One of the core objectives of the Department of Foreign Affairs is to provide consular assistance to Irish citizens who live or travel abroad.
The main consular services provided by our embassies and consulates abroad are as follows: issuing emergency passports, assisting victims of serious accidents, illnesses or crime, assisting people detained, arrested or imprisoned abroad, transferring funds to Irish citizens abroad where conventional means are unreliable or non-existent, repatriating Irish citizens in emergency circumstances and providing assistance in connection with deaths abroad and the return of remains to Ireland.
If a death of an Irish citizen occurs abroad, the Department, as stated above, will offer all possible assistance and support including, where necessary, with autopsies, death certificates, liaising with undertakers and airlines, and so forth. In the great majority of cases, the cost of repatriation would be covered by the family in question. When necessary, the Department is happy to provide financial assistance locally, on a cost recoverable basis. In addition, in exceptional circumstances, including natural disasters, the repatriation of remains has been undertaken at State expense.
The Department strongly advises intending travellers abroad to take out adequate travel insurance prior to travel. This advice is available on our website at www.dfa.ie.