The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program is a free service that tells the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate that you are in the country, and lets them send you security updates while you are there. It takes a few minutes, costs nothing, and its value is entirely in the situation where something happens at a larger scale than your own trip.
The short version
- Free, and it takes a few minutes. There is no reason not to.
- It does two things: sends you updates, and tells the embassy you are there.
- Enroll for every country on the itinerary, not just the main one.
- Add an emergency contact at home, which is how a consulate reaches your family.
- It is not tracking. You supply an itinerary; nobody follows your phone.
What You Need to Know
Enrollment is a short form: who you are, where you will be and when, how to reach you there, and who to contact at home. In return the nearest embassy or consulate can send you security updates for that country, and knows you are present if something occurs that affects Americans in the area.
What it is useful for
- Receiving alerts about demonstrations, security incidents, weather events and changes in local conditions, sent to you rather than waiting to be found.
- Being contactable in a large-scale event, which is the scenario it exists for.
- Letting family reach you through the consulate if they cannot reach you directly.
What it is not
It is not a tracking service, not a rescue guarantee, and not a substitute for insurance. Enrolling does not summon anybody; it makes you findable and informable. It also does not replace telling someone at home where you are going, which remains the more useful of the two.
How it fits with everything else
Of the 211 destinations the State Department publishes country information for, 25 name the enrollment program directly in their safety information, and the advisory for a country is the document the alerts elaborate on. Enrollment is best understood as the delivery mechanism for the reading you have already done, not as a replacement for it.
What to Do Before Your Trip
- Enroll once you have dates and accommodation, a few weeks out.
- Add every country on the itinerary, including longer transits.
- Give a working email you will actually read while traveling.
- Add an emergency contact at home, with a current number.
- Update it if the plan changes, which takes a minute.
Organizing a group? Enrollment is individual. Ask each traveler to do their own rather than submitting a list, and set a deadline with the other pre-departure tasks.
Explore group travel planningImportant Considerations
Enrollment is per traveler and per itinerary. A group leader cannot usefully enroll on everyone’s behalf, because the value is in the embassy holding each person’s own contact details and each person receiving their own alerts. Make it one of the pre-departure tasks you collect confirmations for.
Non-U.S. citizens should enroll with their own government’s equivalent service. Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand all operate registration or alert schemes of their own, and a traveler on a non-U.S. passport is served by their own consulate rather than by a U.S. one.
Expect the alerts to be occasionally routine and occasionally very useful. That is the correct ratio for a warning system, and the temptation to unsubscribe after the third unremarkable message is worth resisting until you are home.
Tips for Group Travelers
- Put enrollment on the pre-departure list with a date.
- Ask for confirmation, as with insurance.
- Tell non-U.S. travelers to use their own government’s scheme.
- Ask people to forward alerts that mention the itinerary.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Enrolling only for the main country.
- Using an email you will not read abroad.
- Leaving the emergency contact blank.
- Assuming it replaces insurance, or telling someone at home.
- Not updating it when the itinerary changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is STEP?
The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, a free U.S. State Department service. You register your trip with the nearest embassy or consulate, which then sends you security updates for that country and knows you are present if something happens that affects Americans there.
Is it worth enrolling for a short trip?
It takes a few minutes and costs nothing, so the threshold is very low. The alerts alone are useful on any trip, and the case for being contactable does not depend on how long you are staying.
Does STEP track my location?
No. You supply an itinerary; nothing follows your phone or your movements. The information the consulate holds is what you typed into the form, which is why keeping it current matters if your plans change.
I am not a U.S. citizen. What should I do?
Enroll with your own government’s equivalent. Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand all operate registration or alert services, and in an emergency you would be assisted by your own consulate rather than a U.S. one.
Related Travel Tips
- Safety and security, the section this guide belongs to.
- What to Do in an Emergency Abroad. When enrollment matters.
- Understanding U.S. Travel Advisories. What the alerts elaborate on.
- Emergency Contacts to Carry. Including the embassy.
Plan Your Trip With LABUSA Travel
Enrollment is a small task that is easy to leave undone. LABUSA Travel puts it on the pre-departure list with everything else that has a deadline.
Talk with a LABUSA Travel advisor about a trip you are considering, or browse our destination guides for a specific country.
Verify Before You Travel
The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program is operated by the U.S. Department of State, and U.S. embassies link to it directly. Travelers on other passports should use their own government’s service, such as Global Affairs Canada or New Zealand’s SafeTravel.
Travel requirements, health guidance and safety conditions can change. Always confirm current requirements with the appropriate government or official authority before departure.