Public Services

Other Services

Assistance in getting funds   

Should you lose all your money and other financial resources, consular officers can help you contact your family, bank, or employer to arrange for them to send you money. 

Worldwide Information

For updated travel information and consular information sheets on each country in the world check http://travel.state.gov/.

Help in an Emergency

In the event that your family needs to reach you because of an emergency at home or because they are worried about your welfare they should call the State Department's Citizens Emergency Center at (202) 647-5225. The State Department will relay the message to consular officers in the country in which you are traveling. Consular officers will try to locate you, pass on urgent messages, and, consistent with the Privacy Act, report back to your family.

Jail Visit

If you are arrested, you should immediately ask the authorities to notify a U.S. consul. Consuls cannot get you out of jail; you are in a foreign country and are subject to its laws. However, consuls can work to protect your legitimate interests and ensure that you are not discriminated against. They can provide a list of local attorneys, visit you, and contact your family and friends.

Making arrangements after the death of an American citizen

When an American dies abroad, a consular officer notifies the American's family and informs them about options and costs for disposition of remains. Costs for preparing and returning a body to the U.S. may be high and must be paid by the family.

The consular section can also...:  

• distribute federal benefit payments,
• handle personal estates of deceased U.S. citizens,
• assist with Selective Service registration, and provide U.S. tax forms.
• assist with voter registration and obtaining absentee ballots, use the following link http://www.fvap.gov./
• provide fingerprinting services (for adoption and naturalization cases only) on Sundays and Wednesdays from 1- 2:30 pm.   

Other Links of interest

• http://www.aca.ch/

• http://travel.state.gov/family/family_1732.html

Consular officers cannot act as travel agents, banks, lawyers, investigators, or law enforcement officers. Please do not expect them to find you employment, get you residence or driving permits, act as interpreters, search for missing luggage, or settle disputes with hotel managers or employers. They can, however, tell you how to get help on these and other matters.