Guides for Americans abroad

Plain-English guides to the “what if” questions that come up when you live outside the US, with links to the official sources. General information, not legal or financial advice.

• What happens when a U.S. citizen dies abroad

  How the embassy helps, what the Consular Report of Death Abroad (CRODA) is, bringing someone home, and the US steps that follow.

• The emergency information every American expat family should write down

  Contacts with country codes, medical and insurance details, your embassy and STEP, children, pets and security codes.

• How to make sure your family can reach your accounts if something happens to you abroad

  Listing accounts in two countries, beneficiaries, powers of attorney, two-factor codes, password managers and legacy contacts.

• An expat estate planning checklist for Americans

  Wills in two countries, beneficiary forms, US estate tax in 2026, non-citizen spouses, guardianship and powers of attorney.

• When an American is hospitalized abroad: what family can do

  What the embassy can and can’t do, privacy rules, who pays for treatment, sending emergency money and medical evacuation.

If you’d like one place to write all of this down, Just in Case, Abroad: US Edition is a fillable binder made for Americans living overseas.