APP Lyon
Registering With the Consulate
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why should I register?
A: Registration at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate makes your presence and whereabouts known, in case it is necessary for a consular officer to contact you in an emergency. During a disaster overseas, American consular officers can assist in evacuation were that to become necessary. But they cannot assist you if they do not know where you are.
Millions of Americans travel abroad every year and encounter no difficulties. However, U.S. embassies and consulates assist nearly 200,000 Americans each year who are victims of crime, accident, or illness, or whose family and friends need to contact them in an emergency. When an emergency happens, the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate can be your source of assistance and information. By registering your trip, you help us locate you when you might need them the most. Registration is voluntary and costs nothing, but it should be a big part of your travel planning and security. We recommend registering if you are in a country for 30 days or longer.
Also, if a loved one in the States has an emergency and asks the State Department to pass a message to you, we will know how to contact you. You’d be surprised how often this happens – yes, you’ve given your contact info to your relatives in the States, but people forget (or lose) things during crises. Many crises (such as an accident involving a family member) happen during vacations, when your loved ones may not have your contact info with them. If we receive a call asking us to notify you that a loved one has been in an accident and you are in our registry, we can pass the message quickly. If you aren’t registered, we’ll have to try to locate you via other means.
The greater the percentage of Americans who register with the Consulate, the better an idea we have of the size of the community we serve. If resource allocations to Consulates are determined on the basis of the numbers of American citizens served, it’s in your best interest to help us gain a more accurate count.
Q: How do I register?
A: You do not have to come to the Consulate to register – you can access the following website and register online: travelregistration.state.gov. If you do not have internet access, you can submit the one-page registration form, along with a photocopy of the identity page of your passport, by mail. (Call us at 04-78-38- and we’ll mail you as many copies of the form as you need. Registrations are individual, not family, so each American in a family needs his or her own copy of the form.) Our mailing address is 1, Quai Jules Courmont, 69002 Lyon. If, however, you prefer to register in person by coming to the Consulate, you are of course welcome to do so. Like all of our other services, registration is by appointment only – please call 04-78-38-33-03 to schedule an appointment.
Q: How can the embassy or consulate assist me while I am abroad?
A: U.S. consular officers assist Americans who encounter serious legal, medical, or financial difficulties. Although consular officers cannot act as your 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.
Registration through this website is NOT considered proof of U.S. citizenship. If you apply for any American citizen services from the embassy or consulate while abroad, you will be asked by the consular staff to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a U.S. passport or American birth certificate.
Q: If I register, to whom will you release information about me?
A: The Privacy Act of 1974 prohibits us from releasing your personal information without specific permission from you. In accordance with the Privacy Act, information on your welfare or whereabouts may not be released to inquirers without your expressed written authorizations. The Department of State and its overseas embassies and consulates request this information only to inform and assist Americans traveling or residing in foreign countries.
Your personal data will remain in active files for twelve months after the completion of your last trip, your last registration, or your departure date from France. At that time you will receive an e-mail notifying you that your registration data records, log-on, and password will be automatically deleted after three months unless you take steps keep your registration active. We will not archive your registration data. Indefinite registrations of long-term overseas residents will remain in the file indefinitely unless edited or deleted by the registrant.
At the bottom of the registration form are several boxes where you can indicate to whom – if anyone – you would like information about you released in an emergency. For example, if you check “no waiver,” we would be prohibited from releasing any information about you to anyone. You can specify if you want information released to any of the below: family members, friends, legal representative, medical representative, Members of Congress, and/or media. Your waiver can be as limited as you would like – it is possible, for example, to permit us to release information to your brother Fred but not to your brother Dave.
The Department of State and its overseas embassies and consulates request this information only to inform and assist Americans traveling or residing in foreign countries. Remember to leave a detailed itinerary and the numbers or copies of your passport or other citizenship documents with a friend or relative in the United States.
Q: Is registration mandatory?
A: Absolutely not – registration is completely optional.
Q: Is registration only for long-term residents of France or can short-term residents and/or visitors register, too?
A: Registration is open to ALL American citizens, regardless of why (or for how long) they are in France. We even accept registrations from tourists who will be in town for only a short period of time.
Q: Can dual nationals register?
A: Absolutely – registration is open to ALL American citizens, regardless of what other passports they also hold.
Q: Can naturalized American citizens register?
A: Absolutely – registration is open to ALL American citizens. It is particularly important for naturalized American citizens to register so that they do not later have trouble proving their U.S. citizenship in the event that their American passports are lost or stolen.
Q: Can green card holders register?
A: No – registration is only for American citizens, not for legal permanent residents. If a green card holder naturalizes, though, he or she is then welcome (and encouraged) to register.
Q: What if I am already living in France?
Register as a Long-Term Traveler. You then have the opportunity to provide information about your foreign residence, and you can opt to receive information from the nearest embassy or consulate. If you create a password, you can update your personal information on this website at any time.
If you have a residence or contact address in the U.S., use that address as your Personal Information address, and your foreign residence as your Long-Term Trip address. If you do not have a U.S. residence or contact address, use your foreign residence as both your Personal Information address and your Long-Term Trip address.
Q: I just want information about the country I'm visiting.
You don't have to register to get travel information from the Department of State. A current listing of all Travel Warnings, Public Announcements, and Consular Information Sheets can be found at travel.state.gov. If you would like to sign up to get updated information sent to you by email for any country, use the "Travel Info" link at the top of this page. For more details about Travel Registration, use the "Help" link at the top of this page. Find more information at your local U.S. Embassy or Consulate website.
Q: If I do not register, will the Consulate provide me with the same services as someone who has registered?
A: Absolutely – we provide services to ALL American citizens, regardless of whether they have registered. The difference, however, is that prior registration may make it easier for us to help you quickly in an emergency.
Q: What should I do if my contact information changes or if I decide to leave France permanently?
A: Please let us know so we can update (or delete) your information! Your personal data will remain in active files for twelve months after the completion of your stay, according to the date that you provide us. At that time you will receive an e-mail notifying you that your registration data records, log-on, and password will be automatically deleted after three months unless you take steps keep your registration active. No data from registration will be archived. Indefinite registrations of long-term overseas residents will remain in the file indefinitely unless edited or deleted by the registrant.
Q: I spend half my time in France and half my time in Spain. Can I be registered in more than one place at the same time?
A: Yes – in fact, it’s a good idea to do so.