Message for U.S. Citizens

Passport Day in the USA and Upcoming Elections

U.S. Consulate General Ciudad Juárez

September 1, 2011

This message contains non-emergency information of interest to U.S. citizens.

Passport Day in the USA:  Planning to travel outside the United States?  First, plan to get your passport!  Did you know that everyone traveling into the interior of Mexico must have a passport?  Even if you are just traveling across the border, you cannot reenter the United States without a passport.  (Children under the age of 16 can reenter by using only their U.S. birth certificate if entering by land or sea, but must have a passport if traveling by air.)  The El Paso Passport Agency will be hosting an event called Passport Day in the USA on Saturday September 17th from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.  They are located at: 303 N. Oregon Street, Suite 700, El Paso, Texas (at the corner of Mills and Oregon Streets, Downtown).  You can submit your passport application to them on that day.  You can learn more about applying for a passport and download the forms at Travel.State.Gov. 

Special Elections:  Nevada, Oregon, and New York will all be holding special elections in the next two months.  If you are a resident of those states go to www.fvap.gov to find out how to register to vote in these elections. 

Register to Vote:  Remember that next year is a presidential election year in the United States.  All U.S. citizens can take steps now to register to vote in next year’s primaries and elections.  To learn about how to vote while living outside the United States, please visit www.fvap.gov. 

Additional information regarding the Consulate’s contact information:

U.S. citizen victims of crime or their families are urged to contact the American Citizens Services unit of the Consulate for advice or assistance.  During regular work hours, the American Citizens Services unit of the Consulate can be reached at (656) 227-3411, by fax at (656) 227-3264 or by email at cdjamericancitizens@state.gov.  In the event of an after-hours serious emergency, the duty officer may be reached at (656) 215-0725. For nonemergency information, please visit our website, http://ciudadjuarez.usconsulate.gov/. 

Americans residing or traveling in Chihuahua are encouraged to enroll in the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) and to update their contact information online or at the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez.  Enrollment in STEP may be done well in advance of travel.  For more information on STEP or to enroll, please visit the Department of State’s Consular Affairs website:  https://travelregistration.state.gov.  We also encourage you to download our free iPhone App, Smart Traveler.  The app allows you to enroll in STEP and to review information on countries around the world.  You can also like us on Facebook to receive emergency messages and routine updates.  Our page is “U.S. Consulate Juarez- American Citizen Services”.

U.S. citizens should also consult the Country Specific Information for Mexico and the Travel Alert for Mexico at the Department’s website: http://travel.state.gov.  This same information is available in the iPhone Application.