Miscellaneous Services

Welfare - Whereabouts and Privacy Act

If requested, the ACS unit of the American Consulate will make every effort to locate Americans who are believed to be in the consular district of Kolkata and are not in communication with family or friends. This is generally done at the request of a family member in the United States.

In these cases the ACS unit of Consulate tries to obtain all pertinent data available on the individuals, and based on the information available, attempts to locate the individuals, determine their welfare, pass on any urgent messages, and, consistent with the Privacy Act, report back the results of their search efforts.

PRIVACY ACT : The provisions of the Privacy Act are designed to protect the privacy rights of Americans. Occasionally, they complicate a Consul's efforts to assist Americans. As a general rule, consular officers may not reveal information regarding an individual American's location, welfare, intentions, or problems to anyone, including the family members and Congressional representatives, without the expressed consent of that individual. Although sympathetic to the distress this can cause concerned families, consular officers must comply with the provisions of the Privacy Act.