United States | US embassy and travel impacts due to ongoing conflict in the Middle East

BAL is closely monitoring the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East, including recent military actions and related airspace restrictions affecting several countries in the region. These developments have resulted in widespread flight cancellations, suspensions and route diversions by multiple international airlines. Ongoing disruptions to travel corridors may also impact border operations and immigration processing times.

Several U.S. embassies and consulates are operating with limited or no services.

• United Arab Emirates: The U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the U.S. Consulate in Dubai have instructed staff to continue to shelter in place (i.e., take cover). All visa and U.S. Citizen Services appointments scheduled from Monday, March 2, through Wednesday, March 4, have been canceled.
  • Applicants who had appointments during this time should have received an email notification regarding the cancellation. Applicants will be contacted to reschedule when routine services resume.
• Qatar: The U.S. Embassy in Qatar continues to maintain a shelter in place for all personnel. Qatari airspace is closed. The consular section has canceled all routine consular appointments for the week of March 1.
• Israel: The U.S. Embassy in Israel has directed all U.S. government employees and their family members to shelter in place until further notice. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and Branch Office in Tel Aviv were closed Monday, March 2. No consular services, including emergency and regular U.S. passport services, were available.
  • The Government of Israel has closed the airspace to all civilian flights. The Department of State authorized the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and their family members from Israel. The U.S. Embassy advised it is not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel.
• Bahrain: The U.S. Embassy in Bahrain remains closed.
  • The Department of State authorized non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members to leave Bahrain due to safety risks. The U.S. Embassy in Bahrain advised that hotels might be a target for attacks against U.S. citizens.
• Kuwait: The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait is requiring all Mission personnel to shelter-in-place. All routine consular services are suspended until further notice.
• Jordan: The U.S. Embassy in Jordan remains open as of March 2 but has advised that should Jordanian alarms sound, embassy personnel will again be ordered to shelter in place.
• Saudi Arabia: Statuses vary by location within the country. The shelter-in-place notification for Jeddah has been lifted. The shelter-in place-notification for Dhahran remains in effect. The status of the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh remains in normal operations.

BAL will continue to track developments and provide updates as conditions change. If you have questions or need tailored guidance, please contact your dedicated BAL representative.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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