The EU Commission has adopted the technical details of the EU Emergency Travel Document, which will be available to citizens starting from December 2025.
The Commission is also negotiating consent clauses with third countries to ensure that represented EU Member States provide assistance to unrepresented EU citizens.
An EU Emergency Travel Document, which follows a common format, is available to assist EU citizens without a travel document in countries where their own Member State lacks representation.
EU citizens who are in a country outside the EU where their own EU country doesn’t have an embassy or consulate (called “unrepresented”) have the right to seek assistance from the embassy or consulate of another EU Member State.
The embassy or consulate of another EU country should provide the same assistance to unrepresented EU citizens as they would to their own nationals.
The assistance provided may include issuing emergency travel documents, providing information on the local legal system, helping find a lawyer, assisting victims of a crime, contacting insurance companies or family/friends in case of serious accidents or illness, arranging relief and repatriation during emergencies like conflicts or natural disasters, and helping in the case of a death by notifying next of kin and registering the death.
The Consular Crisis Management Division of the European External Action Service coordinates actions in times of crisis to ensure the assistance of unrepresented EU citizens.
The right to consular protection for unrepresented EU citizens is enshrined in EU treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
The Commission has proposed amendments to the Consular Protection Directive to strengthen the right to consular protection, especially in crisis situations, based on recent experiences such as the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts.
The Directive aims to improve cooperation between consular authorities, enhance EU citizens’ right to consular protection, and establish contingency plans for crisis situations.
The Council has adopted a Directive to update the rules, format, and security features of the EU Emergency Travel Document, simplifying procedures for unrepresented EU citizens who have lost their passport or travel document.
