Due to an all-day training exercise, the American Citizens Services Unit will be closed for normal operations on Friday, May 23. If you are planning a trip to Chennai for passport renewal or another routine service, please take this closure into account and make arrangements to come another day. As always, citizens needing emergency assistance may be accommodated at any hour.
Bangalore and Hyderabad Outreach May 12-15, 2008
We have scheduled our next passport outreach visits to Hyderabad and Bangalore for May 12-15. An officer will visit Hyderabad on May 12-13 to accept applications for passports and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, as well as perform notary services and voter registration. The officer will be in Bangalore on May 14-15. Appointments for this outreach typically fill up very quickly, so if you are interested in seeing the officer, please send an email to: ChennaiCS@state.gov. Please include in the email the type of service you are requesting, as well as the full name and passport number of any passport applicants. Once the appointment is confirmed you will receive additional instructions, but for the basic requirements for passport applications and other services, please visit our website at http://chennai.usconsulate.gov/travgeninfo.html.
Voter Registration
It's not too late to register to participate in the November general elections! Even if you did not vote in the recent presidential primaries, you may still request an absentee ballot for the general election on November 4. For instructions and forms, please visit our website at http://chennai.usconsulate.gov/voter_registration.html, or the website of the Federal Voting Assistance Program at http://fvap.gov.
Summer Travel Season
As summer approaches and everyone begins preparing for trips to the U.S. or elsewhere, don't forget to verify that your travel documents are all current. Every year a number of unfortunate families have their travel disrupted when they discover too late that one or more family members' passports have expired. Don't let this happen to you! Check your passports well before you travel so you don't have to explain to your children why that dream trip to Florida will just have to wait.
Happy travels!
Olmypic Torch Relay Caution
April 17, 2007
The New Delhi portion of the Olympic Torch Relay will take place on the afternoon of Thursday April 17. Due to a heavy security presence, road closures and crowds, New Delhi Police recommend that non-essential travel be postponed and that alternate routes be used near Raj Path, Vijay Chowk and India Gate. Road closures in this area may begin to appear midday on the 17th but are officially in effect beginning 2pm and are expected to last until 8pm.
The New Delhi police have no specific information about protests in the vicinity of the Chinese embassy but will continue to maintain sizable presence in the area. The current road closures will remain in place. American citizens should monitor news reports to determine the current situation as the day progresses. The Embassy wishes to remind American citizens to avoid crowds as demonstrations in India can occur or escalate spontaneously and pose risks to personal safety.
The Embassy strongly recommends that all American citizens in India register their presence and check for the latest security information on the Department’s Internet website at http://travel.state.gov.
For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Internet website at http://travel.state.gov where the current Worldwide Caution Public Announcements can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States, or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
U.S. citizens may contact the American Citizens Services Unit of the Embassy or the Consulates General for further information. Each of the telephone numbers listed below is available 24 hours a day for emergency services.
---The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi is located at Shanti Path, Chanakya puri 110021; telephone +91-11-2419-8000; fax +91-11-2419-8407. The Embassy’s Internet home page address is http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov.
---The U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai is located at Lincoln House, 78 Bhulabhai Desai Road, 400026, telephone +91-22-2363-3611; fax +91-22-2363-0350. Internet home page address is http://mumbai.usconsulate.gov.
---The U.S. Consulate General in Kolkata is at 5/1 Ho Chi Minh Sarani, 700071, telephone +91-33-3984-2400; fax +91-33-2282-2335. The internet home page address is http://kolkata.usconsulate.gov.
---The U.S. Consulate General in Chennai is at 220 Anna Salai, Gemini Circle, 600006, telephone +91-44-2857-4000; fax +91-44-2857-4344. The Internet home page address is http://chennai.usconsulate.gov.
ISKCON TEMPLE, VRINDAVAN, UTTAR PRADESH
An article in the local media reports that a threat has been made against the International Society for Krishna Consciousness Society (ISKCON) temple in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh. The reported threat notes that a "large number of Americans" frequent the temple. While the credibility of this threat has not yet been determined, Indian security officials are taking this threat seriously. American citizens traveling through Vrindavan, some three hours SE of New Delhi, are advised to avoid the ISKCON temple on January 25 and 26, the dates specifically mentioned in the threat. Those resident in the area should increase their security measures and remain vigilant.
