REQUEST YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW!

Request your absentee ballot now to vote in upcoming mid-term elections. Complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). The FPCA is accepted by all local election officials in all U.S. states and territories. You can complete the FPCA online at www.FVAP.gov.

American Citizen Services Contact us if you have any questions at ACSSanSal@state.gov.. Please enroll in STEP, our free travel messaging program.

Visit step.state.gov.

FALL 2018

EMBASSY UPDATES NEWSLETTER FOR U.S. CITIZENS IN El SALVADOR

OUR LIFELINE IN THE FIELD: CITIZEN LIAISON

VOLUNTEERS

Citizen Liaison Volunteers (or CLVs) are an essential connection between the Em-bassy and the U.S. community in El Salvador. They play a key role when it comes to emergency preparedness.

To continue enhancing our capacity to assist U.S. citizens, on June 18th ACS held a small workshop for the volunteers that live in the central region of El Salvador and who weren’t able to attend the larger May conference.

Innovative activities during these events focused on providing hands-on trainings instead of extensive presentations as it has proven to be more effective to engage volunteers.

During the workshop, the Office of Information Management provided training on emergency communication equipment. And through a table top exercise, volun-teers learned more about their role and provided valuable information about the cities where they live and the resources available for U.S. citizens in those areas.

Are you connected to the U.S. citizen community in El Salvador?

Consider volunteering to serve both the United States and El Salvador as a Com-

munity Liaison Volunteer. Volunteers, formerly known as wardens, are essential in

helping us connect with the U.S. citizen community and in in facilitating

communication in the event of natural disasters.

We are always looking for well-connected members of the U.S. citizen community

in El Salvador. For more information email ACSSanSal@state.gov.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

EL SALVADOR!

El Salvador will celebrate its independence day on | September 15

th. Salvadorans

spend this special day enjoying parades. Most towns will organize a parade and people of all ages will come to participate or watch the parade.

But before you head out to participate in or watch an Independence Day parade in El Salvador, be sure to keep your safety in mind:

Wear sun screen, protec-tive clothing, and a hat

Lock your car and house

Do not leave valuables unattended

Keep your money and phone in a secure location

Let family and friends

know your location

RENEW YOUR

PASSPORT

Not sure what form to use in

your upcoming passport

application?

Let’s break it down for you:

All forms are free to fill out and download at www.travel.state.gov. There is no cost to reserve a passport appointment at the Embassy. You will pay for the passport ser-vice at the Embassy upon arrival. Please don’t waste your money on an asesoria!

Volume 2, Issue 4

SPRING 2015

2 U.S. Embassy San Salvador

Final Boulevard Santa Elena, Antiguo Cuscatlán, La Libertad | Telephone: (503) 2501-2999, Fax: (503) 2501-2150

UPCOMING HOLIDAYS &

CLOSURES

Consular Section in the U.S. Embassy are closed on the following dates:

Labor Day September 3

Independence Day September 15

Columbus Day October 8

All Soul’s Day November 2

Veteran’s Day November 12

Thanksgiving November 22

Christmas December 25

To find the most up-to-date listing of holiday closures visit: https://sv.usembassy.gov/

embassy/holiday-calendar/

ALMOST OUT OF PASSPORT PAGES?

Most countries require that you have open space for an entry and exit stamp in your

passport. Be sure to apply for your replacement before you need to travel. It takes

around two weeks to get your new passport. Apply today!

LOOKING YOUR BEST!

Are you going to renew your passport soon? Make sure to check out this helpful guide to getting the perfect passport picture.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/requirements/photos.html

The best source of information on weather, seismologi-cal activity, and the day-to-day environmental news in El Salvador is the Ministry of the Environment and Nat-ural Resources (MARN based on the Spanish initials). MARN provides up-to-date information on their twitter feed. Not only is it is a great place to check after an earth-quake, MARN also publishes information on surfing

conditions and weather. To get the best up-to-date information on conditions in El Salvador follow @MARN_SV on Twitter or Like their feed on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/marn.gob.sv/.

SPOTLIGHT ON MARN

Use the DS-11 if any of these apply to you:

Use the DS-82 if all of these apply to you:

Under 16 years old

First passport as an adult

Lost their previous pass-port

Hasn’t had a 10-year validity passport in the past 5 years

Applicant has a 10 year validity passport to replace

That passport was issued less than 15 years ago

The passport is not badly damaged

RAINY SEASON IS UNDERWAY!

The rain has arrived in El Salvador and with it the chance of flood-

ing. One way to prepare for rainy season is to make sure you

emergency kit is stocked and ready to go. Now is a good time to

look at your kit and refresh your supplies. Have any food items or

batteries expired? Do clothing items still fit? Do you have up-to-

date documents packed in plastic bags? A detailed list of suggest-

ed emergency kit items appears in our Emergency Planning

Guides for tsunamis, floods, and earthquakes. Have you started

preparing your emergency kit?

Send us your photos at ACSSANSAL@state.gov.

U.S. Embassy San Salvador

Final Boulevard Santa Elena, Antiguo Cuscatlán, La Libertad | Telephone: (503) 2501-2999, Fax: (503) 2501-2150 3

NEW APPOINTMENT SCHEDULE FOR ACS Effective June 4th the ACS unit appointments schedule changed. Previously, we received Passports renewals and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBA) any day of the week from Monday through Friday.

However, we realized that in order for us to provide better customer service, we needed to modify the internal working flow and reconsider the appointment schedule.

