Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
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Missing Persons

Canadian consular officials overseas and in Ottawa can take a number of measures to help locate persons travelling or living overseas and ensure that they are put in touch with their family at home.

ON THIS PAGE
Preventive Measures
How Can Consular Officials Help?
Child Abductions
Tracing Offices of Recognized National Societies

Preventive Measures

In order to prevent missing persons situations, travellers should:

How Can Consular Officials Help?

If a person is simply temporarily out of touch, the nearest Canadian government office abroad will seek the cooperation of local officials in trying to locate the person. However, if a person cannot be located and there is concern for their safety and well-being, the family will be asked to file a missing persons report with the appropriate Canadian police force, which will then use Interpol channels to request foreign police cooperation.

The Canadian government office abroad may also:

  • Check immigration and airline records to establish the person's entry and/or departure from the country.
  • Initiate inquiries with credit card companies and banks to obtain information on recent financial transactions.
  • Contact others in the country, including Canadians and foreigners travelling in the same area, to obtain any available information.
  • If requested to do so, arrange for in-country publicity including media stories and posters.
  • If the family decides to offer a reward, provide advice and guidance and, if necessary, evaluate responses in cooperation with the local authorities.
Tracing Offices of Recognized National Societies

The International Committee of the Red Cross provides a list of Tracing Offices of Recognized National Societies in most countries. These Red Cross societies provide useful services to locate missing persons.