The intention of this policy is to ensure that, in case of a crisis, all Reliant-affiliated personnel are registered and able to be helped by the US State Department. There are many examples of State Department aid that was given only to those US citizens registered as being in the foreign country. If a crisis occurred on a large scale, the US State Department’s resources outweigh Reliant’s resources. Because this organization values its field members, we want to utilize all possible resources in a crisis.
Reliant is requiring that all team members and official visitors register prior to arrival in a foreign country. As a matter of policy, Reliant maintains up-to-date registration of all persons in foreign countries whether at high or low risk. You can register with the embassy using the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program below.
As soon as the decision is made to have Reliant team members in a foreign country, the team member or field leader should make contact with the US Embassy or Consulate. Making contact and building rapport with an individual, particularly one of the Regional Security Officers (RSO), at the Embassy or Consulate can pay huge dividends during crisis situations. The team member, field leader, or field security representative should ensure exactly what assistance and services can be provided by the Embassy during a crisis situation to include current and updated warnings and Embassy guidance on emergency procedures for anticipated crisis events.
Travel.State.Gov (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/emergencies.html) is one resource to give you contact information for your local U.S. embassy or consulate. The other resource is the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.
The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)
The State Department’s Office of American Citizens Services and Crisis Management (ACS) administers the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a free service to allow U.S. citizens and nationals traveling and living abroad to enroll with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. STEP is used to inform the public of conditions abroad within a specific country that may affect safety and security to assist you in making informed decisions using travel alerts and warnings. It will also help the U.S. Embassy contact you in an emergency (whether natural disaster, civil unrest, or family emergency, etc.) They will also assist in helping family and friends get in touch with you in an emergency. STEP also has country contact information such as the address for the closest U.S. consulates, the off-duty embassy call number as well as the in-country emergency "911" numbers for police and medical emergencies. You can register for the STEP program through the website https://step.state.gov/step/. We highly recommend downloading the STEP app to receive alerts and be able to contact American Citizens Services (see below) as well as local emergency numbers from your phone. According to the American Consular Services, information is held in strict privacy and is not shared with local governments.
American Citizens Services
The State Department’s Office of American Citizens Services and Crisis Management (ACS) supports the work of overseas Embassies and Consulates in providing emergency services to Americans traveling or living abroad. They also assist in non-emergency matters of birth, identity, passport, citizenship, registration, judicial assistance, and estates. ACS can facilitate the transfer of funds overseas to assist U.S. citizens in need, repatriate the remains of U.S. citizens who have died overseas, assist victims of crime, and help U.S. citizens who are detained in foreign prisons. The ACS operates a 24-hour Duty Officer Program and Crisis Response Teams who work on task forces convened to deal with natural or man-made disasters. ACS can be contacted at Overseas Citizens Services:
