Making a police report

It is important to note that English language interpreters are not always available at short notice: it may be advisable to bring a Portuguese-speaking person with you.

Lost/Stolen passport?

If your passport is lost or stolen, you should firstly report the loss or theft to the nearest police station as soon as possible after the event. The police should then issue you with a report of loss/theft confirming that you have made the report. You will be required to present this when applying for a replacement travel document. You should then contact the Embassy.

If your passport has been lost or stolen you can read more on how to replace it.

Crime

If you are the victim of a crime, please contact the nearest police station as soon as possible and make a report. You should ask for a copy of the report. If you wish, you may also contact the Embassy, who can facilitate your communication with the police forces.

Accident/assault victims

We will do everything possible to assist you if you have been the victim of an accident or assault.

We can provide information on local English-speaking lawyers, but we cannot give you legal or medical advice, or formally recommend or pay for doctors or lawyers.

All cases are treated in complete confidence. We can also help you to contact friends and family and assist with arrangements to get you home, if that is your wish. All persons who have been assaulted or in an accident must report the incident to the Police.

Arrest

If you are arrested, you may ask the local authorities to contact the Embassy and inform us of your arrest.

In such situations the Embassy can:

• Arrange for you to be visited by an Embassy official
• If necessary, provide you with a list of local English-speaking lawyers
• Advise you about the prison system
• Bring details of any medical condition you may have to the attention of prison officials
• Pursue with the prison authorities on your behalf complaints about ill-treatment or discrimination
• Pass messages to and from your family

However, the Embassy does not:

• Secure better treatment for Irish citizens than local or other nationals receive
• Give nor pay for legal advice
• Interfere with or influence the local judicial system
• Provide any financial assistance while you are in prison

Death and illness abroad

Death of an Irish Citizen Abroad

If a member of your family dies while abroad, the Irish Embassy will provide all possible assistance in dealing with the formalities that arise in these situations.

The Embassy can:

• Arrange to have the next of kin of the deceased informed by the Garda Síochána
• Assist relatives to appoint a local undertaker
• Assist with procuring documents such as death certificates or medical or police reports
• Assist relatives to communicate with the Police and other Authorities

However, the Embassy does not:

• Investigate the circumstances of the death
• Pay expenses relating to local burial or cremation
• Pay the cost of repatriating the remains
• Pay for relatives to travel to where the death occurred or to accompany the remains to Ireland

If the deceased was covered by travel insurance, it is important for next of kin to contact the insurance company without delay. If there is no insurance cover, the cost of repatriation or burial will have to be met by the family.

Families should be aware that the time required to repatriate remains to Ireland varies depending on the circumstances of a death. A minimum of a week is usual from Mozambique. However, there may be circumstances where repatriation can be delayed for longer.

Illness/Hospitalisation

If you fall seriously ill while in Mozambique, the Embassy can provide you with a list of hospitals and doctors. As medical facilities and supply of medicines can be poor in Mozambique, especially outside Maputo, the Embassy strongly recommends that comprehensive travel insurance, including medical insurance which covers air evacuation in case of serious illness, is obtained before travelling to Mozambique.

The Embassy can:

• Offer general advice on the local medical services
• Assist in liaising with doctors or hospitals
• Advise relatives or friends about accidents or illnesses
• Assist in arranging repatriation to Ireland

It is important to stress that the Embassy does not have funds to pay hospital bills or meet other medical expenses on your behalf.

Also, the Embassy does not:

• Provide medical advice
• Pursue insurance companies about payment of or refund of the cost of medical treatment
• Pursue claims for compensation relating to negligence, injury or any other matter
• Pay for visits by relatives

Natural disaster/Crisis

Some major catastrophes involving Irish citizens abroad may need exceptional levels of response. It is not easy to define every possible circumstance, but these events may be the result of natural disasters or large-scale accidents, or of terrorism or conflict. No one set of responses will meet all circumstances.

If the Minister for Foreign Affairs considers an event to be a major catastrophe affecting significant numbers of people we can help, we will:

• Consider whether exceptional help should be provided from public funds
• Set up public help-lines
• Provide information if we have it, and if we believe it to be reliable, to people who have been affected and their family members who we are in contact with
• Consider sending appropriate extra staff to the country involved

Other Emergencies

Accessing Funds

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Irish citizens travelling abroad sometimes experience financial difficulties. Such situations can usually be resolved easily and quickly by transferring money from Ireland through well-known commercial agencies.

If these channels are not available, the Embassy can contact your relatives or friends in Ireland to ask them to send you funds either directly or through the Department of Foreign Affairs. A statutory fee of €35 applies to a transfer of funds made through the Department.

The Department is unable, under any circumstances, to give loans or to pay any hotel or other expenses incurred by Irish citizens abroad.

Repatriation

In very exceptional circumstances, where the health or security of an Irish citizen in Mozambique is at risk and there is no way of dealing with the situation satisfactorily locally, the Department of Foreign Affairs may agree to repatriate the person to Ireland. This will be done at the sole discretion of the Department and subject to strict conditions which will be set out clearly in each case. The conditions include a written undertaking to repay all the expenses incurred as well as a statutory fee of €35.