Australians make more than one million trips to the United States each year. Tens of thousands more call the United States home.
Here you can find information about the range of advice and assistance we can provide to Australians travelling and living the United States. You can also find answers to some of the questions our clients most commonly ask and other useful information.
Assisting Australians Overseas
The Consular Services Charter outlines what our consular officers can and cannot do.
While the Australian Government will do what it can to help you, there are circumstances in which our ability to provide assistance will be limited.
Need help?
In most cases, we recommend that you seek assistance from your family, friends, airline, travel agent, bank, tour operator, employer or travel insurance provider in the first instance. We also ask that you consult Smartraveller’s guides to Travelling and Living and Working Overseas, as well as our Frequently Asked Questions and other useful information page.
If your situation is an emergency or you have exhausted these options and still require assistance, you can contact your nearest Australian mission and follow the prompts. After hours, you can contact our 24/7 Consular Emergency Centre in Canberra on +61 2 6261 3305.
If you are in Australia and seeking assistance on behalf of family members or friends in the United States, you can contact the Consular Emergency Centre on +61 1300 555 135.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and other useful information
Every day, we receive calls from Australians with enquiries that are better directed elsewhere. Before calling, consider whether your questions can be better answered by asking your airline, travel agent, bank, tour operator, travel insurance provider, your hotel front desk, or by spending a few minutes searching the internet.
We also ask that you consult Smartraveller’s guides to Travelling and Living and Working Overseas, as well as our Frequently Asked Questions and other useful information page.
This allows us to focus our resources on helping those most in need.
Smartraveller.gov.au - Be informed > Be prepared
The Australian Government’s Smartraveller website provides a range of information and advice to help you make well-informed travel decisions and stay safe while you’re overseas. This includes travel advice for the United States, and advisories for more than 170 other destinations worldwide.
Smartraveller offers a subscription service that allows you to sign up to receive the latest updates to our travel advice and news by email. You can also sign up to receive critical alerts by SMS.
Following Smartraveller on Twitter and Facebook is another easy way to stay up to date while you are travelling.
Be insured - Take cover before you travel
Accidents happen and things go wrong. Before travelling to the United States, take out comprehensive travel insurance that covers where you plan to go and what you plan to do.
Remember: if you can’t afford insurance, you can’t afford to travel!
To help you choose the right cover, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has teamed up with independent consumer advocate CHOICE to produce a helpful travel insurance buyer's guide.
For more information, visit www.smartraveller.gov.au/before-you-go/the-basics/insurance.
Privacy Collection Statement
We may collect, use and disclose your personal information, including to overseas recipients, where we reasonably believe it is necessary to provide you with consular assistance.
Important information about the privacy of your personal information is contained in our Consular Privacy Collection Statement, which you should read and understand. Further information can be found at Smartraveller and at www.dfat.gov.au/about-us/corporate/privacy/Pages/privacy.