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What is Travel Registration?
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| Travel registration is a free service provided by the U.S. Government to U.S. citizens who are traveling to, or living in, a foreign country. Registration allows you to record information about your upcoming trip abroad that the Department of State can use to assist you in case of an emergency. Americans residing abroad can also get routine information from the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. |
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Why should I register?
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| Millions of Americans travel abroad every year and encounter no difficulties. However, U.S. embassies and consulates assist nearly 200,000 Americans each year who are victims of crime, accident, or illness, or whose family and friends need to contact them in an emergency. When an emergency happens, or if natural disaster, terrorism, or civil unrest strikes during your foreign travel, the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate can be your source of assistance and information. By registering your trip, you help the embassy or consulate locate you when you might need them the most. Registration is voluntary and costs nothing, but it should be a big part of your travel planning and security. |
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How can the embassy or consulate assist me while I am abroad?
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U.S. consular officers assist Americans who encounter serious legal, medical, or financial difficulties. Although consular officers cannot act as your legal counsel or representative, they can provide the names of local attorneys and doctors, provide loans to destitute Americans, and provide information about dangerous conditions affecting your overseas travel or residence. Consular officers also perform non-emergency services, helping Americans with absentee voting, selective service registration, receiving federal benefits, and filing U.S. tax forms. Consular officers can notarize documents, issue passports, and register American children born abroad. Most embassies and consulates have web sites with more information.
Registration through this website is NOT considered proof of U.S. citizenship. If you apply for any American citizen services from the embassy or consulate while abroad, you will be asked by the consular staff to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a U.S. passport or American birth certificate. |
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How will my information be used?
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| The Department of State and its overseas embassies and consulates request this information only to inform and assist Americans traveling or residing in foreign countries. All personal information you provide is secure and protected by the Privacy Act of 1974. Your personal data will remain in active files for twelve months after the completion of your last trip, your last registration activity, or your departure date from your foreign country of residence. At that time you will receive an e-mail notifying you that your registration data records, log-on, and password will be automatically deleted after three months unless you take steps keep your registration active. No data from the IBRS system will be archived. Indefinite registrations of long-term overseas residents will remain in the file indefinitely unless edited or deleted by the registrant. |
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What if I am already living abroad?
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Register as a Long-Term Traveler. You then have the opportunity to provide information about your foreign residence, and you can opt to receive information from the nearest embassy or consulate. If you create a password, you can update your personal information on this website at any time.
If you have a residence or contact address in the U.S., use that address as your Personal Information address, and your foreign residence as your Long-Term Trip address. If you do not have a U.S. residence or contact address, use your foreign residence as both your Personal Information address and your Long-Term Trip address.
I just want information about the country I'm visiting.
You don't have to register to get travel information from the Department of State. A current listing of all Travel Warnings, Public Announcements, and Consular Information Sheets can be found at travel.state.gov. If you would like to sign up to get updated information sent to you by email for any country, use the "Travel Info" link at the top of this page. For more details about Travel Registration, use the "Help" link at the top of this page. Find more information at your local U.S. Embassy or Consulate website. |
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