extremely unhelpful! called to see what i should do because i accidentally left (didnt lose) my passport in paris and was in a different city + am traveling to other areas of europe and wanted to know what i should do. The person who answered the phone said "how would I know?" when I asked what I should do and told me that they could only help me if I needed to get into the united states. Correct me if i'm wrong but isn't the point of a (US) embassy to help citizens who are abroad, not necessarily only trying to enter the US???? Ended up buying a 270$ train ticket to come back to paris and get my passport but very unhappy with the embassy's response. read more

The people here are useless and rude. We had an issue with a Green card and called them, only to have them say we had to email. We emailed and then told us that it would take 2 days to get back to us. 2 Days later the email we get basically states that they don't deal with this stuff. OK, so a Lawful Permanent Resident cannot get back to the USA because a British Airways Flight attendant apparent has more power than the US embassy in Paris. Everyone I have meet who WORKS here is a grade a A-HOLE, and the few who are not are unpaid summer interns who are often doing jobs they should not. read more

We had a somewhat unique passport issue; not a true 'emergency' but we didn't find out that work was required until we got to the airport. We made an appointment ahead of time and arrived near the embassy about 45 minutes early. They make you wait across the street until about 15 minutes ahead. Note: they do not let you bring food or bottled water through security. If you (as a tourist) are carrying this, leave it at the hotel when you go to the embassy. We got through security and were directed into the main lobby. We dealt with one of 2 ladies assisting citizens with issues. She was very nice and professional. We had to fill out the passport form on one of the ~ 4 in-lobby terminals, but they had a printer so we were still okay. We then had to queue up in a sort of take-a-number / DMV scenario in a secondary room nearby. We were soon at the window. The lady there was also polite. It turned out that since this wasn't a 'need it today' emergency, we had to reschedule an embassy visit for another city later on. However, I didn't hold that against the personnel who helped us. Compared to expectations, I was very pleasantly surprised that we were on-site for less than 30 minutes, total. People there had answers / explanations and we made as much progress as rules allowed. I am only deducting one point from the rating based on the advice / recommendations provided by the website. It appeared adamant that we could not use 'photo booth' photos for a passport. However, these booths were ubiquitous in Parisian subway stations, and they all advertised that they were valid for official IDs... We chanced it, and brought the photos along; they were fine. The kicker was that the embassy had one of the same photo booths *in their lobby!* If you have one on-site, please don't post info on your website telling me not to use THE SAME MACHINE beforehand... I hope anyone reading this has as decent an experience at the embassy as we did. read more

If you are unfortunate enough to be robbed as I was and in need of a replacement passport... good luck! Hours are strictly 830 to 500 mon-fri. If replacing passports you need to get there early, or they will make you feel guilty or ask you to come back the following day. At this writing, replacement passports cost 135 US$. The cashier leaves early, too. Remember... this IS France, even though this is technically US soil. People do not like to work in France. It is a fact. Good luck parking as well. The Concord is one of the busiest places in Paris. The drive there may be more harrowing than the robbery. LOL I would imagine things would have been worse of I were a citizen of another country... but I expected a US operation to be more efficient and convenient to citizens with true emergencies. read more

On our fifth day in Paris we took a leisurely stroll down the Champs Elysées, passing by the home of François Hollande, the Elysée Palace, aka the French "white house." After taking several photographs of his home by standing on a short pillar and peering over the gate, with nary a sideways glance from the Gendarmerie, we walked down the street to see the U.S. Embassy, the representation of the pinnacle of freedom, sitting on sovereign land. Raising our cameras to take photos of the American flag, we were startled by banging on hard plastic and yelling. Briefly dazed, I glanced over at the clear plastic draped security tent staffed by two security officers who appeared to be reacting to some imminent threat, shouting and banging wildly. It was then I realized they were yelling at us to stop taking photos of the embassy of the purported beacon of liberty. This overtly hostile reaction not only served no conceivable purpose, it is no wonder that the the United State's world image has grown so damaged. We have become a nation that has forsaken its founding principles in lieu of fear and paranoia. It is disgraceful to think of the men and women who died protecting a way of life no longer held sacrosanct by those in power, sacrificed to the whims of little men in government seeking power and offering nothing but the illusion of safety. My worst experience in France thus far at my own embassy. How sad. read more

