This document is an excerpt from the EUR-Lex website
Decision 96/409/CSFP on the drawing up of an emergency travel document
Scope
The decision does not apply to passports that have expired; it is specifically confined to cases where travel documents have been lost, stolen or destroyed, or are temporarily unavailable.
Obtaining an ETD
Embassies and consulates of EU countries issue ETDs in the following circumstances:
The applicant for an ETD must send an application form, together with certified photocopies of any available proof of identity and nationality to the authority designated by their country of origin.
Charges and fees
The EU country issuing the ETD collects from the applicant the same charges and fees as those it normally charges for issuing an emergency passport. An applicant who is unable to cover other local-related expenditure will receive, where appropriate, the necessary funds as instructed by his/her country of origin, in accordance with Decision 95/553/EC (which will be repealed by Directive (EU) 2015/637 as of 1 May 2018).
Validity period
To ensure that citizens are able to return to a given place, the ETD should be valid for slightly longer than the minimum time needed to complete the journey for which it is issued. In calculating this period, the need for overnight stops and for making travel connections should be taken into consideration.
Security measures
Annex III of the decision deals with the security measures relating to the ETD. These include aspects such as the type of paper and the numbering system to be used, as well as how the seal of the issuing authority is affixed.
For more information, see:
Decision 96/409/CSFP of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council of 25 June 1996 on the establishment of an emergency travel document (OJ L 168, 6.7.1996, pp. 4–11)
Successive amendments to Decision 96/409/CSFP have been incorporated in the basic text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.
Decision 95/553/EC of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council of 19 December 1995 regarding protection for citizens of the European Union by diplomatic and consular representations (OJ L 314, 28.12.1995, pp. 73–76)
Council Directive (EU) 2015/637 of 20 April 2015 on the coordination and cooperation measures to facilitate consular protection for unrepresented citizens of the Union in third countries and repealing Decision 95/553/EC (OJ L 106, 24.4.2015, pp. 1–13)
last update 23.08.2016