Learn
About the Advisories
The U.S. State Department's
Bureau of Consular Affairs issues Travel
Warnings to inform traveling Americans of conditions of risk
abroad which might affect them adversely. The Travel Warnings
currently in effect are listed alphabetically by country under Travel
Warnings on the U.S. State Department Travel Advisories menu.
The date next to each Travel Warning is the date the warning went
into effect. Each warning remains in effect until it is canceled by
the U.S. State Department.
Travel Warnings are generally issued because of civil unrest,
natural disasters, or outbreaks of serious diseases. Warnings are
issued when the State Department decides, based on all relevant
information, to recommend that Americans avoid all travel to a
particular country, particularly to the problem areas. Many
advisories are temporary and will be canceled as soon as the
situation improves.
In addition to the countries listed here, there are more limited
warnings included in some of the Consular Information Sheets for
other countries in the U.S. State Department database. Following
each Travel Warning is the complete text of the Consular Information
Sheet for that country.
Occasionally the U.S. State Department will also issue Public
Announcements to alert U.S. Citizens about specific issues that may
concern them while traveling abroad. Generally these are either less
severe than warnings, or are issued to update U.S. Citizens to
existing problem areas abroad. Public announcements are also listed
on the Travel Warnings menu.
Crisis Abroad
What can the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs do for
Americans caught in a disaster or a crisis abroad?
Earthquakes, hurricanes, political upheavals, acts of terrorism, and
hijackings are only some of the events threatening the safety of
Americans abroad. Each event is unique and poses its own special
difficulties. However, for the State Department there are certain
responsibilities and actions that apply in every disaster or crisis.
When a crisis occurs, the State Department sets up a task force or
working group to bring together in one set of rooms all the people
necessary to work on that event. Usually this Washington task force
will be in touch by telephone 24 hours a day with our Ambassador and
Foreign Service Officers at the embassy in the country affected.
In a task force, the immediate job of the State Department's Bureau
of Consular Affairs is to respond to the thousands of relatives and
friends who begin to telephone the State Department concerning their
American relatives immediately after the news of a disaster is
broadcast.
Relatives want information on the welfare of their U.S. family
members and on the disaster. For hard information, the State
Department relies on its embassies and consulates abroad. Often
these embassies and consulates are also affected by the disaster and
lack electricity, phone lines, gasoline, etc. Nevertheless, foreign
service officers work hard to get information back to Washington as
quickly as possible. This is rarely as quickly as the press is able
to relay information. Foreign Service Officers cannot speculate;
their information must be accurate. Often this means getting
important information from the local government, which may or may
not be immediately responsive.
Welfare & Whereabouts: As concerned relatives call in,
officers of the Bureau of Consular Affairs collect the names of the
Americans possibly involved in the disaster and pass them to the
embassy and consulates. Officers at post attempt to locate these
Americans in order to report on their welfare. The officers work
with local authorities and, depending on the circumstances, may
personally search hotels, airports, hospitals, or even prisons. As
they try to get the information, their first priority is Americans
dead or injured.
Death: When an American dies abroad, the Bureau of Consular
Affairs must locate and inform the next-of-kin. Sometimes
discovering the next-of-kin is difficult. If the American's name is
known, the Bureau's Office of Passport Services will search for his
or her passport application. However, the information there may not
be current.
The Bureau of Consular Affairs
provides guidance to grieving family members on how to make
arrangements for local burial or return of the remains to the U.S.
The disposition of remains is affected by local laws, customs, and
facilities which are often vastly different from those in the U.S.
The Bureau of Consular Affairs relays the family's instructions and
necessary private funds to cover the costs involved to the embassy
or consulate.
The Department of State has no
funds to assist in the return of remains or ashes of American
Citizens' who die abroad. Upon completion of all formalities, the
consular officer abroad prepares an official Foreign Service Report
of Death, based upon the local death certificate, and sends it to
the next-of-kin or legal representative for use in U.S. courts to
settle estate matters.
A U.S. consular officer overseas has statutory responsibility for
the personal estate of an American who dies abroad if the deceased
has no legal representative in the country where the death occurred.
The consular officer takes possession of personal effects, such as
convertible assets, apparel, jewelry, personal documents and papers.
The officer prepares an inventory and then carries out instructions
from members of the deceased's family concerning the effects. A
final statement of the account is then sent to the next-of-kin. The
Diplomatic Pouch cannot be used to ship personal items, including
valuables, but legal documents and correspondence relating to the
estate can be transmitted by pouch. In Washington, the Bureau
of Consular Affairs gives next-of-kin guidance on procedures to
follow in preparing Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration,
and Affidavits of Next-of-Kin as acceptable evidence of legal claim
of an estate.
Injury: In the case of an injured American, the embassy or
consulate abroad notifies the task force which notifies family
members in the U.S. The Bureau of Consular Affairs can assist in
sending private funds to the injured American; frequently it
collects information on the individual's prior medical history and
forwards it to the embassy or consulate. When necessary, the State
Department assists in arranging the return of the injured American
to the U.S. The full expense must be borne by the injured American
or his family.
Evacuation: Sometimes commercial transportation entering and
leaving a country is disrupted during a political upheaval or
natural disaster. If this happens, and if it appears unsafe for
Americans to remain, the embassy and consulates will work with the
task force in Washington to charter special air flights and ground
transportation to help Americans to depart. The U.S. Government
cannot order Americans to leave a foreign country. It can only
advise and try to assist those who wish to leave.
Privacy Act: The provisions of the Privacy
Act of 1974 are designed to protect the privacy and rights of
Americans, but occasionally they complicate our efforts to assist
Citizens' abroad. As a rule, consular officers may not reveal
information regarding an individual American's location, welfare,
intentions, or problems to anyone, including family members and
Congressional representatives, without the expressed consent of that
individual. Although sympathetic to the distress this can cause
concerned families, consular officers must comply with the
provisions of the Privacy Act.
