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 Serbia, 21 EU Member States have a resident Embassy/Consulate.

• You can contact your resident Embassy /Consulate/Honorary Consul able to provide consular protection.
• If your EU Member State has no resident Embassy/Consulate able to provide consular protection in Serbia, you can turn to another EU Member State for consular protection. 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. There are however specific arrangements for your consular protection if you are from Lithuania or Luxembourg as bilateral arrangements have been made for Belgium to represent citizens from Luxembourg in Serbia and for Hungary to represent citizens of Lithuania.

You can find contact details of the resident EU Member States representations who can provide consular protection, as well as existing arrangements between EU Member States for consular protection in Serbia in the document below.

Please note that the EU Delegation in Serbia 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.