[Quintus Curtius]

This article I saw today on the BBC had me thinking. It's about people making frivolous requests from their embassy while on foreign trips:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-30305971

The most hilarious request noted in the article was one guy who contacted his embassy to get help for paying for a prostitute in Thailand.




Other dunces had similarly idiotic requests, like trying to get a pet off of a roof or getting help to pay for a jet ski repair.

The question is: Is there any reason to contact (or "check in" with) an embassy or consulate while abroad?


I personally have never done it, nor known anyone who has. My gut instinct is that it's a waste of time, and does nothing for you. On the other hand, the US State Department still apparently recommends you "check in" with an embassy or consulate when you are in a foreign city that has one. Seems they like to know who's "in country."

Has anyone ever done this? Is there any utility or use for it? Stories would be welcome.

[Rawmeo]

No. Well depending on your countrie. The Canada embassy just doesn't pick up the phone in Bangkok and they say "we will call you back" when you show up.

[El Chinito loco]

I'd say only 1 out of every 20 U.S. citizens abroad have a clue. So, no there's no reason to contact the embassy for non-emergencies. There are so many drooling retards abroad it would overwhelm the system.

[speakeasy]

I'd only do it if I was somewhere that I might easily "disappear", like Pakistan or something. Might speed up the process of contacting my relatives to let them know I'm dead or in prison. Though I doubt I'd end up in such a country to begin with.

[Americas]

The only time I ever dealt with a consulate/embassy was when I lost my passport.

[Kissinger2014]

I have many friends who work as consular officers abroad at U.S. embassies helping Americans. Some of their stories are amazing: anytime an American in the slightest bit of trouble they expect the U.S. government to send Seal Team 6 to rescue them. They think the consular officers are a type of concierge service.

[scotian]

I've registered my passport number with the Canadian government while traveling in Colombia, a country where it isn't unheard of for people to go missing. You can update it with your travel plans throughout any country, and as far as I recall, it isn't very complicated and doesn't take long. I've been to a couple of hot spots down here and if I went missing, at least my country and the Colombian authorities would have a rough idea of where I was. I always inform family members by e-mail of my travel plans anyway. I really wouldn't expect much from my country while abroad, but if I did go missing, at least my whereabouts would be known and if the local Colombian authorities could help, they could have as much information at their disposal .

[iknowexactly]

I contacted the embassy in Ukraine after I was assaulted by my Ukrainian landlord. I was definitely panicking , they were sort of dismissive ( it was Ukrainian employees talking to me) but when I told them I was physically thrown out of my apartment they became more sympathetic ( I had prepaid rent, they found someone willing to pay more.)

They kind of had a litmus test question it seemed-- "Do you need assistance?". I do feel they would have at least inquired with the police or the like if someone called and said I was missing.

I had to tell them no because I was at a friend's apartment and no one was after me at that point.

I've thought about doing it in the Phils, Westerners to get murdered here for love triangles and the like, but there's no one I know well enough to even tell the Embassy I'm missing. I should fix that.

No one knows where I go, or where I'm supposed to be. I guess I could get the apartment manager to call them if I explained , but they would probably just freak out and think I was some disreputable character.

[DMario]

I work in an Embassy. If it's not life or death don't call. We dont care that you lost your passport, just come the next business day. There is nothing we can do after-hours.

[Sp5]

I've registered with the embassy in places that are dangerous. I just want to be on the list in case there's a serious evacuation operation going on. They send you emails every once in awhile, basically "Don't go out, don't go anywhere, this place is dangerous."