What Embassies and Consulates Can Do:U.S. embassies and consulates help to locate U.S. citizens overseas when relatives or friends are concerned about their welfare or need to notify them of emergencies at home. The Department of State and U.S. embassies and consulates abroad handle over 200,000 welfare and whereabouts inquiries a year.
How to Request a Welfare/Whereabouts Check: Welfare whereabouts requests may be directed to the appropriate office in the U.S. Department of State, Directorate of Overseas Citizens Services (CA/OCS).
For Missing and Sick Adults, Emergency Family Messages, and Child Abuse, Neglect, Abandonment or Exploitation cases, and child welfare in cases not/not involving parental child abduction or custody disputes, contact of the Office of American Citizens Services at (202) 647-5225/5226.
What Information to Have Available Before You Call: In order to assist us in locating the U.S. citizen abroad, it is helpful to have the following information available:
* Caller's full name, address, phone number and relationship
* Name of the Person abroad
* Date and place of birth of the person abroad
* Passport number (if known)
* Last known address and phone number; itinerary
* Reason for their travel/residence abroad (business, tourism, etc.)
* Date of last contact
* Other points of contact abroad (friends, business associates, hotel, etc.)
* If ill, where hospitalized and, if relevant to current hospitalization, the name and phone number of attending physician in the U.S.
* You may also be asked to provide a photo of the missing person
* It may also be useful for you to contact credit card companies, telephone companies, etc. to try to determine if the missing individual?s accounts have been used recently and where those transactions occurred.
For Emergency Family Messages also include:
* Nature of the emergency
* What you want the person told about the emergency
* Name, address and telephone number and relationship of person you wish subject to call after the emergency family message is relayed to them by the U.S. embassy or consulate.
How Will the U.S. Embassy or Consulate Try to Locate the Individual and Obtain Information About the Individual?s Welfare and Whereabouts?
Consular officers will use a variety of methods to locate and confirm the welfare of the missing person, including, but not limited to ?
* Using the information you provide to try to locate the person.
* Checking with local immigration and police officials if possible.
* Checking local hotels, youth hostels and other places where foreigners (U.S. citizens) are known to stay or visit.
* Checking local hospitals, jails, and, if appropriate, local morgues. (Note: In countries where a consular treaty is in force, local authorities have certain obligations to inform the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate of the arrest, injury, hospitalization, or death of a U.S. citizen. See Consular Access and Notification.)
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