Message for U.S. Citizens: U.S. Embassy 2015 Holiday Schedule

U.S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan: January 17, 2015

This notice is to advise American citizens residing or traveling in Afghanistan that the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul will be closed for all routine services on the following Afghan and U.S. holidays throughout 2015.

Date Day Holiday Type
January 1 Thursday New Year’s Day U.S.
January 3 Saturday Prophet’s Birthday Local
January 18 Sunday Martin Luther King’s Birthday U.S.
February 15 Sunday President’s Day U.S.
March 21 Saturday Afghan New Year (Nawroz) Local
April 28 Tuesday Afghan Victory Day Local
May 24 Sunday Memorial Day U.S.
June 18* Thursday First Day of Ramadan Local
July 5 Sunday Independence Day U.S.
July 18 – 20* Sat – Mon Eid-ul-Fitr Local
August 19 Wednesday Afghan Independence Day Local
September 6 Sunday Labor Day U.S.
Sep 24 – 27* Thu-Sun Eid-ul-Qurban Local
October 11 Sunday Columbus Day U.S.
October 24 Saturday 10th of Muharram (Ashura) Local
November 11 Wednesday Veterans’ Day U.S.
November 26 Thursday Thanksgiving Day U.S.
December 24 Thursday Christmas Day U.S.
December 31 Thursday New Year’s Day U.S.

 

NOTE: *These Afghan holidays are based on the Islamic calendar and depend on sightings of the moon.  The exact dates of the holiday are subject to official confirmation announcement made by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Other than these holidays, the Consular Section is open to the public Sunday through Thursday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.  Appointments for consular services can be made on the U.S. Embassy website at kabul.usembassy.gov.

We strongly recommend that U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in Afghanistan enroll in the Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). STEP enrollment gives you the latest security updates, and makes it easier for the U.S. Embassy to contact you in an emergency. If you don’t have Internet access, enroll directly with the U.S. Embassy.

U.S. citizens in Afghanistan should regularly monitor the Travel Advisories on the website of the Embassy of the United States Kabul, Afghanistan, as well as the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs website, where the Worldwide CautionCountry Specific Information and the Travel Warning for Afghanistan are found. In addition, the Embassy encourages U.S. citizens to review “A Traveler’s Checklist ” which includes valuable security information for those traveling or living in foreign countries. You can also follow the Bureau of Consular Affairs on Twitter and on Facebook. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada, or, for callers outside of the United States and Canada, on a regular toll-line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

The U.S. Embassy is located at Great Massoud Road between Radio Afghanistan and the Ministry of Public Health in Kabul. To reach the American Citizen Services (ACS) unit of the Consular Section during business hours, please call 0700-108-499 or send an email toKabulACS@state.gov. You can also reach the ACS unit through the Embassy’s switchboard by calling 0700-108-001/002. For after-hours emergencies involving U.S. citizens, please call the Consular Duty Officer at 0700-10-8001.