Contacting the Police

• The number for Police Emergency in Singapore is 999.
• The Philippine National Police (PNP) hotline is 117.
• The number for Emergency Services in Timor-Leste is 112. 
• The number for Police Emergency in Brunei is 993.

Travel Insurance

It is essential to acquire comprehensive travel insurance before you travel. Your travel insurance policy should cover the entire period you are abroad until you arrive home. Always check the conditions and exclusions of your policy; most policies will not cover drink or drug-related incidents.

Your policy should at the very minimum cover the following:

• medical and health cover for an injury or sudden illness abroad, including medical evacuation/repatriation
• 24 hour emergency service and assistance
• personal liability cover (in case you are sued for causing injury or damaging property)
• lost and stolen possessions cover
• cancellation and curtailment cover
• cover for activities that are often excluded from standard policies (e.g. water sport activities such as jet skiing)

Crime

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 where to find a lawyer, but we cannot give you legal or medical advice, or formally recommend or pay for doctors or lawyers.

All cases are treated in 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 authorities to inform the Embassy of your arrest by making a request for consular access.

The authorities do not automatically inform us of the arrest of an Irish national, but they are legally obliged to inform all detained foreign nationals of their right to consular assistance. It is therefore your right to ask the arresting officer to inform the Irish Embassy or your nearest Irish Consulate of your situation as soon as possible.

The Embassy can:

• Advise you about your entitlement to visits, mail and other facilities
• Bring details of any medical condition you may have to the attention of police or prison officials
• Pursue with the prison authorities on your behalf any complaints about ill-treatment or discrimination
• Pass messages to and from your family

However, the Embassy cannot:

• Secure better treatment for Irish citizens than local or other nationals receive
• Give or pay for legal advice
• Recommend specific lawyers
• Interfere with or influence the proper operation and application of the local judicial system
• Provide any financial assistance while you are in prison
• Pay bail bonds or fines

Legal Representation

We strongly recommend any Irish citizen who is arrested to take professional legal advice, and we can provide a list of English-speaking lawyers specialising in different areas of the law. Unfortunately the Embassy is not in a position to provide legal advice, or to pay legal fees. 

Free Legal Aid is unlikely to be available to an Irish citizen in Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei or Timor-Leste.

Death and Illness Abroad

Death 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. Costs for repatriation of remains from Singapore, Philippines, Brunei and Timor-Leste are usually in the region of €5,000 - €10,000.

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

Illness/Hospitalisation

In an emergency, please go to the nearest reputable hospital. The Embassy can provide a list of medical services which serve particular needs.

If you become ill or require hospital treatment, you or your friends/family can contact the Embassy/nearest Consulate for assistance if you need help in dealing with the situation.

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

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