Be careful!!! The US embassy is warning US citizens to avoid the area or exercise extreme caution due to terrorism. The real problem in this city is the gypsies and scammers!!!!! Why aren't we being properly warned or protected when we come to visit and spend tons of $$$$$???? And while walking steps away from my consulate my mom was sadly robbed!!!! In a town where there are tons of national police officers looking for terrorists, they do nothing when tourists are swarmed by gypsies and robbed. They are all around the place de la concord and they do nothing to stop the gypsies who swarm you to "sign your name". When you ask all the National police for help they don't care and send you off to find the local city police. While filling out our police report met several other Americans robbed in this fine city as well. One was robbed on the metro, a family eating at a cafe on rivoli was ganged up by teenage gypsies, and a sweet lady wanting to shop the pretentious champs was swarmed and lost everything right in front of the Dior store. How is it that we Americans are being victimized every second and the police do nothing????? I have read yelp reviews at all the tourists hot spots, they all say the same things, and yet, these gypsies and scammers are not stopped. Don't just warn us of terrorists and to avoid open air markets!!!! Warn us of gypsies and con artists. It is not safe to travel here. read more

dont know why people write bad reviews here, but I had the best & nicest experience here ever. They were friendly, accurate with instructions and very professional. I wish ALL US government agencies back in CA are as at par as this one here in Paris. Five star to you guys, esp. to the FilAm Security officers in the gate! Continuer à faire du bon travail read more

My father had his wallet and passport stolen while we were in Paris this summer - the day before we were supposed to return to London for our flight home. As it was a Friday late morning, and they say they'll only accept walk-ins M-F 8-8:30am, we were having fits as rescheduling everything would just be impossible. We tried Twitter, email (Subject line EMERGENCY: ), phone calls and someone soon replied. They helped us rush madly thru everything but because we'd been to the website first (https://fr.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/lost-stolen-mutilated/) and had prepared the documentation (forms DS-11 and DS-64, proof we were scheduled to depart the next day, $135 cash, and €4 in coins for the photo machine) we were able to squeak in JUST before they closed for the day and get his passport replaced. It took a little over 2 hours once we made it to the window. We knew we had a time constraint so we were in another panic when we arrived and there was a long line at the security hut. I was able to call into our contact and they managed to get us thru in time. I can not thank everyone there enough for saving our day, our week, and our entire trip. My Father had never been out of the country before and he was very impressed at how well the Embassy was able to help us out in our crisis. read more

A little late writing this review, however my mother and I had a wonderful experience here last month!Unfortunately she was a victim of theft and got her passport & wallet stolen from her bag. As to reading these reviews prior to going to the embassy, we were scared we were going to miss our flight later on in the day.. We arrived at the embassy at 7:30AM and stood in a walk in line. We stood in that line for about 15 minutes until realizing that the line was for visas! So the security guard let us in and within 30-45 minutes we got a new passport! The staff there were so helpful and friendly. I want to say that we were lucky to have such a fast and pleasurable experience here, but hey we were able to enjoy our last couple of hours we had left in Paris thanks to this place! Thank you so much!! read more

My passport was stolen. The man who helped me was extraordinary. I got a new passport within 3 hours. Photo booth available there. Have some form of Id. And be patient. I could not be more grateful to the people who helped me. read more

I was in Paris last fall of 2015 and had very bad experience with this "security guy" in the tent. Here is what happened: I had emergency and I went to US embassy for help. On the day I arrived, I was told I would have to make an online appointment in order to speak up my urgent concerns. The earliest appointment time will be a month away. Basically this guy is telling people go F off and don't care. read more

Diabolical! We wanted to get an emergency passport and it took us 5 trips over several days to get it sorted out. Our experience was coloured by a couple of bad staff members. Well, that and the fact that we were given all the wrong information for times. I have to give a shout out to "Nikk", who made our lives hell, and seemed to be getting a real kick out of it. She had no right to treat us the way she did, but what could we do? If you do have to visit then be aware of the bad attitude and ridiculous bureaucracy before you go. Moreover, if you have to rebook your flight give yourself an extra two or three days in anticipation of hassle with the embassy. We wasted a lot of money and time over this fairly straightforward issue. read more