offices responsible for specific subchapters are published in 3 FAH-1 H-1110.
b. Refer to 2 FAH-1 H-100, “Foreign Affairs Manual Standards”, specifically, 2 FAH-1 H 110, Revising or Drafting New Material.
3 FAM 1115 THROUGH 1119 UNASSIGNED