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McDonald's in Austria to start helping US citizens

Author
Newstalk ZB, CNN ,
Publish Date
Thu, 16 May 2019, 3:55PM
It is part of a partnership between McDonald's and the local embassy. (Photo / 123RF)

McDonald's in Austria to start helping US citizens

Author
Newstalk ZB, CNN ,
Publish Date
Thu, 16 May 2019, 3:55PM

Lost your passport in Austria? In need of assistance? If you're a US citizen, there's a new way to deal with common travel problems.

Under the terms of a new partnership between McDonald's Austria and the US Embassy in Vienna, staff at the fast food restaurants will help travellers in need.

"American citizens travelling in Austria who find themselves in distress and without a way to contact the U.S. Embassy can enter -- as of Wednesday, May 15, 2019 -- any McDonald's in Austria, and staff will assist them in making contact with the U.S. Embassy for consular services," reads a post on the US Embassy's Facebook page announcing the move.

These services include providing solutions for a lost or stolen passport, and offering travel assistance, according to the post.

A Memorandum of Agreement was signed on Friday, and the new arrangement came into force on Wednesday.

Some Facebook users were supportive of the move, while others were less enthusiastic.

"Because apparently we are too incompetent to look up the us embassy online??" wrote one, while another asked if the McDonald's partnership would replace a staffed embassy.

"Certainly not. Our Embassy is fully staffed and ready to assist American citizens in need," responded the embassy account.

"This partnership is only one extra way for Americans to connect to the Embassy when they are in an emergency situation."

CNN has attempted to contact both McDonald's Austria and the US Embassy in Vienna for comment.

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