what does the american embassy do? how they help people that need it?

Answer 1

dognhorsemom has directed you to info on the consular assistance provided to Americans: usually in matters relating to tragedy, accident or other emergency, passport and immigration matters, notarizations, and so on.

Consuls also have important responsibilities for shipping, although there aren't a lot of US-flag vessels around anymore, so dognhorsemom probably hasn't seen much of it in the last 21 years.

They assist people who are in jail. There's not much they can do for people properly convicted of something they did, or almost certainly did. But they do a lot (as much as they can, anyway) behind the scenes for people who are wrongfully convicted for political, or tit-for-tat, reasons. Or, for example, on flimsy evidence in a religous court. These are the kinds of cases non-governmental organizations also take up: like the Mirza Tahir Hussein case: http://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions_details.asp?ActionID=116 (UK citizen in Pakistan)

Consular officers visit Americans in prison abroad (even dual nationals, if the host country will allow it). And they provide introductory lists of lawyers and doctors to those who need them.

Then there is the matter of representations on behalf of investors and exporters. That's done by the Foreign Commercial Service at least at a working level. And in the case of confiscations and nationalizations, by the Ambassador.

The fact is, though, that the functions of embassies and consulates have shrunk since about 1970. Communications, the development of credit cards and ATMs, and now mobile telephones have revolutionized access to help for travelers and expatriates. The only thing that a consular official can do that you can't do at a travel agency or via the guys who issued your platinum Amex card has to do with passports and visas.

Beyond that, as far as expatriate and tourist Americans are concerned, except in the most remote places where expats tend to stick together for want of any other companionship, foreign missions mainly wave the flag and (maybe) sponsor July 4 picnics.

Answer 2

This category contains articles on embassies of the United States, which are typically located in capital cities of foreign nations.

A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one state or an international inter-governmental organization (such as the United Nations) present in another state to represent the sending state/organization in the receiving state. In practice, a diplomatic mission usually denotes the permanent mission, namely the office of a country's diplomatic representatives in the capital city of another country.

A Consulate is similar to (but not the same as) a diplomatic office, but with focus on dealing with individual persons and businesses, as defined by the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. A Consulate or Consulate-General is generally a representative of the Embassy in locales outside of the capital city.

Embassy sections:

Consular Section
American Citizen Services
Visa Services
Commercial Service
Liaison Office to European Bank for Reconstruction & Development
Defense Attaché
Foreign Agricultural Service
Customs and Border Protection
Public Affairs
Office of Defense Cooperation
Department of Homeland Security (Immigration)
Internal Revenue Service

Answer 3

Here is all the official information on the services that US embassies provide for traveling Americans.

Answer 4

If you are in a foreign country and you lose your passport, get arrested or have some other problem they can help you out. It's kind of nice to know that there is a place for people from your country no matter where you are.

Answer 5

I would reiterate what" Andy" has typed.