AsiaLIFE

To the uninitiated, life inside an embassy is shrouded with mystery and 007 spies lurking in the shadows. Craig Gerard breaks past the fortress walls to find out what your country’s embassy can do for you.

It is late on a Saturday night and your tuk tuk is involved in a fairly serious accident. While you wait for emergency services to arrive and contemplate a trip to the hospital, you take out your phone and start to scroll through your programmed numbers. Who do you call? If you are an expat, you may call your embassy first. It is reassuring to hear a familiar accent on the other end of the line. Someone who can provide sound advice during a stressful moment is a valuable resource to have. But does your embassy even know you are here?

For most consulates, registering is a relatively quick and painless online application, which has many benefits and very little downside. Usually, the system covers all countries that you visit, so once you have an account, you only need to update your travel information. Registering with your embassy provides them important emergency contact information, should you require assistance.

The Discreet American

“We respect people’s right to privacy,” says Consular Chief Anita Allegra at the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh. U.S. residents registering with the State Department can designate individuals who are eligible to receive information about the traveller. Nobody else can access that information. “Some people are hesitant to register because they feel like the government is keeping tabs on them,” explains Anita, “but this isn’t the case.” The system doesn’t store information regarding travellers past their stated departure date. There simply isn’t sufficient space. However, while in Cambodia, an American registered with the embassy will receive email notifications with important travel news. For example, when the airport in Bangkok was closed for a few days in 2008, registered travellers in Cambodia were notified.

But it isn’t all emergency and disaster in the U.S. consular section. Those who register at the American Embassy will receive an email about tickets to the community wide Fourth of July party at the embassy. American Citizen Services can help with a whole host of items, including issuing new passports, reporting on the birth of a new child, and collecting and sending in ballots during an election year. Appointments can be made online, giving the officer assisting you the chance to gather the necessary information before you arrive. Walk-in appointments are still available.

True Brit

British Embassies around the world initiated LOCATE about a year ago with the catch phrase – “If we can’t find you, we can’t help you.” The worldwide online registration system allows travellers to register their next of kin or an emergency contact and locations where they plan to reside. Nicola James, the Consular Section Chief at the British Embassy here in Phnom Penh explains that the service not only helps inform British citizens in Cambodia of emergencies, but also helps families in the U.K. get in touch with their relatives here.

“If a traveller always calls home on Sundays, but misses a particular week, the family back home can get nervous,” says Nicola. “LOCATE helps our officers get in touch with that individual to let them know their family is trying to reach them.” Registration on LOCATE is good for one year. After that time, an email is generated asking the person to reconfirm their location or add in a new residence. If no response is received within a month, that account is cleared from the system. The British Embassy in Phnom Penh also offers a host of consular services, including birth and death registration, witness signatures, marriage affidavit and the necessary certificate of no impediment, as well as Khmer/English translations.

I Come from a Land Down Under

The Australian Embassy also offers an online registration. The Phnom Penh embassy’s website is chock full of comprehensive information of services provided (and not provided) to Australians living and travelling abroad. Travel warnings, tips, bulletins, and country specific advisories are all available on the Smartraveller website. Visitors to the Australian Embassy can admire the brand new environmentally friendly building, while enjoying standard consular assistance such as help with changes in family size, passport renewals and advice on police clearances. No appointments are necessary, walk-ins are available from 8am-5pm Monday through Friday.

U.S. Embassy website: http://cambodia.usembassy.gov/

U.K. Embassy website: http://ukincambodia.fco.gov.uk/en/

Australian Embassy website: http://www.cambodia.embassy.gov.au/

Smartraveller website: http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/