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General Information
Travel and living conditions in Russia can contrast sharply with
those in the United States. This brochure offers advice to help
you avoid inconveniences and difficulties. The Department of State
and the U.S. Embassy and consulates in Russia offer a wide range
of services to U.S. citizens. U.S. consular officials meet regularly
with local authorities to promote the safety of U.S. citizens
in the country.
In advance of your trip, learn as much as you can about your
destination. Your travel agent, local bookstore, public library,
the Internet and the embassy of the country or countries you plan
to visit are all useful sources of information. Another source
is the Department of States Background Notes series, which
features a pamphlet on each country. You
may obtain Background Notes from the State Department home
page at http://www.state.gov.
IMPORTANT: This information in this booklet is
subject to change. Please consult the latest Consular Information
Sheet for the most recent information on each country that you
plan to visit.
Know Before You Go
Before and during your travels, keep abreast of local news coverage.
If you plan to stay in one place for longer than a few weeks,
or, if you are in an area where communications are poor, there
is civil unrest or a natural disaster has occurred, you should
register with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. Registration
takes only a few moments and may be invaluable in case of an emergency.
Here are some other useful precautions:
· Leave a detailed itinerary
and the number of your passport or other citizenship documents
with a friend or relative in the United States.
· Carry your photo identification
and the name of a person to contact with you in the event of
serious illness or other emergency.
· Keep photocopies of your passport,
visa, airline or other tickets and a list of your travelers
checks with you in a separate location from the originals and
leave copies with someone at home.
· Leave things like unnecessary
credit cards and expensive jewelry at home.
· Use a money belt or concealed
pouch for your passport, cash and other valuables.
Consular Information Program
Before traveling, obtain the Consular Information Sheets for
all the countries you plan to visit. You should also check to
see if the Department of State has issued a Travel Warning or
Public Announcement for the country or countries you will be visiting.
Travel Warnings are issued when the Department of State
decides, based on all relevant information, to recommend that
Americans avoid travel to a certain country.
Public Announcements are issued as a means to disseminate
information quickly about relatively short-term and/or regional
conditions that could pose significant risks to the security of
American travelers.
Consular Information Sheets are available for every country
in the world. They include such information as the location of
the U.S. embassy or consulate in the country, unusual immigration
practices, health conditions, unusual currency and entry regulations,
crime and security information, and drug penalties. A description
of political disturbances may be included in the Consular Information
Sheet under an optional section entitled "Areas of Instability."
On limited occasions, the Department also restates in this section
U.S. embassy advice given to official employees. Consular Information
Sheets present information so travelers can make knowledgeable
decisions concerning travel to a particular country. Countries
where we suggest that you not travel will have Travel Warnings
in addition to Consular Information Sheets.
How to Access Consular Information Sheets,
Travel Warnings and Public Announcements
By Internet
The most convenient source of information about travel and consular
services is the Consular Affairs home page on the Internets World
Wide Web. The web site is http://travel.state.gov. If you do not
have access to the Internet at home, work or school, your local
library may provide access to the Internet.
By Telephone
Consular Information Sheets and Travel Warnings may be heard
any time by dialing the office of American Citizens Services at
(202) 647-5225 from a touchtone phone.
By Fax
From your fax machine, dial (202) 647-3000, using the
handset as you would a regular telephone. The system will instruct
you on how to proceed.
In Person/By Mail
Consular Information Sheets, Travel Warnings and Public Announcements
are available at any of the regional passport agencies, field
offices of the Department of Commerce, U.S. embassies and consulates
abroad, or, by writing and sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope
to the Office of American Citizens Services, Bureau of Consular
Affairs, Room 4811, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.
20520-4818.
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