Information for Travelers

Warden Information

To assist the traveling public, the Bureau of Consular Affairs and the U.S. Embassy issue Consular Information Sheets, Travel Warnings, Public Announcements, and Warden Messages concerning conditions in countries where Americans may be planning to visit or reside.

In these difficult times the Embassy and Consulates General are actively recruiting American citizens will to volunteer as both Wardens and Alternate Wardens. Wardens must be reachable by phone, e-mail and/or fax.

They generally:

Work with the Embassy to appoint an Alternate Warden from the list of U.S. citizens in your warden zone. With the Alternate Warden, agree on how they will operate the warden notification system within their warden zone. Notify each other if one of them will be absent or out of the country. If both will be away at the same time, they will immediately notify the Warden Coordinator in the Embassy Consular Section he or she will designate a second alternate. Help us regularly update the list of names, street addresses, phone/fax numbers, and e-mail addresses of U.S. citizens in their warden zone. Report all changes to the Embassy Warden System coordinator.

Distribute messages for American citizens relayed from the Embassy to the members of the warden zone who can not receive them directly. Messages will be relayed via e-mail, fax, or telephone. Until we get a second non-emergency contact list operational, messages for American citizens relayed from the Embassy may sometimes be non-emergency in nature, such as information on absentee voting or income tax issues. Wardens use these non-emergency notices to perfect and streamline communication with the Americans in their zone.

Warden notification system.

IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY

• Remain at home office for e-mail, telephone or fax information. You can then distribute this message by the means you have previously set up. In addition, identical information will promptly appear on the Embassy's webpage. Wardens who do not have Internet access can call the Embassy number given to them when they became a Warden.
• Distribute messages from the Embassy regarding the status of the emergency and suggested actions to be taken. Messages should be transmitted word-for-word without interpreting or expanding the message.
• In the event of an emergency such as an earthquake or wide spread civil disturbance, assist the Embassy in ascertaining the well-being of U.S. citizens in the warden zone and take any necessary actions to assist them, including facilitating communication with worried relatives in the U.S.
• In the event of an evacuation, coordinate with Embassy personnel in choosing assembly areas and movement routes, should it be necessary to move people to a central location to facilitate communication, documentation, and/or evacuation.
• Report back to the Embassy the results of efforts to contact the members of your warden zone.

If you are an American citizen who wishes to receive these messages, please register with the nearest Embassy or Consulate.  Click on the ‘Online Registration’ link to your right.