<P> The Twenty - second Amendment ( Amendment XXII ) of the United States Constitution sets a limit on the number of times a person is eligible for election to the office of President of the United States , and also sets additional eligibility conditions for presidents who succeed to the unexpired terms of their predecessors . Congress approved the amendment on March 24 , 1947 , and submitted it to the state legislatures for ratification . That process was completed on February 27 , 1951 , after the amendment had been ratified by the requisite 36 of the then - 48 states ( as neither Alaska nor Hawaii had yet been admitted as states ) , and its provisions came into force on that date . </P>
<P> The Twenty - second Amendment ( Amendment XXII ) of the United States Constitution sets a limit on the number of times a person is eligible for election to the office of President of the United States , and also sets additional eligibility conditions for presidents who succeed to the unexpired terms of their predecessors . Congress approved the amendment on March 24 , 1947 , and submitted it to the state legislatures for ratification . That process was completed on February 27 , 1951 , after the amendment had been ratified by the requisite 36 of the then - 48 states ( as neither Alaska nor Hawaii had yet been admitted as states ) , and its provisions came into force on that date . </P>
when did it become law that a president can only serve 2 terms
when did it become law that a president can only serve 2 terms
March 24 , 1947
March 24 , 1947