There are a lot of reasons to stay in touch with one of our embassies. Many people do not know that they can help you in a financial emergency. The Department of State has an Overseas Citizens Services (OCS) office that can help a friend or relative establish a trust account so they can forward funds to the marooned party. There is a small processing fee for doing it. The funds will be transferred to the proper embassy for disbursement, and then suitable arrangements are made with the individual so they can receive the funds.

There are other methods of getting funds if a problem occurs on an overseas trip. Western Union can send the money to OCS. It is probably the fastest way to do it. You can learn about identification policies and procedures necessary for the transaction by calling one of the numbers listed below or going to the websites provided.

You can also wire money through a bank or courier service but it will take longer. The time element is much shorter when working with Western Union and the OCS.

1-888-407-4747 Overseas Citizens Services

1-800-634-4322 or http://www.westernunion.com/

http://usembassy.state.gov/

http://travel.state.gov/

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Since the events of September 11, 2001 travel outside of and into the United States has changed significantly. Today we have what is known as The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), and it is being strictly enforced. Its’ birth can be found in the Intelligence Reform and Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA), which requires every traveler to present a passport or other document as a method of identification and citizenship origin when entering the United States. That includes U.S. citizens. An individual may be able to go to areas in the Caribbean and have a wonderful vacation, but could run into difficulty getting back into the United States without proper identification. Anyone re-entering the United States by air must have documents that meet the WHTI regulations. The same policy is true for Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, The Bahamas and 17 different islands in the Caribbean. This policy started in January 2007 and will continue. There are also new procedures for children traveling into these areas. The whole family will be involved.

In the summer of 2008 a plan will start to be implemented to extend the rules to seaports and land ports of entry. It may take some time to fully expedite the program, but commencement of this activity is planned for that time frame.

Following is the list of accepted identification documents that are WHTI compliant as released by The Department of Homeland Security that will be accepted under proposed regulations.

U.S. Passport: U.S. citizens may present a valid U.S. passport when traveling via air, land or sea between the U.S. and the aforementioned Western Hemisphere countries.

The Passport Card: This limited-use, wallet-size passport card is not yet available and is under development. When available it will only be valid for land and sea travel between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean region (includes Bermuda).

Other Accepted Travel Documents: SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST and the U.S. Coast Guard Mariner Document. Members of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty traveling on orders are exempt from the passport requirement. The Department of Homeland Security website has more information on these travel documents. This information may be seen at http://www.dhs.gov/ or http://www.travel.state.gov/.

The goal of these new programs is to make it easier for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors by requiring standardized documentation that enables the Department of Homeland Security to quickly and reliably identify a traveler. It is also an effort to secure our borders and more readily identify those who have no good intentions when they attempt to enter the country. It is an effort by the agency make a more safe and secure environment for American citizens and their neighbors.

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