Getting staff out of a country in crisis: commercial flight, government departure or a private evacuation?

Three routes, in the order governments expect you to use them

Travel risk and security teams often plan one way out. US and UK guidance points to three, and each one starts where the last one fails.

The US and UK record agrees on the order. Leave on a commercial flight while one still runs. Expect government help only once commercial travel has stopped. Plan privately for everything else. A partner firm with people in the country can cover that third route.

Which route fits which situation

Route	Fits when	What it does not cover	Where it is written
Commercial flight, booked by the company	Airports are open and the alerts say leave	Unrest "can begin or get worse quickly" (FCDO, "Conflict")	CRS IF11548, "Overseas Evacuations"; FCDO, Prepare for and deal with crises abroad, "What to do in a crisis"
US government-organised departure	Commercial options have ended and the travellers are US citizens	Reimbursable "to the maximum extent practicable"; charters only "in some cases"	22 U.S.C. §2671(b)(2)(A)(ii); CRS IF11548, "Overseas Evacuations"
UK government-organised departure	British and dual nationals, "where commercial travel is not available"	A fee may be charged; other nationals usually excluded	FCDO, "How the FCDO can help you in a crisis" and "Who the FCDO can help in a crisis"
Private evacuation through a crisis response firm	Mixed-nationality teams, movement inside the country, or timing the company sets	Still depends on open routes, permissions and airspace	Your contract with the firm; the risk map for in-country or deployable capability
Shelter in place	Moving is less safe than staying	Supplies, and a plan to leave later	FCDO, "Preparing for different types of crises", "Conflict"
Medical evacuation	Someone is hurt or ill and local care will not do	A security evacuation plan may not include it; check the policy	FCDO, "Preparing for travel abroad"

What the US government says it will do

Congress requires the State Department to "develop and implement policies and programs to provide for the safe and efficient evacuation of United States Government personnel, dependents, and private United States citizens when their lives are endangered" (22 U.S.C. §4802(b), "Overseas evacuations").

That help is not free by default. Section 2671(b)(2)(A)(ii) covers evacuating "private United States citizens or third-country nationals, on a reimbursable basis to the maximum extent practicable". Repayment cannot exceed "a reasonable commercial air fare immediately prior to the events giving rise to the evacuation".

The Congressional Research Service (In Focus IF11548, updated 6 March 2026) describes the practice. When State has told citizens to leave, "it has advised them to evacuate using existing commercial transportation options whenever possible." Only "when commercial travel options have not been available" has State "in some cases" arranged charters or other travel ("Overseas Evacuations"). The cost rule can move: CRS records a 2026 State statement that it intended to waive reimbursement for one region's evacuations ("Statutory Reimbursement Requirement").

State cannot count your people for you. Enrolment in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is voluntary, and "DOS generally does not have the means to determine the precise number of U.S. citizens in a foreign country" (CRS, "Travel Information and the STEP Program").

What the UK government says it will do

The FCDO's guidance was last updated on 16 October 2026. It is blunt: "You should not expect the UK government to evacuate you in a crisis. Make sure you have your own plans to leave a country should you need to." ("How the FCDO can help you in a crisis")

"In extreme situations, where commercial travel is not available," the FCDO may organise "a charter flight for British nationals (you may be charged a fee for this)" or "send military aircraft or vessels to evacuate eligible people" ("How the FCDO can help you in a crisis").

Eligibility is narrow. The FCDO can usually help British and dual nationals. Non-British family members and some Commonwealth nationals qualify only "in some circumstances". The FCDO adds: "We cannot usually help nationals of other countries, even if you normally live in the UK" ("Who the FCDO can help in a crisis").

A team with three passports can face three different answers. That gap is what a private evacuation plan covers.

Build the plan before the alert

A manifest by nationality. List each traveller's passports and visas. The FCDO warns that "in a crisis, passport or visa services may be unavailable" ("Preparing for travel abroad").
Alerts for every traveller. Enrol US citizens in STEP. Sign British nationals up for FCDO travel advice email alerts ("Preparing for travel abroad"). Read each stop's advisory level with list_travel_advisories on the Distributed Risk MCP server.
A written trigger. Name the advisory change or alert that sends people to the airport while flights still run.
Next of kin on file. The FCDO tells staff working abroad to learn "your employer's evacuation and contingency plans" and to make sure the employer "has your next of kin's details" ("What to do in a crisis").
Insurance that names medical evacuation. The FCDO asks travellers to hold "appropriate travel insurance … including medical evacuation" ("Preparing for travel abroad").
A shelter-in-place kit. The FCDO lists medication, "enough food and water for several days", a first aid kit, a torch and batteries, and fuel ("What to do in a crisis").

Questions to put to a private evacuation provider

Is the capability in the country now, or deployable, and from where?
Which nationalities can it move, by which land or air route, and with whose permissions?
Who makes the go or no-go call, and how does the client hear it?
Is medical evacuation and assistance part of the same plan, or a separate provider?
Which subcontractors are involved, named by country? Screen each one. See How to screen a counterparty against OFAC lists.
What does the contract say when no route is open? No firm can guarantee a way out.

Where this sits with training and protection

Training prepares travellers to leave early: Choosing hostile environment (HEAT) training. A protection detail is a separate decision: Hiring an executive protection firm for international travel.

Distributed Risk arranges crisis response and evacuation, and medical evacuation and assistance, through partner firms that work in the country. Brief an advisor with the country, the headcount by nationality and the date.

Questions

Will the embassy evacuate our staff? Do not plan on it. The US advises commercial departure "whenever possible" and charges for its own help "to the maximum extent practicable". The UK says not to expect evacuation at all.

Do government flights carry non-citizen staff? Not reliably. US law allows third-country nationals on a reimbursable basis. The FCDO "cannot usually help nationals of other countries". Plan for them privately.

Is this legal advice? No. This page is a procedural guide drawn from the public record. Counsel decides what your duty-of-care obligations are.