If a foreign national is missing: embassy and consular help
Many people in the affected trekking valleys and border settlements are foreign nationals. Their embassy is a core part of the search — here is how to use it well.
Register the case as well
Consular reporting and a FamilyConnect case work together. The case makes the person searchable by hospitals and partner organisations on the ground; the embassy connects that to authorities and family abroad. Give both the same identifying details and quote your case reference.
What an embassy or consulate can do
- Take a missing person report for their national and pass details to local authorities.
- Issue emergency travel documents if a passport is lost or destroyed.
- Help with welfare checks, hospital liaison and, where needed, repatriation arrangements.
- Coordinate with family at home who may be reporting from another country.
What an embassy cannot do
- Confirm an identity or a death — that rests with local police, medical and forensic authorities.
- Search in the field or access areas closed by local authorities.
- Share another person's case details with you without authorisation.
What to have ready when you contact them
- The person's full name as in their passport, date of birth, nationality and passport number if known.
- Last known location and time, planned route, travelling companions and accommodation.
- Your FamilyConnect case reference, so consular staff and coordinators can cross-reference the same case.
- Your own contact details and your relationship to the person.