Recommended to Register with American Embassy?

When we travel we add it to the STEP (Smart Traveler Education program) https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/step.html

I also recommend the STEP program. I am usually a solo traveler and this make my family feel more assured. I also appreciate the travel warnings I receive from them. In the world we now live in, it is a simple way to feel a little more confident when you travel.

Here's another STEP user - it's really a great tool, because you just never know what can happen...

I also load the phone numbers and addresses of USA embassy and/or consulates in the country just in case necessary.

Register with STEP, then on thr back of a half size photo copy of your passport in your purse or wallet:

Put the name address, phone of a healthcare provider and pharmacy near your accommodations.

US Consulate number.

The 911 equivalent (it is 112).

Emergency contact numbers for family and friends.

Hotel number and address.

Airline customer service number in France.

And carry 50 euro cash; then put it all out of your mind and enjoy the trip.

For France the STEP program is all you need.

Technically, if you had a problem, you would get in touch with the American consulate and not the embassy. The Embassy is mostly for official Diplomatic duties.

Thank you everyone! Completely forgot about copying passport, cards etc.! Great recommendations, thank you so much!

@Frank - there's only an American Embassy in Paris, no consulate (which is a subsidiary, essentially, of the Embassy). So if you were in Paris (or close) you would go there for issues.

There are 5 Consulates in France, 1 Embassy:

https://fr.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/

I have the Embassy in Paris saved as a contact on my phone, just in case.

and make a list of Macron's favorite restaurants and avoid them. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65200654

Wow, this sounds like something you would do after cashing some travelers cheques.

Nowadays why not just monitor the local and international media (like the BBC, CNN, France 24) and set up news alerts if necessary.

Registering with STEP was invaluable for the thousands of individuals stranded out of the United States in March of 2020. Email information was regularly provided regarding special flights back to the U.S. when commercial airline transportation was severely limited. Other country specific information is provided as it occurs including warnings. It is optional.

Sorry, but Mister E and Frank II are right. When I went with an acquaintance a few months ago to get a replacement passport for hers that had been stolen, we went to the Consulate in Paris. It happens to be co-located with the Embassy, but all the signage all over the place definitely referred to its being a consulate.

When I registered my child's Paris birth, I was directed to the consulate side of the building. The embassy and consulate are housed in the same building. Americans living in Paris need consular services, too, not just diplomacy. LOL This is where people apply for visas if staying beyond 90 days in the US and a lot more services.

It's the same with the French government in Washington DC. One part of the building is for consular services, while the other handles the diplomacy.
In both countries, there are stand-alone consulates in various cities.

Kim & Bets, thanks for clarifying this. I need to remember to note their address and phone number before I go to Paris again, whenever that might be.

In many capital cities, the US Embassy and consulate are housed in the same building. It's for convenience, cost, security, etc. But in most cases they are located in separate parts of the building and even has separate entrances.

Remember, Embassies are for diplomatic purposes, consulates are for regular people--visas, passport replacement, assistance to citizens, etc.

I always register. They already have this information when they scan my passport at the airport, but you never know.

Thank you all for your responses! Very helpful.

Kim and Bets, thanks for the further explanation. I did not realize the difference!

We’ve only registered with the State Department (STEP) when we visited South America and never for Europe.

Phred seems to think that registering with STEP is rather “old school “ and not necessary since it is easy to follow international news online. However, STEP can provide you with much more detailed information about what is happening in your location.

For instance, CNN will tell you that there are big demonstrations in Israel or Paris, but might be vague about specifics. STEP will send an alert with details about exactly where demonstrations will be (in front of the legislature? Near the Eiffel Tower? In Tel Aviv or in Jerusalem?), when exactly they are likely to occur, what disruptions might be expected, and what precautions might be wise.

Also, should there be a natural disaster or a terrorist attack or some other major event, STEP registration lets the embassy or consulate know that you are in the area. That means that they can reach out to you to offer assistance, rather than you having to figure out who to contact. They can also help your stateside relatives connect with you in such a situation.

To me, Renee expresses her response with careful consideration. BTW, there will be no traveler checks involved. 😉

Never registered with STEP, never checked in with US Consulates in Europe either, only have seen the US Embassy in Budapest and Berlin.

STEP probably saved my life. Was in China a several years ago during a wave of severe smog over the city. They sent out an email strongly warning of this and advising Americans to stay indoors, I followed the advice and even indoors in my modern hotel with functioning central AC I was still struggling to breath. I have asthma which is typically under control with medications, but even my rescue inhaler had very little effect. I had been to Beijing a few times in the past with moderate smog and it didn't bother my asthma, but on this day the smog was in another league. Without that warning I certainly would have gone out sightseeing, no doubt bad things would have happened to me without that warning.

In yet another episode I was in Mexico City with a thousand other US soccer fans when the national team was playing a World Cup qualifying match. After the match a bunch of smart-ass US fans decided to hang a large American flag outside the window of the hotel the traveling fans were staying in, which happened to be across from a monument where Mexican fans congregate to celebrate a victory. The locals didn't take the flag well and hundreds of fans attacked the hotel and riot police had to surround the hotel and literally beat back the mob. The US embassy was adjacent to the hotel, they placed a spotter on the roof, and texted minute by minute details of exactly where the mob was and how to navigate around the police line for Americans stuck out in the streets.

While the above scenarios are unlikely in Western Europe, natural disasters can happen anywhere.

Michael- wow! Your experiences are incredible! I live in California and during the extreme fire season, which seem to be year- round these days, I find the most immediate and detailed updates are not found via local tv networks but by other sources such as Patreon and local ham radio operators posting on twitter and other formats. I think it pays off to pay attention and keep connected as conditions can turn on a dime.

Well, a person could spend their time researching and cross-checking various native and international news sites . . . Or they could just get the information pushed out to them automatically from the embassy if there is anything to worry about. I’ve got better things to do on my vacation than track various local news sites (and have insight into whether they are reliable or not) in real time . . .

Kim, I totally agree.

You guys give the embassy/consulate a lot of credit, which is surprising to me but good to know. In France I watched France 24 and was quite up to date on what I needed to know.

Doesn't take long to register and you probably won't need it but in case something bad occurs(terrorism, natural disaster) it's always good to be prepared.

An embassy is always in the capital city (e.g. Paris); consulates are located in other major cities in the country (e.g. Marseille).

According to today's WSJ, we are all correct. They do recommend enrolling with STEP, as well as the apps of your travel providers.

They also recommend monitoring "reliable local news sources" before and during the trip. They don't recommend social media or international news coverage.

And surprisingly, hotel occupancy in Paris since the protests started is at 68% which is higher than in 2022 and 2019. Their take? No one is willing to wait for their trip anymore, damn the torpedoes (or the gillets jaune in this case).

Very good to know about the hotel occupancy in light of the protests, strikes, and all that, ie, serving as no hindrance to taking the trip to Paris, registered or not... I'm not. My trip is on track, regardless. If I bailed out now because of the news, I know French who would say to me: "what are you afraid of?" They are right.