Consular protection
EU citizens are entitled to seek help from the embassy or consulate of any EU member state in a non-EU country if their own member state lacks diplomatic representation there.
Consular protection of EU citizens
Consular protection refers to help provided by a country to its citizens who are living or travelling abroad and are in need of assistance.
The primary responsibility for providing consular assistance to EU citizens lies with the individual EU member states. However, not every EU member state has an embassy or consulate in every country of the world. This means that some EU citizens are 'unrepresented', with no embassy or consulate from their own member state to help them.
Rights of unrepresented EU citizens abroad
As part of their EU citizenship rights, EU citizens can seek help from the embassy or consulate of any EU country if they need assistance outside the EU and are 'unrepresented'.
In other words, all EU member states must assist unrepresented EU citizens on the same conditions as their own nationals.
This is known as the right to equal treatment and it is one of EU citizens' fundamental rights. It is enshrined in articles 20(2)(c) and 23 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU and in article 46 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
This mutual assistance among member states is particularly important if there is a consular crisis. A consular crisis arises when the life, health or security of a large number of EU citizens in a non-EU country is at risk – such as during natural disasters, major accidents, or periods of political instability.
Embassies and consulates of EU member states can provide assistance in the following situations:
Lost or stolen passport or ID card
The embassy can issue emergency travel documents to allow EU citizens to return home.
Arrest or detention
The embassy can provide information on the local legal system and help EU citizens find a lawyer.
Falling victim to a crime
The embassy can assist EU citizens and advise on the next steps.
Serious accident or illness
The embassy can help contact the insurance company, family, or friends of EU citizens who end up in hospital.
Relief and repatriation
The embassy can help EU citizens in case of an emergency (i.e. a conflict or a natural disaster).
Death
The embassy can help EU citizens notify next of kin and help register a death.
To strengthen and facilitate the right to consular protection, in 2015 the EU adopted a directive on consular protection for unrepresented EU citizens living or travelling outside the EU.
This directive promotes greater cooperation and coordination among consular authorities across the EU.
The following website provides the contact details of the embassies and consulates of all EU countries, which you might wish to contact to seek assistance.
In line with the consular protection directive, the European External Action Service (EEAS) and its global network of EU delegations play a central role in upholding EU citizens' right to consular protection in close cooperation with EU member states.
In particular, the EEAS and its EU delegations facilitate coordinated EU efforts on consular crisis preparedness and response.
Emergency travel documents
Emergency travel documents are the type of assistance most frequently provided to EU citizens in places where their home country has no embassy or consulate.
These documents are issued to citizens whose passports or travel documents have been lost, stolen or destroyed. They are essential to help people return home safely.
Rules on an EU emergency travel document were first adopted in 1996. In June 2019, the EU adopted a new directive on the matter. The new rules updated the format and security features of the EU emergency travel document, and simplified the formalities for unrepresented EU citizens in non-EU countries.
On 8 December 2022, the European Commission adopted technical details for the EU emergency travel document. The revamped EU emergency travel document will be available to citizens as of December 2025 and will consist of a sticker and a passport-size booklet.
Sticker
Booklet (front)
Booklet (back)
Adapting EU consular protection to new challenges
On 6 December 2023, the European Commission proposed that the Council review the directives on consular protection and on the EU emergency travel document in order to strengthen the rights of EU citizens, especially in crisis situations.
The Commission's proposal draws on recent experiences, including the consular impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, and the repatriation of EU citizens from Afghanistan and Sudan.
The Council of the EU is currently examining the proposal.
How member states work together on consular protection
Given that not all member states are present worldwide, it is essential that EU countries cooperate to ensure that all EU citizens in distress receive assistance under the same conditions.
Member states' consular network meets in non-EU countries to discuss matters of common concern regarding EU citizens in that country.
Moreover, consular staff of member states represented in the country in question may meet with the EU delegation to prepare for crisis situations, notably to draw up a joint contingency plan.
Member states' consular departments and crisis centres, as well as EU delegations, also use an online platform for information sharing and contingency planning.
Examples of coordination
The EU and its member states have joined forces to provide consular assistance to unrepresented EU citizens on several occasions, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis in Afghanistan, Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, the conflict in Sudan and the Middle East crisis.
The evacuations from Sudan in 2023 and the repatriations due to COVID-19 in 2020 posed particular challenges, the first crisis in terms of complexity and the second one in terms of magnitude.
Evacuations from Sudan
When conflict erupted in Sudan in April 2023, around 1 700 EU citizens were present in the country, many of them unrepresented.
Thanks to effective EU coordination, EU member states leading evacuation operations took on board other EU citizens and even citizens from other continents.
Repatriations due to COVID-19
When the COVID-19 pandemic led to sudden global travel restrictions in early 2020, more than 600 000 EU citizens found themselves stranded abroad.
In response, the EU and its member states quickly joined forces to coordinate large-scale repatriation efforts, successfully bringing citizens home.
Civil protection mechanism
EU member states and other countries participating in the EU civil protection mechanism can activate the mechanism to seek assistance for consular support for their citizens, for example in the context of evacuation operations.
In 2024, the mechanism helped safely evacuate almost 1 400 European citizens from places like Haiti, the Middle East, and Vanuatu. Previous large-scale operations include:
- the repatriation of 100 000 people during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 (out of the 600 000 EU citizens repatriated in total)
- the evacuation from Afghanistan of 3 000 EU citizens and 7 000 Afghan nationals in 2021
Protection of EU citizens' rights abroad
The EU and its member states can carry out joint consular démarches if EU citizens' rights are continuously violated or if they are facing difficult circumstances abroad.
For example, a consular initiative could be used to address the issue of EU citizens living in very poor prison conditions in certain countries, deprived of access to food or medicine.
As a follow-up to a consular initiative, the EU and its member states may also launch a consular cooperation initiative. The objective of this is to continue discussions with the country's authorities in order to improve the situation of EU citizens.
In the Council
The Working Party on Consular Affairs (COCON) is the Council body responsible for discussing matters concerning consular cooperation. It focuses on exchanging views and coordinating consular cooperation with EU member states and the European External Action Service (EEAS).
Cooperation with non-EU countries
The EU regularly meets with the US, Canada, Norway, Australia and New Zealand to discuss issues of common concern and cooperation. The Council presidency represents the EU at these meetings.
The discussions focus on a range of topics, including:
- consular crisis preparedness and monitoring
- cooperation in response to recent crises
- consular cooperation initiatives
- identification of possible issues of mutual interest
- information sharing
See also
Consumer protection: travel rights
The integrated political crisis response (IPCR)
EU civil protection
Last review: 4 August 2025