International missing persons

First steps

If a loved one is missing overseas, some first steps include:

  • Report them missing to your local police in Australia. They will involve the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and/or the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and work with international partners
  • Contact the nearest Australian embassy or consulate in the country(ies) they may be in 
  • Report them missing to the police in the country where they disappeared, if possible
  • Gather key details such as passport number, travel plans, last known location, and contacts abroad, and keep a record of all reports you make
International missing persons form

Contact the Red Cross Tracing Service

The Red Cross operates a worldwide search network for missing family members aged over 18.

They can help:

  • find a family member missing as a result of war, disaster, or migration through family tracing
  • send a message to a relative where there is no formal means of communication
  • check the welfare of a relative overseas whom you are unable to reach due to illness or other circumstances
  • by providing you with a confirmation of detention if the International Committee of the Red Cross visited you in detention overseas.

Their service is free of charge and confidential.

See: Find My Family

Missing child overseas/parental abduction

The International Social Service (ISS) can support you if your child has gone missing overseas, or you suspect they may be in another country.

They support you by:

  • helping children who have been taken or kept abroad by a parent
  • providing support and advice with cross-border adoption or guardianship matters
  • tracing family members separated by migration or conflict
  • connecting families with legal and social support services.

See: ISS

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