U.S. Consular Services to Innocents--And Others--Abroad

A Good Job Could Be Better With a Few Changes Gao ID: ID-81-9 November 6, 1980

Every year some 1.8 million Americans abroad find themselves unexpectedly in need of help from the U.S. Government. GAO examined U.S. consular services to American citizens abroad to determine the kinds and quality of services American travelers seek, the adequacy of the State Department's response, and the need for adjustments in either the citizen's expectations or the government's ability to meet them, or both.

A substantial majority of American travelers indicated satisfaction with the consular services they had sought. About a fourth indicated dissatisfaction. Many citizens' complaints about consular performance revealed a lack of understanding about what consulates can and cannot do in the prevailing legal or political circumstances. Other complaints appeared reasonable.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

Director: Team: Phone:


The Justia Government Accountability Office site republishes public reports retrieved from the U.S. GAO These reports should not be considered official, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Justia.