Information for Travelers

Help in an Emergency

In the event that your family needs to reach you because of an emergency at home or because they are worried about your welfare, they should call:

• State Department's Citizen Emergency Center: (202) 647-5225 or toll-free from within the U.S. at 1-888-407-4747. The State Department will relay the message to consular officers in the country in which you are traveling. Consular officers will try to locate you, pass on urgent messages, and, consistent with the Privacy Act, report back to your family.
  
  
• Emergency while in Jamaica: (876) 702-6000 is the U.S. Embassy - Kingston's after-hours emergency number.  For Americans living in or visiting the Grand Cayman Islands, call (876)702-6000 for after-hours emergencies.  If an American citizen has an emergency at night or on the weekend or holiday, he or she may contact these numbers for assistance.  Additionally, American citizens can contact the Embassy duty officer through calling (876) 702-6000 for after-hours emergency help.
  
  
• Reporting Death Abroad: When an American dies in Jamaica or the Cayman Islands, a consular officer notifies the American's family and informs them about options and costs for disposition of the remains.  Costs for preparing and returning a body to the U.S. may be high and must be paid by the family.  In Jamaica, an autopsy is required by law in cases of accidental or sudden death.  Additionally, when appropriate, a consular officer may handle the personal property and/or personal estate of a deceased American.  For more information, click on http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/tips/emergencies/emergencies_1212.html, located on the www.travel.state.gov website under the International Travel section. 
  
  
• If you are a Crime Victim: Each major police station has a tourist police officer to assist foreigners who may be victims of crime.  Through this tourist officer or directly, contact the ACS section in Kingston or the consular agencies in Montego Bay or Grand Cayman for assistance and advice.
  
  
• Assistance in Getting Funds: Should you lose all your money and other financial resources, ACS can help you contact your family, bank or employer to arrange for them to send you money.  Bank wires and Western Union transfers are available in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.

• Airline Contact Information: The Embassy cannot make airline reservations for U.S. citizens.  U.S. citizens should contact airlines directly at the telephone numbers or websites listed in the contact information section.  U.S. citizens who booked their travel to Jamaica through travel agents in the U.S. may want to contact their travel agents for assistance in obtaining new flight reservations.