Staying in Touch When Traveling Abroad.

Why you should register your travel plans with the U.S. Department of State.

U.S. Department of State

When planning a trip to an international destination, the U.S. Department of State encourages American citizens to register their travel, a free service available online.

International travel takes special planning, such as making sure you have a valid passport, but there are other steps that can be taken to help you keep in contact with others if an emergency occurs.

The State Department strongly encourages American citizens planning travel abroad to register their trip with the federal government.

Travel registration makes it possible to contact a traveler, the State Department says, in the event of a family emergency in the United States or because of a crisis in the place the traveler is visiting.

Registration is a free service provided by the State Department and is easily accomplished online at travelregistration.state.gov.

After going to the Web Site, you first need to submit a personal I.D. and a password to start the enrollment process.  You will be asked to complete sections dealing with your name, address, date of birth, passport number, itinerary, contacts, and travel information.

(Note: In accordance with the Privacy Act, the Department of State may not release information about those registered without their express written authorization.)

If your family needs to reach you because of emergency, they can pass a message to you through the Office of Overseas Citizens Services, which can be contacted from within the United States at 1-888-407-4747 (toll free), and from overseas at 1-202-501-4444.

The Office of Overseas Citizens Services will contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the country in which you are traveling in order to pass to the message to you.

The State Department also advises leaving a detailed itinerary and copies of your passport biographical data page with a friend of relative in the U.S.

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