Sometimes concerned relatives and friends call us when they haven’t heard from a loved one who is abroad. We can help to pass messages to these missing U.S. citizens. Consular officers use the information provided by the family or friends of a missing person to locate the individual, and pass the caller’s message. We check with local authorities in Argentina to see if there is any report of a U.S. citizen hospitalized, arrested, or otherwise unable to communicate with those looking for them. Depending on the circumstances, consular officers may personally search hotels, airports, hospitals, or even prisons. The more information that the caller can provide, the better the chances are that we can find the missing U.S. citizen.
Please note that the Privacy Act of 1974 limits what we can tell you about our interaction with any U.S. citizen over 18 years of age. The Embassy cannot release any information about a U.S. citizen’s situation without his or her express permission to waive the Privacy Act. Without this permission we can only notify the individual of your concern and suggest that they contact you directly.
In order to assist us in locating the U.S. citizen abroad, please email BuenosAires-ACS@state.gov and provide as much of the following information as possible:
- Name of the U.S. citizen abroad
- Date and place of birth
- Passport number (if known)
- Itinerary
- Last known address and phone number
- Reason for travel/residence abroad
- Date of last contact
- Other contacts abroad (friends, business associates, hotel, etc.)
- Indicate if this a repetitive pattern or if a similar event has happened in the past
- The reason for your concern
- Your full name, relationship to the missing subject, and contact information, including address, phone numbers and e-mail
For Emergency Family Messages also include:
- Nature of the emergency
- What you want the person told about the emergency
- Name, address, telephone number and relationship with person in the U.S. they should contact