Americans living or traveling in India are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department's travel registration web site, https://travelregistration.state.gov/, and to obtain updated information on travel and security within India. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the U.S. Embassy or the nearest Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency.
For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Internet website at http://travel.state.gov where the current Worldwide Caution Public Announcements can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States, or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
U.S. citizens may contact the American Citizens Services Unit of the Embassy for further information. The telephone number listed below is available 24 hours a day for emergency services.
---The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi is located at Shanti Path, Chanakya puri 110021; telephone +91-11-2419-8000; fax +91-11-2419-8407. The Embassy’s Internet home page address is http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov
U.S. Embassy, New Delhi
AVIAN INFLUENZA INFORMATION FOR AMERICAN CITIZENS
The United States Mission is monitoring carefully the outbreak of H5N1 Avian Influenza in Eastern India. The Government of India has confirmed that the outbreak is spreading to other districts of the state of West Bengal, and unconfirmed reports have been received from districts near Kolkata. U.S. citizens should monitor local media for developments and the latest information on affected areas so that they can avoid travel to the areas with concentrations of the disease. It is also very important that U.S. citizens follow the advice of local government health officials who are responding to the outbreak.
All U.S. citizens are encouraged to practice good hygiene, such as washing hands, scrupulously cleaning food preparation areas, and fully cooking food. In addition, U.S. citizens are advised to avoid close contact with any fowl, such as chickens and ducks, to stay clear of any sick birds, and to not visit “wet” markets where poultry are slaughtered.
The U.S. Consulate General in Kolkata will host a “town hall” meeting on Friday, January 25, 2008, at 2:30 PM for all U.S. citizens to answer questions regarding Avian Influenza. The meeting will take place in the Lincoln Room at the American Center, located at 38-A, Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Kolkata 700 071.
While it is possible that humans will eventually contract this deadly disease, U.S. citizens in India are reminded that Avian Influenza is primarily a disease of birds. People who have contracted Avian Influenza have generally had close and prolonged contact with infected birds (usually chickens or ducks), their feces, or their blood. Human-to-human transmission has been exceptional, and has been the result of sustained, close contact with the infected individual.
All U.S. citizens should consider their medium-term plans in the unlikely event that Avian Influenza ever becomes a virulent human disease, or pandemic flu. Pandemic planning information is available at www.pandemicflu.gov.
For further information on avian influenza, the U.S. Embassy suggests that you consult the U.S. Department of State's Avian Influenza Fact Sheet at http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/health/health_1181.htm, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) web site at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/index.htm. World Health Organization (WHO) guidance related to Avian Influenza is available at http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/.
Americans living or traveling in India are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department's travel registration web site, https://travelregistration.state.gov/, and to obtain updated information on travel and security within India. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the U.S. Embassy or the nearest Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency.
For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Internet website at http://travel.state.gov where the current Worldwide Caution Publics Announcements can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States, or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
U.S. citizens may contact the American Citizens Services Unit of the Embassy or the Consulates General for further information. Each of the telephone numbers listed below is available 24 hours a day for emergency services.
---The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi is located at Shanti Path, Chanakya puri 110021; telephone +91-11-2419-8000; fax +91-11-2419-8407. The Embassy’s Internet home page address is http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov.
---The U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai is located at Lincoln House, 78 Bhulabhai Desai Road, 400026, telephone +91-22-2363-3611; fax +91-22-2363-0350. Internet home page address is http://mumbai.usconsulate.gov.
---The U.S. Consulate General in Kolkata is at 5/1 Ho Chi Minh Sarani, 700071, telephone +91-33-3984-2400; fax +91-33-2282-2335. The internet home page address is http://kolkata.usconsulate.gov.
---The U.S. Consulate General in Chennai is at 220 Anna Salai, Gemini Circle, 600006, telephone +91-44-2857-4000; fax +91-44-2857-4344. The Internet home page address is http://chennai.usconsulate.gov.
Information for Travelers
General Information
Warden Messages
Adult Applications by Mail
Public Announcements
Worldwide Caution
Consular Services
