COVID-19 RELATED GUIDANCE

STEP – Smart Traveler Enrollment Program

The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a free service to allow U.S. citizens and nationals traveling and living abroad to enroll their trip with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

Benefits of Enrolling in STEP

• Receive important information from the Embassy about safety conditions in your destination country, helping you make informed decisions about your travel plans.
• Help the U.S. Embassy contact you in an emergency, whether natural disaster, civil unrest, or family emergency.
• Help family and friends get in touch with you in an emergency.

Visit the STEP Website for more information.

About Us

Welcome to the U.S. Citizen Services Section of the Consulate General Belfast. We provide passport and other consular services to U.S. Citizens in Northern Ireland.   There is no Internal Revenue Service (IRS), or Social Security Administration (SSA) representation in Belfast.  The IRS office at the U.S. Embassy in London has closed but we maintain a list of links and tax-preparation services.  For information about the Federal Benefits/Social Security Administration, please see here.

PASSPORT SERVICES
If you need to renew an adult passport and you do not plan to travel within the next 4 weeks and you are eligible for passport renewal by-mail, please follow the instructions at Adult Passport Renewal to submit your application by mail to Embassy London.

Most other passport services require an appointment. Appointments are booked online – instructions on how to book an appointment together with application forms and information about documentary requirements can be found under Select the Service You Require on the Passport Services page. If no appointments are available when you first check the online booking calendar, please check it regularly for newly released appointments and cancellations.

If you are unable to schedule an appointment online at least 4 weeks before you plan to travel, please email acsbelfast@state.gov stating your location in Northern Ireland, the service(s) you require and your intended travel date.

OTHER U.S. CITIZEN SERVICES 
For any other U.S. Citizen Service, email acsbelfast@state.gov for a response during office hours. In the case of a genuine emergency involving a U.S. citizen outside of normal business hours, phone 020-7499-9000 if dialing from the UK or 011-44-20-7499-9000 if dialing from the United States.

NOTARY SERVICES
Notary services are suspended until further notice. If your requirement is a matter of urgency, you may consider going through the British system for notarial services. Documents notarized in this way are acceptable for use in the U. S. as they comply with the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. Notarization under this system is a two-step process.

Step 1: Have your documents signed in front of a local Solicitor or Notary Public.

Step 2: Have the documents legalized by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

Out of Hours Emergency Contact Information

In the case of a genuine emergency involving a U.S. citizen outside of normal business hours, see Emergency Contact details.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

An extensive list of FAQs covering U.S. passports, U.S. citizenship, registering with the Embassy (or Consulate), the I94 form, Criminal Record Checks, marriages and so forth, is available from the Embassy webpages.