Eager to travel, Estonians in increasing need of consular help

Kerli Kivistu
, reporter
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Photo: viro-keskus.fi

In 2015, an average of four Estonians a day needed consular assistance someplace in the world. For the most part, it was loss or theft of travel documents. The year registered 1,656 such procedures, including 263 mediated by honorary consuls.

«Truly, through the years as well as in 2015, the greatest need was replacement travel documents. This amounted to some 60 percent of cases,» said foreign ministry consular department director-general Kersti Eesmaa.

When one loses passport while abroad, he needs to go to a police station first. «The next step is make two photos of yourself and go to the Estonian embassy. If that does not work, contact the foreign ministry,» advised Ms Eesmaa.

In its attempts to raise travel awareness, the ministry stresses these four keywords: travel documents, travel information, travel insurance, and getting registered. 

The official emphasised the need to get registered at the ministry website when out to travel. «This is first and foremost so that should something happen in that country, an accident or an earthquake, we will be able to contact the people there as fast as possible,» explained Ms Eesmaa.

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