On May 10, 2019, the U.S. Embassy in Vienna announced a partnership with McDonald’s in Austria to help U.S. citizens in need.

The post states that American citizens traveling in Austria who are in distress may enter any McDonald’s in Austria and receive assistance from staff to contact the U.S. Embassy. The U.S. Embassy itself will still be responsible for consular services, such as reporting a lost or stolen passport. One of the first reported instances of assistance was Diane Schmallegger of Las Vegas, who lost her passport in Vienna and walked into a nearby McDonald’s for assistance.

According to McDonald’s, U.S. Ambassador Trevor Traina requested the company provide this new service. There are 194 McDonald’s in Austria, thereby expanding the number of avenues available for Americans in Austria to reach the U.S. Embassy. Note, the McDonald’s in Austria are still in Austrian territory; therefore, a U.S. citizen in a McDonald’s in Austria is still subject to Austrian legal jurisdiction. In other words, don’t commit a crime in Austria and expect to flee into a nearby McDonald’s