Consular protection is the help an EU Member State can provide to its citizens in case they need assistance abroad. Typically, consular protection can include cases such as:

• A need for emergency travel documents;
• A serious accident or serious illness;
• Relief and repatriation in case of an emergency;
• Being a victim of crime;
• Arrest or detention;
• Death.

In Sierra Leone, Germany and Ireland have a resident Embassy and France has a Diplomatic Representation of the Embassy of France in Sierra Leone. Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain and Sweden are represented by Honorary Consuls in Sierra Leone while Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, and Slovenia do not have a Resident Embassy or Consular Representation in Sierra Leone.

• You can contact your resident Embassy or Consulate/Honorary Consul able to provide consular protection.
• If your EU Member State has no resident Embassy/Consulate/Honorary Consul able to provide consular protection in Sierra Leone, you can turn to another EU Member State for consular protection, noting there are specific arrangements for your consular protection if you are from Denmark, Finland and Sweden.

Indeed, any EU citizen abroad whose own Member State has no local representation is entitled to receive consular protection from the diplomatic or consular authorities of any other EU Member State. In that case, EU citizens are entitled to benefit from consular protection under the same conditions as the nationals of that other EU Member State.

You can find the contact details of the resident EU Member States Embassies/Consulates/Honorary Consuls who can provide consular protection, as well as existing arrangements between EU Member States for consular protection, in Sierra Leone in the document below.

Please note that the EU Delegation to Sierra Leone cannot provide direct consular assistance.

As an EU citizen, you can take simple steps to make consular protection more effective, for example:

• Following the travel advice issued by your country’s Foreign Ministry.
• When abroad, registering with your Embassy or Consulate and/or through dedicated platforms, if applicable.
• Other tips include keeping an electronic copy of your travel documents, subscribing to a travel insurance or saving crisis contact details.

For more information on consular protection, see the dedicated pages on the websites of the EEAS, the European Commission and the Council of the EU.

Updated on 09^th June 2022

NB: If you notice an error or omission, kindly send a message to [email protected] to enable us to update this list.