Emergency assistance for Irish citizens in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia.

The Consulate operates a weekend out-of-hours service for Irish citizens requiring emergency assistance. If you are in need of emergency assistance, please contact the Consulate at + 1-212-319-2555 and leave a message on the answering machine.  The answering machine is monitored regularly, and the Duty Officer will contact you as soon as possible. When you leave a message, remember to state your name, the nature of the problem, where you are now, and the details of how the Duty Officer can contact you (e.g. leave your mobile phone number, or the phone number of the hotel/hostel where you are staying).

If something goes wrong while you are abroad, you should first contact your family and/or friends at home. They may be able to resolve your difficulty for you or help you to do so without further assistance.

Alternatively, you may contact the Duty Officer at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin at + 353-1-408-2000.

Loss/Theft of Passport

If your passport is lost or stolen, you should also go to the nearest Police Station and make a report. Keep a copy of your statement to the police as you will need to submit it with your application for a new passport.

Secondly, contact the Consulate. In the case of a genuine emergency, the Consulate can issue you with an Emergency Travel Certificate. You will need to present the police report, photo I.D., airline tickets and two passport photographs to apply for an Emergency Travel Certificate.  There is a fee of $22 for this service.

If you have been arrested or imprisoned

One of the most important functions of Irish Embassies and Consulates is to ensure that the rights of Irish citizens who are arrested or imprisoned abroad are fully respected. If you are arrested, you should ask the local Authorities to contact the nearest Irish Embassy or Consulate.

When the Embassy or Consulate is informed of the arrest or imprisonment of an Irish citizen, they will respond immediately and provide all possible consular assistance.

The Consulate can:

• Visit you or arrange for you to be visited by an Honorary Consul or by a representative of an Embassy or Consulate
• Advise you about the prison system and about your entitlement to visits, mail and other facilities
• 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

If you have been the victim of a crime

The Consulate can:

• Inform family or friends of your situation
• Help you to transfer funds from home if this is necessary
• Assist in liaising with the local police
• In exceptional circumstances, advance funds to you on the basis of a strict undertaking to repay the funds when you return to Ireland
• Assist in arranging repatriation to Ireland