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Sending Money to An American Overseas
8AM - 8PM weekdays; 9AM - 3PM Saturday 202-647-5225
The State Department strongly encourages you to use commercial services,
such as credit card advances, ATMs or Western Union. Locations of
ATMs around the world can be found at http://www.visa.com
and http://www.mastercard.com.
Western Union services are described at http://wumt.westernunion.com/index_consumer.asp
and 1 800 325 6000. These services are generally much faster than
the State Department transfer system.
If you cannot use a commercial service, the State Department will
help you transfer money to a U.S. citizen suffering a financial
emergency abroad.
When you use
this service, we establish a trust account in the recipient's name
and send the money overseas. We charge a $30 processing fee. Remember
this service is only for emergencies.
When we receive
the funds, we authorize the appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate
abroad to disburse the money. Funds are disbursed only during normal
office hours, not during weekends or local holidays when the Embassy
or Consulate is closed. The U.S. citizen abroad must contact the
Embassy or Consulate to arrange receipt. Even if the funds are sent
to the State Department in dollars, they are normally disbursed
in the foreign country's currency.
Whatever method
you choose, be sure to provide your name, address and telephone
number, as well as the recipient's name and overseas location. Otherwise,
the transfer may be significantly delayed.
WESTERN
UNION: Funds sent by Western Union arrive at the State
Department within a few hours. Western Union charges a fee based
on the amount sent and these fees can be substantial. Call Western
Union at 1-800-325-6000 or 4176 or go online at http://wumt.westernunion.com/index_consumer.asp
and follow their instructions to transfer money using a major credit
card. If you do not have a major credit card, call your local Western
Union agent for instructions. Tell Western Union to send the money
and message to: Overseas Citizens Services (OCS), Department of
State, Washington, D.C. 20520, code (overseasemergency) and city
(DC). We have a Western Union checkwriter in our office. If you
send it to any other Western Union office in Washington, it will
be significantly delayed.
BANKWIRE:
Bankwire transfers take several days. Tell your bank that
you want to wire the desired amount, plus $42, to Bank of America,
Department of State Branch, 2201 C St. NW, Washington, DC 20520
at 202-624-4750 via ABA Number: 114000653; Account Number: 7476363838;
Account Name: PUPID State Department; Special Instructions: OCS/Trust
for benefit of (recipient's name), Embassy/Consulate (city, country).
(The $42 dollar surcharge will cover processing fees assessed by
the bank and the State Department.)
Other
Methods: The slowest way to send money is by cashier's
check or money order.
OVERNIGHT MAIL: Send a cashiers check or money
order for the desired amount plus $30 (our fee), made payable to
the Department of State, to: Department of State, CA/OCS, Room 4811,
2201 C St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20520.
Delivery of overnight mail takes 2 to 3 days to reach our office.
REGULAR MAIL: Regular mail can take 3 to 4 weeks
to reach the State Department due to on-going irradiation procedures.
We strongly discourage this method for emergency use.
12/18/02
American Citizens Services
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