U.S. consuls can assist Americans abroad who are temporarily destitute due to unforeseen circumstances. Americans who find themselves in these circumstances should contact the Consulate General or the State Department’s Office of Overseas Citizens Services at 1-888-407-4747 (during business hours) or 202-647-5225 (after hours). Consular officers can help destitute Americans contact family, bank, or employer to arrange for transfer of funds. In some cases, these funds can be wired through the Department of State. For information on how a consular officer can help under these circumstances, see http://travel.state.gov/travel.

Transferring Money from the United States to Eswatini

Except in extremely rare circumstances, private U.S. Citizen should transfer money through private service providers such as MoneyGram. The consular officer may assist in retrieving the money if the U.S. Citizen in distress is unable to accomplish this on their own for some reason. If an officer receives money from a private service on behalf of a U.S. Citizen, it is essential that each transfer of money – from the service to the officer to the U.S. Citizen – is tracked with signed receipts, which should be provided to the American Citizens Service Unit to be scanned into the U.S. Citizen’s assistance case electronically.

Sending Money via State Department — Office of Overseas Citizens Services (OCS)

NOTE: THIS OPTION IS A LAST RESORT.

This service is available only to U.S. citizens in emergency situations. Depositors establish a trust account in a recipient’s name to forward funds overseas. Upon receipt, the Department cashes their cashier’s check or money order and telegraphs the Embassy, authorizing next- workday disbursement. The recipient must contact the Embassy to receive the funds. Unless there is some overriding consideration requiring payments in U.S. dollars, funds are normally disbursed in local currency.