Your passport disappears on the second day of a trip outside the EU, and when you look up your country's embassy or consulate, there is none in that country. It is easy to assume you are on your own. You are not: as an EU citizen, you can turn to the embassy or consulate of another EU country there.
This guide explains EU consular protection: where the right comes from, who counts as unrepresented, what help from another EU country's embassy covers, and how to use it in practice.
Key facts for EU consular protection
- Who it is for: EU citizens in a country outside the EU where their own EU country has no embassy or consulate
- The right: the embassy or consulate of any other EU country there must help them under the same conditions as its own nationals
- Legal basis: Article 23 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU and Article 46 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU
- Lost passport: an EU emergency travel document, created by Directive (EU) 2019/997
- Inside the EU: the right does not apply; your own country's services and the host country's authorities do
Where the right comes from
If you are an EU citizen and your country has no embassy or consulate in the country outside the EU where you are, the embassy of any other EU country there must help you on the same terms as its own nationals (Article 23 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU). Article 46 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU states the same right.
Two directives deal with the practical side. Directive (EU) 2015/637 sets out how EU countries cooperate and coordinate to protect unrepresented citizens, and Directive (EU) 2019/997 created the EU emergency travel document.
Who counts as unrepresented, and where it applies
The EU's diplomatic service calls EU citizens 'unrepresented' when there is no embassy or consulate of their own EU country in the country where they are.
The right applies only outside the EU. Inside it, your own country's services and the host country's authorities apply.
Help from another EU country's embassy: what it covers
The EU's diplomatic service lists the typical situations:
- loss of travel documents
- serious accident or illness
- relief and repatriation in an emergency
- becoming a victim of crime
- arrest or detention
- death
If you are unrepresented and your passport is lost, stolen or destroyed, you are entitled to an EU emergency travel document from the embassy or consulate of any other EU country there. It is valid for a single journey back to your own EU country or, exceptionally, to another destination, and normally for no more than 15 calendar days. It is issued after your own country confirms your nationality and identity, which can take some days, and it must be returned after you arrive at your final destination.
Using the right in practice
- In an emergency, call the local emergency number first.
- Contact another EU country's embassy or consulate there and explain that your own country is not represented.
- Carry something that shows who you are, such as a copy of your passport's photo page or another ID.
- If you need an emergency travel document, ask when it is likely to be ready before you book the journey home.
How Telcomia helps
On the Telcomia safety page, choose your nationality and destination to see your embassy or consulate, an official 24/7 consular emergency line verified against official sources, directions to the embassy, emergency numbers and travel recommendations from your government. Its consular layer is built around the EU's consular protection rules in Directive 2015/637.
The app shows which embassy or consulate is responsible for you, with address and phone, and adds emergency phrases with audio, in the local language where available.
Before you travel
- For each country outside the EU on your route, look up your embassy or consulate on the safety page; if your country has none there, note other EU countries' embassies.
- Save the official 24/7 consular emergency line and the local emergency numbers.
- Keep a photo or copy of your passport's photo page separately from the passport, and pack a second form of ID if you have one.
- Read your government's travel recommendations for each destination.
Questions travellers ask about EU consular protection
Can another EU country's embassy help me?
Yes, if you are an EU citizen in a country outside the EU where your own country has no embassy or consulate. The embassy or consulate of any other EU country there must help you under the same conditions as its own nationals.
What counts as unrepresented?
You are unrepresented when your own EU country has no embassy or consulate in the country where you are. The right to help from another EU country's embassy or consulate applies only when that country is outside the EU.
Does it apply inside the EU?
No. Inside the EU, your own country's services and the host country's authorities apply, and 112 reaches emergency services in every EU country.
What help can I get?
As an unrepresented EU citizen outside the EU, you can ask for help in situations such as loss of travel documents, serious accident or illness, becoming a victim of crime, arrest or detention, and death. If your passport is lost, stolen or destroyed, you are entitled to an EU emergency travel document.
The short version
If you are an EU citizen in a country outside the EU where your own country has no embassy or consulate, any other EU country's embassy or consulate there must help you under the same conditions as its own nationals, including with an EU emergency travel document if your passport is lost or stolen. Inside the EU, the right does not apply. Before you travel, check which mission to contact.
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