04/17/2026
What a U.S. Embassy CAN and CANNOT do for Americans Abroad:
✅CAN replace your lost or stolen passport
✅CAN help contact your family in an emergency
✅CAN visit and make sure you are being treated fairly if arrested or detained
✅CAN issue a Consular Report of Birth Abroad to document the U.S. citizenship of children born to American parents abroad
✅CAN provide a list of local attorneys and local medical providers who speak English.
❌CANNOT override local laws
❌CANNOT get you out of jail
❌CANNOT pay your personal debts
Learn more at travel.state.gov/helpabroad
