Travel awareness means being prepared for the unexpected.

If you fall sick or get injured abroad, your embassy or consulate can guide you to the help you need. Stay informed and travel with peace of travel. If you become ill or need hospital treatment while you’re abroad, you can contact your nearest Irish Embassy or Consulate. They can help you deal with the situation.

What Embassy or Consulate can do:

• Contact your family, friends or designated emergency contact in Ireland*.
• Help you to find English-speaking local doctors, medical facilities, and English-language translators and interpreters.
• Communicate with medical personnel or hospital authorities. However, we don’t provide medical interpretation or medical translations.
• Transfer funds from family and friends at home to you, if necessary.

*Data may be shared with the General Register Office in order to establish next of kin information.

*In certain cases, where necessary, they may need to contact AGS to request assistance.

What Embassy or Consulate cannot do:

• Pay your hospital bills or other medical expenses.
• Advise you on what medical options you should pursue.

Travel insurance

Buying comprehensive travel and medical insurance can save you and your family a lot of money if something goes wrong. It will also ensure that you get the medical attention you need. Hospital bills can quickly run into thousands of euro, and a medical evacuation back to Ireland can cost thousands more.

Not all policies are the same, and the cheapest one might be cheap for a reason. Make sure your policy covers all the activities you plan to do on your trip. Insurance Ireland recommends that you purchase a policy that provides a minimum medical cover of €1 million.

For more information visit Ireland’s official government “Sick or Injured” page