BEFORE THE TRIP: RESOURCES FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS

Travel Warnings, Consular Information Sheets & Public Announcement

Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department decides, based on all relevant information, to recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. Countries where avoidance of travel is recommended will have Travel Warnings as well as Consular Information Sheets.

Consular Information Sheets are available for every country of the world. They include such information as location of the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the subject country, unusual immigration practices, health con-ditions, minor political disturbances, unusual currency and entry regulations, crime and security information, and drug penalties. If an unstable condition exists in a country that is not severe enough to warrant a Travel Warning, a description of the condition(s) may be included under an optional section entitled "Safety /Security." On limited occasions, this section also restates any U.S. Embassy advice given to official employees. Consular Information Sheets generally do not include advice, but present information in a factual manner so the traveler can make his or her own decisions concerning travel to a particular country.  

Public Announcements are a means to disseminate information about terrorist threats and other relatively short-term and/or trans-national conditions posing significant risks to the security of American travelers. They are made any time there is a perceived threat and usually have Americans as a particular target group. In the past, Public Announcements have been issued to deal with short-term coups, bomb threats to airlines, violence by terrorists and anniversary dates of specific terrorist events.

Consular Information Sheets and Travel Warnings can be found at the U.S. Department of State website at: http://travel.state.gov Or by calling Overseas Citizens Services at (202) 647-5225 from a touch-tone phone.  

Emergency Contacts: For travel-related emergencies (whether you are traveling or you urgently need to contact someone else who is traveling), call the Overseas Citizens Services 24-hour hotline at 202-647-5225. Do not send emails when you need urgent help.

U.S. State Department

Overseas Citizens Services

Bureau of Consular Affairs

Room 4811 N.S.

U.S. Department of State

Washington, DC 20520

BEFORE THE TRIP: RESOURCES FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS

Passport Information: http://travel.state.gov/passport_services.html or call 1-900-225-5674 (TDD: 1-900-225-7778). The automated 1-900 service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Operators can be reached Monday-Friday, excluding federal holidays, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., EST. The cost per minute for 1-900 calls is 55 cents for the automated system and $1.50 for operators.If you are unable to access the 1-900 number, call 1-888-362-8668 (TDD: 1-888-498-3648); the 1-888 calls require a credit card for payment of a flat rate of $5.50 per call.

You can also write to:

Bureau of Consular Affairs

Passport Services Rm. 6811

Washington, D.C. 20520

U.S. Embassy or Consulate:

When traveling abroad, U.S. citizens can contact the consular section of the U.S. embassy located in the country in which they are traveling. U.S. embassies are located in more than 160 capital cities of the world. Consular offices also are located at approximately 60 U.S. consulates general and 20 U.S. consulates around the world. (Consulates general and consulates are regional offices of embassies.) Consular officers provide emergency services, such as passport replacement, help finding medical assistance, help getting funds, emergency evacuation, and help in a disaster. Consular officers also provide non-emergency services, such as issuing consular reports of birth abroad, issuing pass-ports, and other services. To locate a U.S. embassy or consular office, contact the Overseas Citizens Services of the U.S. State Department before leaving on your trip, or, when you arrive at your destination, check the local telephone directory or inquire at your hotel.  

Visa Information:

Email: usvisa@state.gov

For U.S. citizens seeking visas to travel abroad or for information for foreign nationals visiting or emigrating to the U.S. or call 202-663-1225

You can also write to:

Public Inquiries Visa Services

U.S. Department of State

Washington, DC 20522-0106

Note: If your client has a corporate medical department, have them contact the appropriate personnel for information concerning any medical or health-related issues pertaining to the business trip.

DURING THE TRIP: SAFETY TIPS

• Airports and airlines are expected to continue implementing new security procedures and equipment in an ongoing effort to ensure that air travel is as safe as possible. Because all airports and airlines have different basic security measures and react to specific security threats differently, it is impossible to list a standard set of security procedures to follow. With this in mind, travelers should consider all of the following when traveling. Allow plenty of time to check your luggage and get to the gate. Arrive at the airport at least two hours before your domestic flight and three hours before your international flight. If you are flying domestically from a busy international airport you will want to give yourself some added time.

• Curbside check-in may be available. Plan to carry-on your luggage or check it at the airline desk in the terminal.

• Double check your purse and bags before you leave home for items that might cause a delay at the security checkpoint. For example, an antique gun, a kitchen knife or purse-sized mace container are all items you may not consider a threat, but will not be allowed through the check-point.
   

• Do not leave any luggage or bags unattended at any time. Airport personnel are very quick to notice unat-tended baggage and will have them removed immed-iately.
   

• If a stranger asks you to carry-on a package or bag for them or if a stranger offers you a gift, DO NOT accept.
   

• Ensure your luggage has identification tags inside and out with current information.
   

• As laptop computers are more popular, so are laptop thefts. A common ruse is for someone to hold up the line at the metal detector after you have placed your laptop on the x-ray conveyor belt. While you are still waiting in line, an accomplice will grab your laptop as it comes through the x-ray machine. To avoid this, place your laptop and other carry-on items on the conveyor immediately before it is your turn to walk through the metal detector. 
   

• Avoid having gifts wrapped with any kind of paper that contains aluminum foil. The foil wrapping prevents the x-ray machine from viewing the contents. As a result, the package must be unwrapped and the contents examined before it will be allowed through the check-point.
   

• Do not park your car in the pick-up and drop-off lanes then run into the terminal, even for just a minute. Unattended vehicles will be ticketed and towed
   

• Be patient. The purpose of security is to ensure safe air travel. All airport, airline and security personnel take security measures seriously. They will be kind but firm.
   

• Be alert and aware of the people around you and avoid anyone who looks suspicious. Contact airport security if you have, or anticipate, a problem.
   

• You may be required to provide two forms of identification. One form of ID must have a picture and be issued by a city, state, federal or military source.
   

• Leave photocopies of your itinerary, passport, airline tickets, prescriptions (including eyeglass pre-scription), vaccination certificate, and lists of travelers cheques and credit card numbers with a co-worker or family member whom you can contact in the event of loss or theft.
   

• Guard your passport as if it were cash. Passports are among the most sought-after items on the black market.
   

• Pickpocketing activity increases sharply around holiday periods when airports are most crowded and delays are common. You may want to move wallets to inside or front pockets and keep a firm grip on handbags.
   

• Avoid being overburdened with carry-on baggage. Besides being physically exhausting, carrying too much baggage increases your chances of leaving something behind in waiting areas or restrooms. Furthermore, a thief is likely to target travelers who might be distracted by having to corral several carry-on items. 
   

• Before embarking on the trip, familiarize yourself with local customs and laws.
   

• Plan ahead to make sure you know where you are going. If you rent a car, ask the car rental company for a road map and directions for arriving at your destination.
   

• If possible, ensure that your car is equipped with a cellular phone so that you can call for help. Most car rental companies will provide a cellular phone for an additional charge
   

• To guard against car-jacking, request rental cars that do not carry promotional stickers or specialized license plates that identify cars as rental cars.
   

• Do not accept a room located at the end of a long corridor where a mugger might hide. Also decline a first floor room which might provide an intruder easy access from outside.
   

• Locate fire exits as soon as you arrive at a hotel.
   

• Avoid occupying the same room on repeated visits to guard against corporate espionage