New rules adopted by the European Parliament will make it easier and safer for those who lose their passports, have them stolen or damaged when traveling outside the EU to get temporary documents from any EU Member State’s consulate in a shorter period. These documents will be much safer and will offer protection against fraud and counterfeit. Local Councillor Emer Higgins explained, ”Thanks to collaboration between EU Member States’ diplomatic services, a new Directive guarantees that no EU citizen will be refused when in need of a temporary travel document to get to their final destination. This kind of cooperation is crucial for when tourists don’t have a national embassy in the country they’re visiting or traveling through.”
The new temporary traveling document would be valid for a maximum of 15 days and can be used for those who lose their passports in order to travel back home. The procedure of verifying applicants’ identity and issuing an emergency travel document for them should take a maximum of 4 days. “Another reason to value our EU membership,” concluded Cllr. Emer Higgins.