In June, we decided to streamline our appointments. This new blocked appointment system consists of scheduling passport renewals and first-time customers typically on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we receive families who are applying for CRBAs. This system helps us review and pro-cess applications in a timely manner, therefore making customers more comfortable by reducing the time spent in the waiting area. This also helps us as a unit to do our job better, be more efficient, and to better organize our time.

Finally, to minimize the disruption of work flow, we have changed our pick-up schedule for Passports and CRBAs to be mainly blocked at the end of the mornings.

Customers may come to pick up their documents:

Monday through Thursday from 10:00a — 12:00p

Fridays from 8:00a — 11:00a (except the first Friday of the month when ACS will

be closed).

HAVE AN APPOINTMENT AT THE

EMBASSY?

Print out and fill in the correct form before

arriving.

Bring copies of all of the required documents.

If you do not have photo copies you will be charged $1.00 per copy. *Copies do not need to be in color.

Arrive on time. If you arrive more than 15

minutes late we will ask you to reschedule.

Plan ahead, you will not be allowed to bring

your cell phone into the Embassy with you.

All of the information you need to make a success-ful appointment is here: https://sv.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/

passports/

4 U.S. Embassy San Salvador

Final Boulevard Santa Elena, Antiguo Cuscatlán, La Libertad | Telephone: (503) 2501-2999, Fax: (503) 2501-2150

S mart T raveler E nrollment P rogram

A SERVICE OF THE BUREAU OF CONSULAR AFFAIRS

U.S. Department of State Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)

All U.S. citizens who live abroad and travel extensively to foreign countries are encouraged to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.

BY ENROLLING IN STEP:

Help your family and friends get in touch with you in case of an emergency.

Help the U.S. Embassy or Consulate contact you in case of a crisis in the places you visit.

Receive the most current information about El Salvador and any of the countries where you plan to travel to, including Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts.

This graphic from ACS was posted on the Embassy’s Facebook

with growing interactions and shares!

PROMOTING STEP VIA SOCIAL MEDIA

It is the core mission of U.S. Embassies and Consulates to protect the lives and interests of U.S. citizens traveling abroad. Enrolling in STEP allows the U.S. Embassy to contact you easily in emer-gency cases to provide you with safety and securi-ty information. American Citizen Services (ACS) launched a summer STEP Outreach Campaign to raise awareness about the STEP program and the benefits of enrolling in it. This campaign utilizes Facebook and Twitter and email messaging to reach U.S. citizens to inform them about any incidents that might impact travels within a foreign country.

BENEFITS OF ENROLLING IN STEP

Enrolling in STEP has many benefits! Whether you are a frequent traveler or planning your first trip abroad, you can enroll your trip to receive important information about safety condi-tions in your destination country. Enrolling your trip in STEP helps the U.S. Embassy or Consulate contact you in an emergency such as a natural disaster, civil unrest, or family emergency. If you are planning a trip or want updates on a spe-cific overseas destination, you can sign up to receive Travel Advisories via email. This program can help you make safe and informed travel decisions in the future. If you are a frequent traveler, you can create an account to quickly enroll your trips every time you travel. Lastly, STEP is smartphone accessible – making it efficient and convenient to use!

Real Life Examples

Here are a few examples of recent natural disasters and civil unrest in which it would be helpful for U.S.

citizens in these countries to receive STEP updates:

June 3: Volcanic eruptions in Guatemala

August 2: Demonstrations in Bangladesh over road safety

August 5: 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia with severe aftershocks

5 U.S. Embassy San Salvador

Final Boulevard Santa Elena, Antiguo Cuscatlán, La Libertad | Telephone: (503) 2501-2999, Fax: (503) 2501-2150

Salvadoran Red Cross:

Phone: 2222-5155,

Website: Red Cross

Salvadoran Green Cross

Phone: 2284-5792

Website: Green Cross

Local Police:/ La Policia

Emergency Phone: 911 or visit

the nation wide directory to call a spe-

cific PNC delegation.

Website: Policia Nacional Civil or PNC.

Fire Fighter Department:

Phone: 913 or 2527-7300, you may also

see visit their phone directory.

Website: Bomberos de El Salvador

Protección civil:

Phone: 2527-7122

Website: Protección Civil

U.S Embassy in El Salvador

American Citizen Services

Phone: 2501 2999

Email: ACSSANSAL@State.gov

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER!

One of the best ways to keep informed is through social media. Here are some Twitter handles to follow to stay up-to-date on what is going on in El Salvador:

@USAmbSV U.S. Ambassador Jean Manes

@USCitSV

American Citizen Services El Sal-vador

@USEmbassySV U.S. Embassy San Salvador

@MARN_SV

Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources

@PNC_SV National Police El Salvador

@SismoSV

Seismological Events in El Salva-dor

@AMChamSal

American Chamber of Commerce El Salvador

@TravelGov

Travel.gov by the U.S. State De-partment

@embsvusa

El Salvador Embassy in the United States

@CruzRojaSal The Red Cross El Salvador

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!

Here are a few Facebook pages you can like to stay up-to-date with what is going on in El Salvador.

You can search for the @ on Facebook or in messenger to find the pages easily.

@embajadaamerican-

aelsalvador

U.S. Embassy San Salvador

@TravelGov Travel.Gov by the U.S. State Department

@marn.gob.sv Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources

STAY CONNECTED!