U.S. EMBASSY informational MESSAGES

NOTICE TO U.S. CITIZENS

April 25, 2008

The following Notice Message is for maximum dissemination to U.S. Citizens.



AMERICAN CITIZEN SERVICES CLOSED ON FRIDAYS

As a result of severe cuts in the budget of the Department of State, the American Citizen Services (ACS) section of the embassy must reduce services. Effective May 9, the ACS section of the Embassy will be closed on Fridays for routine consular services (e.g. non-emergency passport applications, notarials, voter registration, tax assistance); however on Fridays we will continue providing emergency services, including emergency replacement of lost/stolen passports where the applicant needs to travel within the next week. Applicants for emergency replacement passports will need to provide proof of the need to travel in the form of a ticket or other documentation.

Within the next few weeks we will introduce additional changes to our operations and hours of service that we believe will minimize the impact of our budget issues on the public. We will keep the American Community informed of additional changes to our services/operations as they occur.