Consular assistance

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Missions and resources

It is the Directorate of consular affairs and international cultural relations' responsibility, in collaboration with the diplomatic and consular missions, to render consular assistance to Luxembourg nationals who find themselves in difficulty or even distress abroad: emergency repatriation during emergencies, replacement of lost or stolen identity documents, serious accidents or illnesses, arrest or detention abroad, death while abroad.

In countries in which Luxembourg is not represented, Luxembourg nationals may turn to Belgian diplomatic/consular missions if so required, in accordance with the 1965 Convention with Belgium on consular cooperation.

Moreover, under articles 20 and 23 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) on the consular protection of European Union citizens not represented by other European Union (EU) member states, every citizen of a member states of the European Union "shall, in the territory of a third country in which the Member State of which he is a national is not represented, be entitled to protection by the diplomatic or consular authorities of any Member State, on the same conditions as the nationals of that State".

Should consular assistance be required outside office hours and on the weekend, please contact the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs switchboard: (+352) 247-82300.

What consular assistance can do for you

Loss or theft of a document

What to do locally

In the event of the loss or theft of one's passport/identity card abroad, the incident must be reported in the first instance to the local police authorities. With this document and two (passport type) photos, the Luxembourg national must contact a Luxembourg diplomatic/consular mission to be given a "pass" enabling him to return to Luxembourg. If the diplomatic/consular mission is too far away, he may visit an honorary consul of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg established in and with jurisdiction over the region in which he finds himself, or request a family member to contact the passport, visa and legalisation office at the ministry:

Passport, visa and legalisation office (MFEA)
43, boulevard Roosevelt
L-2450 Luxembourg
Tel.: (+352) 247 - 88300 
Fax: (+352) 22 02 91 (passports) 
Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 0830 to 1615

Should there be no Luxembourg representation, you may contact a Belgian diplomatic/consular mission or that of another EU member state to obtain an Emergency Travel Document (ETD).

What to do upon your return

Once back in Luxembourg, the pass or ETD must be sent or delivered to the ministry's Passport, visa and legalisation office.

When requesting a new passport/identity card, the report made to the local police abroad must also be submitted to the Luxembourg authorities.

For further details, please consult the specific procedures on the citizens' portal at guichet.lu:

Accident or serious illness

In the event of a Luxembourg national suffering an accident or serious illness in a country in which Luxembourg is represented by a diplomatic/consular mission, the latter - or the Directorate of consular affairs and international cultural relations - will contact the family of the national in question to pass on the information it has on the individual's state of health, and possibly the contact details of doctors/hospitals, or even to assist the family with local procedures in the event of hospitalisation or to organise medical repatriation, etc.

Under no circumstances will the diplomatic/concentration pay any hospitalisation or other expenses (drugs, medical treatment, etc.).

For information on health insurance when travelling abroad, you can consult the What should I do if I fall ill while on holiday abroad? page on the cns.lu website.

Arrest or imprisonment

If a Luxembourg national is arrested or detained while abroad, he is entitled to request that the Luxembourg diplomatic/consular mission be informed.

Should the detainee so request, the family can be informed by the Directorate of consular affairs and international cultural relations. A visit to the detainee by the diplomatic/consular mission can in principle take place immediately after his arrest but depends in each instance on local regulations. The diplomatic/consular mission will inspect the conditions in which the detainee is being held and that local laws are being respected.

The diplomatic/consular mission may, if so requested, help the detained Luxembourg national find a lawyer to represent him before the local judicial authorities. Please note that lawyers' fees will be for the detainee's account, or that of his next of kin.

In the event of financial difficulties, the diplomatic/consular mission may assist the detainee with the administrative procedures for requesting legal assistance in accordance with the laws of the country in which he is in prison. The same applies for administrative procedures when the Luxembourg national asks to be transferred to prison in Luxembourg to serve his sentence.

Emergency assistance

In the event of a Luxembourg national encountering serious problems, including with the local authorities or individuals, the Luxembourg diplomatic/consular mission can assist him by advising him and/or providing him with useful addresses such as local authorities, lawyers or other and, if so required, putting the diplomatic/consular mission’s facilities at his disposal (telephone, Internet, fax, etc.) to contact his family, friends or employer to request assistance.

Death

In the event of the death of a Luxembourg national while abroad, the Luxembourg diplomatic/consular mission will immediately inform the Directorate of consular affairs and international cultural relations so that the latter may inform the family of the deceased and advise it as to what to do to organise the repatriation of the mortal remains/ashes or else burial in the country.

Repatriation expenses will be borne,

  • either by the family
  • or by an insurance policy (Lalux, Foyer, assurance voyage Luxairtours, etc.)
  • or by an association such as the CMCM, l’ACL, etc

The diplomatic/consular mission can also assist the family of the deceased in obtaining or notarising local authority administrative documents.

What consular assistance cannot do for you

  • Repatriate you at government expense, except in exceptionally serious circumstances and conditional on subsequent reimbursement.
  • Pay a fine, your hotel or hospital bill, or any other expense you have incurred.
  • Advance you money without first providing surety.
  • Issue you with a passport on the spot.
  • Intervene in the course of justice to obtain your release if you are involved in legal proceedings or are accused of an offence committed on the host country’s territory.
  • Stand in for travel agencies, the banking system or insurance companies.
  • Officially provide you consular protection if you are also a national of the country in which you are travelling.
  • Interfering in people's private problems (family or professional).