Reading travel advice and registering with your foreign ministry

Embassies and consulates – together called “diplomatic missions” – are your home country's offices abroad. In everyday life they handle things like passports. In a crisis, such as an earthquake, unrest or an evacuation, they face a problem: they do not know how many of their citizens are in the affected region or how to reach them.

Voluntary registration closes this gap. You leave your travel dates, locations and contact details. Warnings and advice can then be sent to you directly, and relatives at home have a point of contact. Examples are the German Federal Foreign Office's crisis preparedness list ELEFAND and the US State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). Other countries have comparable services, often together with an app.

The travel and safety advice is the second part. It describes the security situation, natural hazards, health topics, entry rules and local laws. It is updated continuously, so it is worth reading not just once but before and during the trip.

Registration only helps if the details are correct. Enter a phone number on which you can really be reached abroad and an email address you read while travelling. If your route changes, update the entry. Many services also expect you to deregister the trip after you return.

Just as important is a person at home who has your route, your accommodation and copies of your documents. Agree when you will check in. If that check-in does not come, someone knows that something might be wrong and can follow up.

Also write down the address and emergency number of the responsible embassy or consulate and the local emergency number on paper. If the mobile network is overloaded or your battery is flat, a number stored in your phone does not help much.

Many people imagine that the embassy will immediately send a plane in an emergency. That is not how it works. What embassies and consulates can do is limited and depends on the country and situation. Typical help is information, replacement documents and contact with relatives; support with leaving the country happens only in exceptional cases. Responsibility for planning and insurance stays with you.

In acute danger – an accident, a fire, a flood – the embassy is therefore not the first number. You call the local emergency number and follow the instructions of the local authorities. You also watch for messages from the embassy or consulate, and you inform your relatives as soon as it is safely possible.

People with several citizenships should find out beforehand which mission can help them in the destination country. The rules differ, and sometimes it is not the one you would expect.

The whole preparation takes about fifteen to thirty minutes. Read the travel advice for your destination completely once, not just the headline. Then check whether your country offers registration and sign up. Note the mission's contact details and give your contact person your route.

Make it a habit to read the advice again shortly before departure and while travelling – especially when you hear news of severe weather, unrest or strikes. That way you notice changes early, while you can still decide calmly.