One of the priority tasks of foreign service missions is to assist Norwegians who have run into difficulties abroad. Below please find a summary of the kind of assistance that the foreign service missions may provide - and what they may not provide.
A great number of Norwegians receive assistance from Norwegian foreign service missions every year. It is very important for us to provide the best possible practical assistance and advice to those who are the victims of unexpected events abroad as well as to their families.
Expectations about the assistance that foreign service missions may provide are often very high. Sometimes these expectations do not correspond to what we actually can do considering our competence, for example the legal restrictions which we have to comply with.
So what kind of assistance can we expect from Norwegian foreign service missions? Please find below a summary of some essential points:
Who may request assistance?
All Norwegian nationals are entitled to assistance. Refugees and stateless persons resident in Norway can expect the same assistance as Norwegian nationals in most matters during temporary stays abroad. Norwegian nationals who are permanently resident abroad can not expect the same assistance as the one provided to Norwegian nationals permanently resident in Norway.
If you have dual nationality and travel to your second home country, the authorities of that country can choose to ignore the Norwegian nationality. In such situations, it may be difficult for Norwegian authorities to provide assistance.
Assistance abroad
More than 100 diplomatic and consular missions along with approximately 400 honorary consulates provide assistance to Norwegian travelers abroad. The diplomatic and consular missions are staffed by Norwegian personnel who are posted from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Honorary consulates are generally run by private individuals who are nationals of the country in which the consulate is located and who look after Norway’s interests in their area without remuneration. Norwegian citizens can not expect the same assistance from an honorary consulate as from an embassy staffed by Norwegian personnel posted from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
What kind of assistance may foreign service missions provide?
Foreign service missions may:
• Issue an emergency passport or another travel document for transport home;
• Contact the family and ask them to send money etc.;
• Offer advice on how to transfer money from Norway;
• Offer advice and guidance on medical services, hospitals etc.;
• Help obtain legal assistance;
• In exceptional cases, provide destitution loans for transport home;
• Assist family members in the event of a death abroad;
• Visit persons who are arrested or detained;
• In special circumstances, attend legal hearings.
What kind of assistance may foreign service missions not provide?
There are a number of services a foreign service mission may not provide. These include:
• Intervening in the legal process;
• Paying a lawyer hired on a private basis;
• Arranging for accommodation, work or work permits;
• Paying hotel, medical, legal or other expenses;
• Transferring money or paying social benefits;
• Translating certificates and similar documents;
• Assisting in civil affairs;
• Taking responsibility for children;
• Accompanying sick persons, children or others back to Norway.
Death
Approximately 900 Norwegians die abroad every year. In the event of the death of a Norwegian national abroad, foreign service missions will assist the family by providing information and arranging for return of the remains to Norway in either a coffin or a cinerary urn. The cost of return transport may be very high. These expenses are not paid by the Norwegian authorities – You should therefore make sure that such expenses are covered by your travel insurance.
In the event of homicide, foreign service missions assist as usual by notifying the family and providing information and practical help in connection with the return of the remains to Norway. The foreign service missions may also assist by finding a local lawyer just as they may facilitate contact between the family and local authorities if necessary.
In the event of homicide abroad, the police authorities in the concerned country are always in charge of investigations and of bringing offenders to justice just as the Norwegian police is in charge of investigations of homicides in Norway. If the country requests the support of the Norwegian police, the Norwegian police will be able to assist.
There are no grounds for Norwegian authorities to intervene in a judicial proceeding in another country just as foreign authorities may not intervene in judicial proceedings in Norway. Nor may Norwegian authorities, in their contacts with foreign authorities, express opinions which anticipate the outcome of an ongoing judicial proceeding.
Arrest
When Norwegian nationals are detained in a foreign country, it should be borne in mind that local laws and regulations will always apply and will therefore determine, along with applicable international law, what Norwegian foreign service missions and authorities may or may not be able to do.
In the event of an arrest abroad, you have the right, according to the Vienna Convention, to contact the nearest Norwegian foreign service mission. The mission will then normally visit the arrested person unless the arrest is for a very short period. The foreign service mission will also be able to offer different kinds of assistance in agreement with the legal system of the country where the person is detained.
The main purpose is to guarantee the legal certainty of the individual. Norwegian authorities will therefore assist by finding a defense lawyer where such a lawyer is not automatically appointed by the authorities. This assistance always consists in proposing a range of lawyers to the detainee and let him choose one of them. The Embassy always tries to find lawyers who speak English or another language which the detainee can understand. If not possible, the Embassy will assist by finding an interpreter where not automatically provided. It is essential that the detainee has the opportunity to choose his own lawyer. In addition, the Embassy will be able to assist the detainee by trying to obtain free legal aid either in the host country (where applicable) or in Norway especially if the sentence is heavy. The detainee will have to pay the lawyer’s or interpreter’s fees out of his own pocket. The Embassy may not provide interpretation services for judicial proceedings abroad.
Furthermore, the foreign service mission may assist by providing information to the family in Norway if the detainee agrees. It may also assist by buying clothes, medicines and food if necessary – but at the detainee’s own expense. The foreign service mission may also help safeguard the detainee’s interests in Norway by, for example, notifying public institutions such as tax authorities, debt collection agencies etc. that the person in question is in prison and cannot fulfill his obligations.
The host country has no obligation to inform about Norwegian detainees unless there is a bilateral agreement thereof. However, the detainee has the right, according to the Vienna Convention, to contact a Norwegian foreign service mission. When the mission is informed about a Norwegian detainee by other means, we will try to get in touch with the detainee to make sure that he has been given the possibility to contact us and to check whether there is anything the Embassy/Consulate can do for him.
For the time being the Ministry knows about approximately 100 Norwegian citizens detained in foreign prisons.
Take out an insurance!
All those who are planning to travel abroad should make sure that they have a good travel and health insurance with adequate cover. Without a valid insurance, hospitalization or medical repatriation to Norway may be very expensive. Within the EEA (European Economic Area) countries, you are normally entitled to medical care at a public hospital, but expenses for a medical repatriation to Norway will not be covered. Outside the EEA area, all expenses in connection with hospitalization or transport to Norway will be on your own account. This can bring about significant expenses for yourself and/or your family.
We also recommend that you read the terms and conditions of the travel insurance carefully before traveling and that you buy a supplementary insurance if necessary.
Damages
In connection with accidents abroad, a Norwegian national may be able to file a claim for damages. In such situations the foreign service mission may help him or her obtain legal assistance. The foreign service mission may also facilitate contact between the parties if necessary due to language or other difficulties. Foreign service missions may not pay legal fees.