Arrest or Detention Abroad

The U.S. Department of State, along with our embassies and consulates abroad, helps detained U.S. citizens and their families. We help within our authority and follow international, domestic, and foreign laws.

• Understand that you are subject to the local laws and regulations while visiting or living abroad. 
• Learn which laws might be different from the laws in the United States. We provide information in the Local Laws and Customs section of the Travel Guidance of our destination information pages. 
• For more information on a specific destinations’s laws, contact that country’s embassy or consulate in the United States before you travel. 

• Ask detaining authorities to notify the U.S. embassy or consulate.
• Reach out to the U.S. embassy or consulate for your destination to let us know of the arrest or detention.

A U.S. citizen arrested or detained abroad might feel confused and afraid. The detainee might be in a new place and may not know the local language, customs, or laws.

We can: 

• Provide a list of local attorneys who speak English. 
• Reach out to family, friends, or employers of the detained U.S. citizen, normally with written permission from the detainee. 
• Visit the detained U.S. citizen on a regular schedule.  
• Bring reading materials and vitamin supplements when needed. 
• Request that local officials provide adequate and appropriate medical care.  
• Provide a general overview of the local criminal justice process. 
• Upon request, ensure that local officials allow visits with a member of the clergy of the religion of the detainee’s choice.
• Assist family and friends to send money to the detained U.S. citizen.

We cannot:

• Get U.S. citizens out of detention. 
• State to a court that anyone is guilty or innocent. 
• Provide legal advice or represent U.S. citizens in court. 
• Serve as official interpreters or translators. 
• Pay legal, medical, or other fees. 

The Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs provides information on the U.S. Department of State’s role in wrongful detentions.