Register your trip online/with US embassy?

I think I would only do this if I were going to a dangerous country. I guess I am not sure about the reasons for wanting to register with them, what precautions are you speaking about? This is a new one on me and I work at the consulate. Clue me in!

If they have to evacuate you it helps them know where you are but for folks in Europe on short trips don't bother...

Just one more way for the government to keep track of you and monitor where your go. We already have to have the government permission to fly. So this is probably the next step.

I have lived in Canada for 10 years now and never mentioned it to the consulate. I figure the IRS knows where I am, so that is all that really matters!

I've registered my family and me. I figure.. why not? Even if we go to London or Paris, you never know if there's an uprise

I think one's response to this would depend on:

1) Your level of trust in the current US government

2) What you think the US government is likely to do for you if you need their help

Personally, my answers to both questions would be "not much".

The US governemnt already has stuck their nose in our lives a lot more than I'm comfortable with. If I needed them in a crisis overseas, I'm sure they would tell me it's my own problem to solve.

I've gone to many places, including some that the US government probably didn't want me to, and cannot imagine any potential benefit to "registering" with them. On the other hand, I can easily imagine them pulling me out of the check-in line on my way to Paris some day and hassling me for details of why I have been to Burma, Morocco, Cambodia, etc.

Where I go is none of their business (to the degree that I can control that). In a pinch I'd rather take my chances with the locals and a Gold MasterCard than count on the US embassy to help me out of a jam. But perhaps my expectations have been lowered one time too many. YMMV.

Kristin,

That's BS. A big one.To register your residence overseas? How this would help me?

I 100% agree with you David.

"How this would help me?" Bea, as one of the earlier posters explained, it's to help the embassy locate you in case there are problems. The U-S ran an evacuation convoy from Georgia to Armenia this week to take out western civilians after the Russian attack. If they can't contact you, they can't tell you about the evacuation. THAT's how it's supposed to help. It's not really meant, as another poster suggested, for vacations to western Europe. BTW David, if I was behind bars in some third-world tinpot dictatorship, there may not be much my government could do for me....but at least, with consular access, someone will know I'm there!

If it makes you feel better, there is no harm in it, altho a US Embassy wouldnt DO anything for you under almost any circumstance.
We disagree with the poster who talked about more governmental knowledge. It is companies that know all, not governments. Odds are that Visa or Bank of America or the like would know anything about you that could conceivably be asked-- and that governments would ask THEM if they needed to know.

The 1st time we registered with the State Department was when we went to Europe for 8 weeks.

The 2nd time I registed was when I went to Israel last November....due to the area I was visiting.

Unless you are vacationing in an area that may be prone to war and/or severe violence, there is no reason to register.

If you move to another country, it might be a good idea to register if there is a chance of a problem. Like Norm said, if an evacuation is necessary, the consulate can't get a hold of you if they don't know you're there.

BTW...it's not the Embassy that helps, it's the consualte. The Embassy's job is to represent the U.S. Government. The consulate is in place to help American citizens.

As an example, if you are arrested, you can contact the local consulate. They will help you arrange for an English speaking attorney and contact family back home.

So, traveling to western Europe is probably not necessary to register. But travel to anywhere there is violence against Americans or the possibility of Americans getting caught up in local ocnflict, like in Georgia, it might be a good idea to register.

If you were traveling abroad and happen to lose your passport, would it facilitate the process of getting a replacement passport if you are registered with the US embassy? Just curious to know.

I've never considered registering with the State Dept. for my trips to Europe.

However, when we went to Tanzania, we did register our trip with the State Department. This was just prior to the uprisings in Kenya last fall/winter. I didn't expect the government to do anything for us, but at least they knew where we were in case of an emergency. Frankly, if there was anything bad going on in the world, we were probably safer in the middle of the Serengeti!

The website is probably the state department's answer to media queries about how they plan to ensure American citizens get evacuated in an emergency or disaster.

Passport records show when and where Americans entered or exited a country, assuming there are passport controls at the border. The same records also show your travel history. The government wouldn't know exactly where you are.

Our travels often begin in one country and end in another. Our passport record showing we entered Europe in Frankfurt would give no indication that we later traveled to Italy and were caught in an earthquake.

I've never used the registration system. It's probably not a bad idea if you know where you will be. I may use it when I'm traveling on business. When I'm on vacation, I have only a general itenerary so I really couldn't provide contact information in advance.

I registered for my recent trip to Armenia. When there were election protests in Yerevan, I had a call from the State Department advising me to avoid the city centre. I was quite impressed.

Short trips in Europe I don't bother. I didn't think of it overlanding in Africa. But I did it for Israel.

Kristin, I register with our relevant Federal Department when visiting Italy purely because it is, geologically, such an unstable country. Someone might want to know where to start digging to find me!!

When we were planning a trip to Israel a number of years ago the Canadian Gov't was advising that Canadian citizens visiting that country should register with the Cdn. Embassy in Tel Aviv. We went to the Embassy to do so and had to insist to the person on duty to allow us to register. She was highly amused and eventually pointed to a book in which we wrote our names, etc., with absolute no confidence that these details would ever be used to rescue and/or evacuate us should the need arise.

Norma..."with absolute no confidence that these details would ever be used to rescue and/or evacuate us should the need arise.".....then you would be wrong.

I hope you are right, Norm, but we wondered at the time why no one but us seemed to know we were following government advice. At any rate, we did have an unforgettable visit to Israel, and a crisis-free one.

Norma...the government recommends everyone heading outside Canada register, altho few do. Besides assistance in times of disaster, the registration service is also used to track you down should there be a family emergency and your family can't reach you. With the advent of cell phones and the internet, it's not used much for that purpose any more, but they still recommend registration. Since there hasn't been the threat of an armed invasion in Israel for the past 30 years now, I guess they aren't seeing many Canadians registering in Tel Aviv. But I'm glad you insisted. It may have been a "local hire" who was handling your case...they may not have been fully aware of the registration situation.