Expatriates Abroad — Emergencies

Advice and Information — What to do in the Event of an Emergency

Assistance from American Consuls

US consular officers are located in over 260 Foreign Service posts abroad. In addition, consular agents in approximately 46 foreign cities without US embassies or consulates provide a more limited but still important series of emergency and other consular services.

Providing assistance to Americans during a crisis abroad, such as political upheaval or a natural disaster, is one of the most critical tasks that a consular officer performs. During a crisis, consular officers look for missing Americans and help Americans return to the US, among many other duties to assist Americans. The State Department strongly encourages American citizens planning travel abroad to register their travel with the Department of State so that you can be found during a crisis. Travel registration is free, it’s confidential, and it’s easily accomplished online.

Consuls also advise and help Americans who are in serious legal, medical or financial trouble, including health emergencies, arrests, deaths, missing persons, and destitution. For information about emergency assistance to Americans in trouble abroad, see Emergency Abroad Getting Help on the Department of State’s website. In addition, note the following information for assistance in emergencies:

Consular officers also perform non-emergency services, including providing information on absentee voting, selective service registration, and acquisition and loss of US citizenship. They can arrange for the transfer of Social Security and other US government benefits to beneficiaries residing abroad, provide US tax forms, and notarize documents. They can also provide information on how to obtain foreign public documents.

Note, however, that because of the limited number of consular officers and the growing number of US tourists and residents abroad, consuls cannot provide tourism or commercial services. For example, consuls cannot perform the work of travel agencies, lawyers, information bureaus, banks, or the police, nor can they obtain work, residence or driving permits, act as interpreters, search for missing luggage, or settle commercial disputes for US citizens.

How to Contact the Embassy or the State Department in an Emergency

Consular duty personnel are available for emergency assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at US embassies, consulates, and consular agencies overseas and in Washington, D.C. To contact the Office of Overseas Citizens Services in the US call 1-888-407-4747 (during business hours) or 202-647-5225 (after hours). Contact information for US embassies, consulates, and consular agencies overseas may be found at the Department of State’s Countries website.

When the family of an American traveler needs to reach him or her because of an emergency at home or because family members are worried about the traveler’s welfare, they should call 1-888-407-4747. The State Department will relay the message to the consular officers in the country in which the traveler is thought to be. The consular officers will try to locate the traveler, pass on urgent messages and, consistent with the Privacy Act, report back to the family.

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