Crises abroad
You are responsible for yourself when travelling abroad. This also applies in the event of accidents and emergencies. Make sure you have your insurance and passport in order and stay informed during your travel.
Before you travel
Take out travel and health insurance
- Travel cover is usually included in your home insurance. Check the terms and conditions of your insurance with your insurer.
- You may also have some insurance cover if you paid for your trip using a bank card. Check with your bank to find out what applies.
- If you are travelling within the EU/EEA, you should take your European Health Insurance Card with you. Order the EU card via the Swedish Social Insurance Agency’s website.
Check that your passport is valid
- Please note that some countries require your passport to be valid for six months from the date of your return journey. A passport and national ID card are the only valid documents that can prove your identity and citizenship. A driving licence does not count as a travel document. Apply for a passport or national ID card at the Police.
- If you lose your passport whilst travelling, you should contact the Swedish embassy or consulate in the country where you are.
Find out about your destination
- Find out as much as you can about the country you are travelling to. Swedish embassies provide travel information on Sweden Abroad. You can also access travel information via the UD Resklar app.
- Keep up to date with news reports about the country you are travelling to.
- If you are travelling to a country outside Europe, you should also find out whether you need any vaccinations.
Swedenabroad: Embassies’ travel information
Find out if there is a travel advisory
- The Ministry for Foreign Affairs (UD) advises against travel to a country, or parts of a country, where the security situation is assessed as very dangerous, unpredictable or rapidly changing.
- If you choose to travel despite the Ministry’s advice against it, your standard travel insurance will normally not apply. Check with your insurance company to find out what applies.
- A travel advisory often means that the Ministry and embassies have limited ability to provide consular assistance.
Download the UD Resklar app
- Download the UD Resklar app and enable push notifications for the country you are visiting.
Download the UD Resklar app from the Swedenabroad website (In Swedish)
In the event of a crisis abroad
Let people know you are safe
- In incidents where many people are affected or are feared to be affected, relatives have a great need for information.
- Call home or let people know via social media if the telephone network is down.
- Use one of the online services available for this purpose, such as Facebook Safety Check. Some services also allow relatives to register and search for specific individuals.
- Register on the Swedish Register so that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs or the nearest Swedish embassy or consulate can contact you if necessary.
- In the event of a major crisis, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs may set up special telephone numbers for those affected and their relatives.
Stay up to date and follow the authorities’ advice
- Follow developments through the media and the embassy’s travel information.
- Follow the advice of local authorities.
- Krisinformation.se publishes confirmed information about events abroad that affect Swedish citizens and people with links to Sweden.
Swedenabroad: Assistance to Swedes abroad
If you need medical care or other practical assistance
- Contact your insurance company’s emergency helpline if you require medical care or other practical assistance.
- Contact the nearest embassy for specific advice on how to resolve problems. In emergencies, you can also contact the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ emergency helpline. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ emergency helpline is staffed 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and handles urgent matters outside embassy office hours.
- Contact your airline or other travel organiser to rebook your tickets.
Help for Swedes abroad
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Can I get help getting home if a disaster strikes whilst I’m abroad?
In extreme situations, the Swedish government may evacuate Swedish travellers to a safer location. A government-organised evacuation only takes place in the event of incidents on such a scale that ordinary resources are insufficient and where insurance companies and travel operators are no longer able to assist.
When the government evacuates Swedish travellers, it is usually in response to sudden events that affect security and infrastructure in an affected area. These may include war, war-like situations or the aftermath of a major natural disaster with safety implications. Airports may be closed or destroyed, road access may be restricted or dangerous, and so on.Source: Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
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Who pays for an evacuation?
In the event of an evacuation, the Act on Consular Disaster Relief may be applied if the Government so decides. The Act clarifies the State’s responsibilities but also stipulates that you, as an individual traveller, are liable for the costs yourself if the State carries out a disaster relief operation.
In practice, this relates to travel costs and any costs for healthcare.
In the event of an evacuation under the Act on Consular Disaster Response, no forms need to be completed to apply for financial assistance. The Kammarkollegiet will seek reimbursement retrospectively.Your costs as a traveller should be covered by a good travel insurance policy. It is always a good idea to contact your insurance company before travelling so that you know what the policy covers.
Source: Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
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Can anyone else help?
If there is no Swedish embassy in the country, or if you are unable to contact a Swedish embassy, you, as a Swedish citizen, can contact another Nordic embassy or an EU embassy for assistance.
Source: Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
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Who can receive assistance from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the embassies?
Those who may receive assistance from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the embassies whilst abroad are those covered by the Act on Consular Financial Assistance:
- Swedish citizens resident in Sweden.
- Refugees or stateless persons resident in Sweden.
- Where there are special reasons, other foreign nationals resident in Sweden or Swedish citizens resident abroad may also receive assistance. Consular assistance to persons who have moved abroad is, by law, severely restricted and is provided only in exceptional cases.
Source: Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
After a crisis situation abroad
If you have been involved in an accident or a serious incident whilst travelling abroad, you may need help and support when you return home. In that case, contact your local authority. The local authority can provide crisis support regardless of whether the crisis occurred in Sweden or abroad.
Sources
Sources
Krisinformation.se gathers information from Swedish authorities. All source pages are in Swedish.