(a) Reissue of a bond may be made only under the conditions specified in these regulations, and only at:

(1) A Federal Reserve Bank or Branch, or

(2) The Bureau of the Fiscal Service.

(b) Reissue will not be made if the request is received less than one full calendar month before the final maturity date of a bond. The request, however, will be effective to establish ownership as though the requested reissue had been made. We reserve the right to reissue savings bonds in book-entry form only. See § 353.48(a).

The Department of the Treasury will treat the receipt by: (a) A Federal Reserve Bank or Branch or (b) the Bureau of the Fiscal Service of a bond and an acceptable request for reissue as determining the date upon which the rights of the parties are fixed for the purpose of reissue. For example, if the owner or either coowner of a bond dies after the bond has been surrendered for reissue, the bond will be regarded as having been reissued in the decedent's lifetime.

A bond belonging to an individual may be reissued in any authorized form of registration upon an appropriate request for the purposes outlined below.

(a) Single ownership. A bond registered in single ownership form may be reissued—

(1) To add a coowner or beneficiary; or

(2) To name a new owner, with or without a coowner or beneficiary, but only if:

(i) The new owner is related to the previous owner by blood (including legal adoption) or marriage;

(ii) The previous owner and the new owner are parties to a divorce or annulment; or

(iii) The new sole owner is the trustee of a personal trust estate which was created by the previous owner or which designates as beneficiary either the previous owner or a person related to him or her by blood (including legal adoption) or marriage.

(b) Coownership—(1) Reissue—to name a related individual as owner or coowner. During the lifetime of both coowners, a coownership bond may be reissued in the name of another individual related by blood (including legal adoption) or marriage to either coowner:

(i) As single owner,

(ii) As owner with one of the original coowners as beneficiary, or

(iii) As a new coowner with one of the original coowners.

(2) Reissue—to name either coowner alone or with another individual as coowner or beneficiary. During the lifetime of both coowners, a coownership bond may be reissued in the name of either coowner alone or with another individual as coowner or beneficiary if:

(i) After issue of the submitted bond, either coowner named thereon marries, or the coowners are divorced or legally separated from each other, or their marriage is annulled; or

(ii) Both coowners on the submitted bond are related by blood (including legal adoption) or marriage to each other.

(3) Reissue—to name the trustee of a personal trust estate. A bond registered in coownership form may be reissued to name a trustee of a personal trust estate created by either coowner or by some other person if:

(i) Either coowner is a beneficiary of the trust, or (ii) a beneficiary of the trust is related by blood or marriage to either coowner.

(c) Beneficiary. A bond registered in beneficiary form may be reissued:

(1) To name the beneficiary as coowner;

(2) To substitute another individual as beneficiary; or

(3) To eliminate the beneficiary, and, if the beneficiary is eliminated, to effect any of the reissues authorized by paragraph (a) of this section.

(a) Elimination of definitive Series EE bonds. After February 14, 2014, the Department of the Treasury will no longer reissue Series EE bonds in definitive (paper) form. After that date, a request for reissue of a Series EE bond for any reason will only be processed under one of the following conditions:

(1) If the new owner requests payment in the same transaction; or

(2) If the new owner provides instructions to reissue in the form of a book-entry bond in a TreasuryDirect® account. This option is available for persons who are eligible to open a TreasuryDirect® account under the regulations in 31 CFR part 363.

(b) Denominational exchange. Reissue is not permitted solely to change denominations.

(c) United States Treasury. Reissue may not be made to eliminate the United States Treasury as coowner.

A bond may be reissued to correct an error in registration upon appropriate request supported by satisfactory proof of the error.

An owner, coowner, or beneficiary whose name is changed by marriage, divorce, annulment, order of court, or in any other legal manner after the issue of the bond should submit the bond with a request for reissue to substitute the new name for the name inscribed on the bond. Documentary evidence may be required in any appropriate case.

A request for reissue of bonds in coownership form must be signed by both coowners, except that a request solely to eliminate the name of one coowner may be signed by that coowner only. A bond registered in beneficiary form may be reissued upon the request of the owner, without the consent of the beneficiary. Fiscal Service forms are available for requesting reissue.