STEP App Helps U.S. Travelers Access State Department Assistance

Smart Traveler is the official State Department app for U.S. travelers, a mobile travelers' tool with frequently updated official country information, travel alerts, travel warnings, maps, U.S. embassy locations, and more.

With Smart Traveler, you can create personal itineraries, add notes, and organize your trips.

The First Step is a Passport

Hillary Clinton, then Secretary of State, reminds families that they need to get a passport first, then join STEP.

The Mobile App's Resources: STEP

As part of the Smart Traveler app,  there's access to the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). Free STEP enrollment enables the State Department to better assist travelers during natural disasters, unrest in foreign countries, solving lost or stolen passports overseas, or other crises.

As they track your travels, STEP can help family and friends reach you in an emergency. The app provides quick access to the Department's Consular Affairs Facebook and Twitter pages and, when a mobile is shaken, it provides information on a random country.

Who Can Use the STEP Program?

STEP is a free service for U.S. citizens who are traveling to, or living in, a foreign country.

STEP also allows Americans residing abroad to get routine information from the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

What Other Services are Available Overseas?

When you travel, you will find that U.S. consular officers are available at local consulates or embassies. They assist Americans who encounter serious legal, medical, or financial difficulties. Although consular officers cannot act as 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 and can be invaluable resources.

Enroll here today.