International travel is widely disrupted amid the current geopolitical crisis, after 4 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of flights got cancelled leaving lakhs of Americans stranded in the conflict-ridden Middle-East countries and other parts of Asia due to the airspace closures and restrictions. In such an unprecedented state of emergency abroad, US citizens and nationals (including those of Indian origin) can utilize the federal safety mechanism – Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.
What is US’ Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)?
The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program is a free US government service for Americans abroad. It is recommended US citizens and nationals enroll for STEP before taking international flights to India, Europe, China, Australia, the Middle East, or any other country. The US STEP works like a support and safety instrument for Americans during health emergencies, natural disasters, and geopolitical crises abroad.
Smart Traveler Enrollment Program benefits for Americans
- STEP helps you stay informed, connected and safe abroad
- It updates you on local situations in your residence or destination country
- It gives you alerts and notifications in the event of security issues abroad
- It helps the nearest US embassy or consulate to contact you
- It arranges possible rescue and repatriation for you in the worst case
- It also helps you with replacement of lost or stolen passport abroad
How to sign up for Smart Traveler Enrollment Program
Registering for STEP is very simple and easy. You can sign up for this free federal service on Mytravel.state.gov or Login.gov. The entire process from new account sign-up to trip registration takes 10-15 minutes.
- First, you need to create a user account on Mytravel.state.gov or Login.gov
- To create an account, you fill in your personal details like name, contact information, US address
- Once the account is created, you need to log in and register your current or upcoming international travel
- To register international travel, you must provide certain details, like destination, trip duration, local accommodation, duration of stay at a place, purpose of travel, etc.
- The nearest US embassy or consulate to your local stay in the destination country
When the COVID-19 pandemic brought the global travel industry to a standstill causing not only airspace shutdown but also border closure by mid-2020, the US Department of State launched special flights to repatriate Americans stranded across the world. Those with prior STEP registration were given priority for special flights back to the US then. We at IndianEagle.com, a leading travel tech company in the US, ran an awareness campaign on Smart Traveler Enrollment Program for the stranded Indian Americans in India when commercial civil operations were completely grounded.
