The Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv offer a variety of resources to inform the public of conditions abroad that may affect their safety and security. Before traveling to Ukraine, U.S. citizens should read our Country Specific Information to learn about visa and entry requirements, Ukrainian customs regulations, extending a visit to Ukraine, and safety and security information.
Smart Traveler Enrollment Program
We strongly recommend that U.S. citizens traveling to Ukraine enroll with the Embassy by visiting the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) website. Signing up makes your presence and whereabouts known in case it is necessary for a consular officer to contact you in an emergency. During a disaster overseas, U.S. consular officers can assist in evacuation were that to become necessary. However, we cannot help you if we do not know where you are.
Messages for U.S. Citizens and Demonstration Notices
The Embassy periodically provides important news, safety, and security information to U.S. citizens on our webpage and by email to U.S. citizens who have enrolled with STEP. Enrolling helps us get you security warnings and other important information as quickly as possible.
The Embassy also occasionally receives information about planned demonstrations in Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine. As a service to the wider U.S. community, we post this information as a Demonstration Notice on our website.
ACS Facebook Page
The U.S. Citizen Services (ACS) unit of the U.S. Embassy’s Consular Section has established a Facebook page: U.S. Citizen Services/U.S. Embassy Kyiv. On the Facebook page, we post travel alerts, emergency updates, and interesting information relevant to U.S. citizens living in, visiting, or planning to visit Ukraine. The page is also accessible to non-Facebook members who reach the page through a search engine such as Google. Comments or suggestions to improve the Facebook page are welcome. Visit the ACS Facebook page today!
State Department Travel Warnings and Alerts
Travel Warnings are issued to describe long-term, protracted conditions that make a country dangerous or unstable. A Travel Warning is also issued when the U.S. Government’s ability to assist U.S. citizens is constrained due to the closure of an embassy or consulate or because of a drawdown of its staff.
Travel Alerts are issued to disseminate information about short-term conditions, generally within a particular country, that pose imminent risks to the security of U.S. citizens. Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, coups, anniversaries of terrorist events, election-related demonstrations or violence, and high-profile events such as international conferences or regional sports events are examples of conditions that might generate a Travel Alert.
Traveler Redress Inquiries
We occasionally receive complaints from travelers about their treatment at U.S. ports of entry as the results of lookouts, some of which may also generate Transportation Security Administration “no fly” alerts. Neither the U.S. Embassy nor the Department of State has the ability to remove these lookouts or otherwise intervene on a traveler’s behalf.
The Department of Homeland Security Travel Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) is a single point of contact for individuals who have inquiries or seek resolution regarding difficulties they experience during screening while crossing U.S. borders, including denied or delayed airline boarding, denied or delayed entry to the United States, or being continuously referred to additional (secondary) screening. For more information on DHS TRIP, or to request an audit of your case, please visit the DHS TRIP website.
