AMERICAN CITIZEN SERVICES
Emergency Assistance
The Embassy has a Duty Officer to assist American citizens outside of normal
business hours. The Duty Officer can provide information on medical
facilities, on obtaining emergency funds from home, on dealing with and
replacing lost/stolen items, on reporting crimes, etc. However, most
activities, like obtaining an emergency passport to replace a lost/stolen one,
can only be performed during normal working hours. The Duty Officer can be
reached at tel. 91-587-2200.
Victims of Crime
Spanish authorities have dedicated an English-language telephone number for
victims of crimes who wish to make a police report (denuncia) but do not speak
Spanish. The number is 902-102-112. It operates from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. daily,
and the caller will be instructed on the phone where to find the police station
(comisaría) where they must go to sign the denuncia and obtain a copy.
Please be sure to inform the American Citizens Services unit if you have been
the victim of a crime in Spain.
Medical Assistance / Medical Insurance
In order to help American citizens, who might not speak Spanish, the Embassy
maintains a list of English-speaking physicians in the Madrid area. The
Consulate General in Barcelona and the U.S. Consular Agents throughout Spain can
provide information concerning the availability of health care in their
respective regions. The Department of State
maintains information which may be of use should you
experience a medical problem while outside the U.S.
After hours, the Duty Officer may be able to help an injured/sick American by
contacting friends or relatives in the U.S. or by directing the American to a
near by health care facility. Occasionally, an American citizen will want
help arranging a medical evacuation (medevac) to the United States. There
are no U.S. government funds available to pay for medical treatment or medical
evacuations, and U.S. nationality does not entitle a person to a military
medical evacuation free of charge. Medical evacuations can in fact cost up
to $100,000 and the cost is born by the ill or injured person, the family and or
the medical insurance company.
Please be advised that most American medical insurance policies are not
automatically honored in Spain. You may find it useful to look into the
possibility of obtaining a policy that specifically covers expenses incurred
overseas.
Death of US Citizen Abroad
In the unfortunate event that an American citizen dies in Spain, the American
Citizens Services Unit can assist the family in making arrangements for return
of the remains to the United States, if necessary, or for burial or cremation in
Spain. There are, however, no U.S. government funds available to cover or
defray any of the expenses involved. Please contact the ACS unit if you
experience the loss of a loved one in Spain on 91-587-2240. After hours,
you may call the duty officer on 91-587-2200.
Welfare and Whereabouts Cases
In emergencies, the Embassy can assist private citizens to locate friends or
relatives in our consular district, passing messages if necessary. We are
limited somewhat in this function by the Privacy Act, a U.S. law stating that
the U.S. Government cannot release information concerning an individual without
consent of that individual. If an emergency exists and you have been
unable to contact a loved one in Spain, you may request assistance by contacting
the American Citizens Service Unit at the U.S. Embassy at 34-91-587-2240 (during
Spanish working hours). Our ability to locate a person outside normal
business hours in Spain is severely limited.
Money Transfers
The fastest and easiest method for transferring money to Spain is either through
credit card cash advances or through
Western Union. Money can also be transferred
through the Department of State in an
OCS Trust.
Arrest of an American Citizen Abroad
When arrested, an American citizen has the same rights as a Spanish citizen.
The Embassy has a list of English speaking
attorneys that is available to any American arrestee upon request. If the accused chooses
not to retain an attorney privately, a legal aid attorney (Abogado de Oficio)
will be appointed from the Bar Association.
When an American citizen is arrested in Spain, the Embassy is responsible for
ensuring that the arrestee's legal and human rights are respected. Neither
arrest nor detention deprives an American citizen of a Consular Officer's best
efforts in this respect. At the same time, a Consular Officer cannot act
as the citizen's legal representative nor can the officer solicit preferential
treatment for the prisoner based on citizenship.
The Consular Officer’s Role
Spanish police ordinarily inform the Embassy of the detention of an American
citizen within twenty-four hours of the arrest. The Consular Officer will
come to visit the arrestee as soon as possible after notification. On the
initial visit, the Consular Officer will check on the well-being of the detainee
and the circumstances of the arrest, provide the list of attorneys, and ask for
a Privacy Act Waiver to provide authorization for the consular officer to be in
contact with others regarding the arrest. If necessary, the Consular
Officer will intercede with local authorities to ensure full observance of the
citizen's rights under Spanish law.
If authorized by the citizen to do so, the Consular Officer will notify the
arrested person's family and relay requests for financial or other assistance.
Consular Officers in Spain try to visit detained American citizens in pre-trial
status once every three months. For convicted prisoners, visits are
scheduled every six to twelve months.
The Embassy is obliged to bring evidence of maltreatment or discrimination to
the attention of the Spanish authorities if the citizen so requests.
Crisis Preparedness
What can the U.S. Embassy and State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs do
for Americans caught in a disaster or a crisis abroad? Earthquakes,
hurricanes, political upheavals, acts of terrorism, and hijackings are only some
of the events threatening the safety of Americans abroad. Each event is unique
and poses its own special difficulties. However, for the State Department there
are certain responsibilities and actions that apply in every disaster or crisis.
When a crisis occurs, the State Department sets up a task force or working group
to bring together in one set of rooms all the people necessary to work on that
event. Usually this Washington task force will be in touch by telephone 24 hours
a day with our Ambassador and Foreign Service Officers at the embassy in the
country affected. In a task force, the immediate job of the State
Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs is to respond to the thousands of
concerned relatives and friends who begin to telephone the State Department
immediately after the news of a disaster is broadcast. Relatives want
information on the welfare of their family members and on the disaster.
The State Department relies on its embassies and consulates abroad for hard
information. Often these installations are also affected by the disaster and
lack electricity, phone lines, gasoline, etc. Nevertheless, Foreign Service
officers work hard to get information back to Washington as quickly as possible.
This is rarely as quickly as the press is able to relay information. Foreign
Service Officers cannot speculate; their information must be accurate. Often
this means getting important information from the local government, which may or
may not be immediately responsive.
You can help yourself and your relatives by planning in advance (see
emergency preparedness message):
Register with the
Embassy
Ensure your passport is valid Gather all vital documents into a secure location and
make photocopies which you keep separately
Remain informed by watching the news, reading
newspapers and referring to the State. Department Consular Information Sheets,
Public Announcement, and
Travel Warnings.
Leave your itinerary and contact information with
family/friends at home.
Arrange for regular communications with
family/friends through email or phone calls.
For more information, please see U.S.
Department of Homeland Security Website.
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