The American Red Cross provides tracing and messaging services. Traces can be initiated in cases where the location of a loved one is unknown. The American Red Cross caseworker will gather the available information and then American Red Cross will work with its international Red Cross and Red Crescent partners to try to locate the sought person. The American Red Cross also provides Red Cross Messaging services. Red Cross messages can be used to facilitate communication internationally in instances where the sought person’s location is known, but regular means of communication are unavailable.

Family is defined broadly by the American Red Cross to account for cultural and personal differences in the way family is defined. Generally, the Red Cross will search for any loved one as long as communication had been established at one point and was then severed by a humanitarian emergency.

The personal information that we collect from you is completely confidential and is used only to help find your missing relative. We will only disclose the information you provided to us with your consent.

The American Red Cross has no role in bringing persons from other countries to the United States or securing or verifying visas. The United States government processes all requests for travel to the United States. The process usually begins at the overseas United States Embassy in the country where the person wishing to travel to the United States lives.

The American Red Cross helps to reconnect families separated internationally by war, disaster, migration and other humanitarian emergencies. Requests can be accepted from family members who were in contact before the emergency situation separated them. A sufficient amount of information on the missing family member is needed to initiate a search. Service may not be available in all countries or all areas of specific countries due to security restrictions or accessibility barriers. If you would like to initiate an international search for a family member, please call our free national helpline at 844-782-9441 or use the International Reconnecting Families Inquiry Form.