If you are the victim of a crime or know of a crime committed against a U.S. citizen in Nepal, contact the Embassy by calling +977-1-423-4000. During normal business hours, tell the operator that you have a U.S. citizen emergency and ask to be transferred to the American Citizen Services Unit. After normal business hours, describe your U.S. citizen emergency to the operator and ask to be connected with the Duty Officer, who is on-call at all times for emergency situations involving the life and safety of U.S. citizens, but cannot assist in any way with visa inquiries or routine services. If the primary number does not work, you can also call the analog back-up number, +977-01-400-7200. In non-emergency cases, please U.S. Embassy Consular Information & Service MS Form: for follow-up the next business day. From the United States, you can contact the Office of Overseas Citizens Services at 1-888-407-4747 (during business hours) or 202-647-5225 (after hours). Crimes should also be reported to local police by dialing 100.
It is also important to contact local police to report the incident and obtain immediate help. Dial 100 to contact the police in Nepal. We recommend obtaining a copy of the police report for your records.
Consular personnel can provide a range of assistance to crime victims. When a U.S. citizen becomes the victim of a crime overseas, he or she may suffer physical, emotional, or financial injuries. The victim may not be near sources of comfort and support, fluent in the local language, or knowledgeable about local laws and customs. Consular officers at overseas posts are familiar with local government agencies and resources in the country where they work. While consular officers cannot investigate crimes, provide legal advice, represent you in court, serve as official interpreters or translators, or pay any fees on your behalf, we can help with issues such as:
- Replacing a stolen passport
- Contacting family, friends, or employers
- Obtaining appropriate medical care
- Addressing emergency needs that arise as a result of the crime
- Obtaining general information about the local criminal justice process and information about your case
- Obtaining information about local resources to assist victims
- Obtaining information about crime victim assistance and compensation programs in the United States
- Providing a list of local attorneys who speak English
(Updated May 2018)
Victim Compensation and Assistance Programs in the United States
If you are the victim of a crime while overseas, you may benefit from specialized resources for crime victims available in the United States. Thousands of local crime victim assistance programs throughout the United States offer help to victims of violent crime, and many will help residents of their community who have been the victim of a crime committed in another country. These include rape crisis counseling programs, shelter and counseling programs for battered women, support groups and bereavement counseling for family members of homicide victims, diagnostic and treatment programs for child abuse victims, assistance for victims of drunk-driving crashes, and others. Information about locating crime victim assistance programs is below.
All states operate crime victim compensation programs and nearly half of them offer benefits to their residents who are victims of violent crime overseas. These state compensation programs provide financial assistance to eligible victims for reimbursement of expenses such as medical treatment, counseling, funeral costs, lost income or loss of support, and others. Generally victim compensation programs require the victim to report the crime to law enforcement and they usually request a copy of the police report. Information about crime victim compensation programs is below.
Information about each state’s crime victim compensation program and how to apply for compensation is available on the Internet at the web site of the National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards: http://www.nacvcb.org.
The National Center for Victim of Crime’s goal is to forge a national commitment to help victims of crime to rebuild their lives. They are dedicated to serving individuals, families and communities harmed by crime. It advocates for victims’ rights, trains professionals who work with victims, and serves as a trusted source of information on victims’ issues: www.victimsofcrime.org
The toll-free 24/7 hotline number is 1—855—4VICTIM (1-855-484-2846). It has resources available to assist victims of any crime nationwide, by phone or by online chat.
The toll-free 24/7 hotline for sexual assault crisis counseling and referrals in the United States is 1-800-656-HOPE. It is operated by a non-profit organization, RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network), which also has information on the Internet at http://www.rainn.org.
The National Child Abuse Hotline intervenes in child abuse when it happens and treats those who have already been affected by child abuse. www.childhelp.org. Its 24/7 hotline number is: (1-800) 4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline advocates are available 24/7 to talk confidentially with anyone in the United States who is experiencing domestic violence, seeking resources or information, or questioning unhealthy aspects of their relationship. The Hotline advocates to assist victims, and anyone calling on their behalf, by providing crisis intervention, safety planning and referrals to local service providers. For more information, see www.thehotline.org or 1-800-799-7233; 1-800-787-3224
The National Organization for Victim Assistance advocates for victims by connecting them with services and resources. It promotes public policy initiatives that protects the right of crime victims and serves as the national voice for victims (www.trynova.org).
The Parents of Murdered Children make a difference by providing on-going emotional support, education, prevention, advocacy, and awareness. They provide support and assistance to all survivors of homicide victims while working to create a world free of murder (http://www.pomc.org).
Information about local sexual assault victim assistance programs in the United States is also available from each state’s sexual assault coalition. Contact information for these state coalitions are listed at the website of the U.S. Department of Justice Violence Against Women Office, https://www.justice.gov/ovw/sexual-assault The toll-free 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline, which provides crisis counseling and referrals in the U.S., is 1-800-799-SAFE.
Information about local domestic violence victim assistance programs in the United States is also available from each state’s domestic violence coalition. Contact information for these state coalitions is listed at the website of the U.S. Department of Justice Violence Against Women Office: https://www.justice.gov/ovw.
The toll-free 24/7 crisis counseling and referral line for families and friends of those who have died by violence is 1-888-818-POMC. It is operated by a non-profit organization, The National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children, which also has information on the Internet at http://www.pomc.org.
Information about national and local resources for victims and family members of victims of drunk-driving crashes is available at the web site of Mothers against Drunk Driving, http://www.madd.org.
Contact information for non-emergency victim assistance services in communities throughout the U.S. is available at the web site of the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime, http://ovc.ncjrs.gov/findvictimservices.
Information for crime victims on the impact of crime, safety planning, legal rights and civil legal remedies, and options for assistance and referrals to local programs is also available from the National Crime Victim Center. Call toll free (8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST) 1-800-FYI-CALL or call TTY for hearing impaired (8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST) 1-800-211-7996. Information is also available on the Internet at http://www.ncvc.org.
Information and referral to victim assistance programs is available from the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA). Call toll-free24/7 1-800-TRY-NOVA. Information is also available on the Internet at http://www.try-nova.org.
For detailed information, please see https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/emergencies/victims.html.
(Last updated August, 2019)