Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)
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The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a free service provided by the U.S.
Government to U.S. citizens who are traveling to, or living in, a foreign country.
STEP allows you to enter information about your upcoming trip abroad so that the
Department of State can better assist you in an emergency.
STEP also allows Americans residing abroad to get routine information from the nearest
U.S. embassy or consulate.
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What Can You Do With STEP? |
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Enter information on your trip or overseas residence
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Subscribe to receive updates on Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts and other information for a particular country
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FAQ
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For more information, please read our FAQs by clicking on the questions below:
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Please update your browser bookmarks to reflect the updated STEP URL: https://step.state.gov. The STEP Application https://travelregistration.state.gov URL has been replaced with
https://step.state.gov. Please update your browser bookmarks to reflect the change to the new URL.
| Why have you renamed the Registration with Embassies program to the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)?
Our goal is to encourage all U.S. citizens travelling or residing abroad to let us know their contact information so that, in an emergency, we can contact them. By changing the name of the link and designating it the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), we hope to encourage more U.S citizens to utilize the service. If you have utilized our registration service before, you will notice that the change of the name to STEP will not affect your ability to continue to utilize the service. We are working to improve the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to serve you better. Please feel free to e-mail us with your feedback at CAIBRS@state.gov.
| How do I enroll in STEP?
First you will create an account by clicking on the "Create an Account" link and following the instructions provided. The account creation allows you to select a username and password so that you can access your travel data at any time. The account will also contain your personal information so that it can be saved and used again whenever you travel abroad. The personal information section will include basic information about yourself, and also for an emergency contact that is not traveling with you.
Once you have created an account, you will view your profile and add trips or overseas residences to register with a specific US Embassy or Consulate. Click on the "Add Trip" button or "Add Overseas Residence" buttons to add this information. Follow through the pages, and complete as much information as you have available. There are very few required fields, but thorough information enables the US Embassy to help you more efficiently if needed.
| How can the embassy or consulate assist me while I am abroad? br> U.S. consular officers assist Americans who encounter serious legal, medical, or financial difficulties. Although consular officers cannot act as your legal counsel or representative, they can provide the names of local attorneys and doctors, provide loans to destitute Americans, and provide information about dangerous conditions affecting your overseas travel or residence. Consular officers also perform non-emergency services, helping Americans with absentee voting, selective service registration, receiving federal benefits, and filing U.S. tax forms. Consular officers can notarize documents, issue passports, and register American children born abroad. Most embassies and consulates have web sites with more information.
Enrolling through this website is NOT considered proof of U.S. citizenship. If you apply for any American citizen services from the embassy or consulate while abroad, you will be asked by the consular staff to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a U.S. passport or American birth certificate.
| Where do I enroll my trip to the USA?
Please note that Smart Traveler enrollment is intended for U.S. citizens to enroll with a U.S. Embassy or Consulate when traveling or living abroad.
If you are not a U.S. citizen and would like to submit your information online to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to receive travel authorization under the Visa Waiver Program for visits to the U.S.A., please visit https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/esta.html .
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Smart Traveler Enrollment Program and Privacy
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The U.S. Department of State is committed to ensuring that any personal information
received by our overseas embassies and consulates pursuant to the STEP process,
whether in person or otherwise, is safeguarded against unauthorized disclosure.
The data that you provided the U.S. Department of State is subject to the provisions
of the
Privacy Act
(5 USC 552a). This means that the U.S. Department of State will not
disclose the information you provide us in your STEP application to any third parties
unless you have given us written authorization to do so, or unless the disclosure
is otherwise permitted by the Privacy Act.
AUTHORITY: 22 U.S.C. 2715 and 22 U.S.C. 4802(b).
PURPOSE: To notify U.S. citizens in the event of a disaster, emergency or other
crisis, and for evacuation coordination, the information solicited on this form
may be made available as a routine use to appropriate agencies whether federal,
state, local, or foreign, to assist the Department in the evacuation or provision
of emergency service to U.S. citizens, or for law enforcement purposes. The information
is also made available to private U.S. citizens, known as wardens, designated by
U.S. embassies to assist in communicating with the American community in an emergency.
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