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May 13, 2020
Helping U.S. Citizens Abroad During the COVID-19 Pandemic
and Other International Crises: Role of the Department of State
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has long provided
consular services to American citizens around the world
pursuant to laws passed by Congress. Such services include
disseminating information regarding any major disaster or
incident abroad affecting the safety of U.S. citizens and,
when their lives are endangered by such crises, facilitating
their safe and efficient evacuation. The Coronavirus
Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has required DOS to
scale up consular services in response to unprecedented
demand. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress has
conducted oversight of DOS's consular services and passed
two supplemental appropriations laws that include
additional funds for DOS to maintain consular operations
and carry out evacuations. Some Members of Congress
have also introduced legislation seeking to adjust or
eliminate the statutory requirement that private U.S.
citizens evacuated by DOS reimburse the department for a
portion of the expenses associated with their evacuation.
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Section 43 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of
1956 (P.L. 84-885; 22 U.S.C. §2715, hereafter, the BAA)
requires DOS to serve as a clearinghouse of information on
any major disaster or incident overseas affecting the health
and safety of U.S. citizens abroad. DOS carries out this
responsibility through the Consular Information Program
(CIP), which includes a range of products intended to
inform U.S. citizens worldwide of potential threats to their
health or safety (see Table 1).
DOS disseminates CIP products through several means,
including the Bureau of Consular Affairs' website for U.S.
citizens traveling abroad (http://travel.state.gov) and the
Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). STEP is a
digital service through which U.S. citizens traveling or
living abroad can provide their contact information to
receive CIP products applicable to any countries they
select. STEP also helps overseas posts locate U.S. citizens
in an emergency. CIP products are further disseminated
through the websites of relevant overseas posts, DOS's
social media accounts, and systems of predesignated U.S.
citizen wardens who pass information to other U.S.
citizens through means such as text messaging. The
wardens are volunteers connected to communities of
Americans abroad, such as hotel representatives and
business contacts. DOS has issued several CIP products in
response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, in
March 2020, DOS launched a website providing COVID-
19-related information and resources for every country in
the world; it also issued a Global Health Advisory
recommending that U.S. citizens avoid all international
travel.
Table I. Selected Consular Information Program
(CIP) Products
Product Description
Worldwide DOS's Worldwide Caution, published on
Caution travel.state.gov, is periodically updated to
provide U.S. citizens information on universal
travel risks, as well as recommendations on
how to prepare for possible contingencies.
Travel Travel Advisories are issued for every country
Advisory and include guidance regarding country-specific
security concerns. Each Travel Advisory is
designated at an overall level, ranging from
Level I (Exercise Normal Precautions) to Level
4 (Do Not Travel).
Alerts Overseas posts create alerts to notify U.S.
citizens within their jurisdiction of relevant
safety and security information, often in
response to significant events. Alerts pertain to
matters such as criminal activity, terrorist
attacks, and natural disasters.
Source: U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual.
Section 103 of the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and
Antiterrorism Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-399; 22 U.S.C. §4802)
requires DOS to develop and implement policies and
programs to provide for the safe and efficient evacuation of
... private United States citizens when their lives are
endangered. In addition, Section 4 of the BAA (22 U.S.C.
§2671) authorizes expenditures for the evacuation of
private United States citizens or third-country nationals, on
a reimbursable basis to the maximum extent practicable.
Private U.S. citizens are thus generally responsible for a
portion of the cost for their evacuation. However, financial
assistance may be available for destitute evacuees, and the
BAA limits the scope of repayment to a reasonable
commercial air fare immediately prior to the events giving
rise to the evacuation.
In practice, when DOS recommends that private U.S.
citizens leave a country, it advises them to evacuate using
existing commercial transportation options whenever
possible. This is reflected in DOS's current Global Health
Advisory, which states that [i]n countries where
commercial departure options remain available, U.S.
citizens who live in the United States should arrange for
immediate return. However, when local transportation
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