Belgians in distress

In case of accidents, natural disasters or other disasters involving a large number of Belgians, the FPS Foreign Affairs can open the crisis centre (not to be confused with the national crisis centre, the NCCN). The centre deals with situations that go beyond the scope of traditional individual consular assistance.
 

What assistance can the crisis centre provide?

The crisis centre works together with the Belgian representations abroad, the Ministry of Defence, the involved tour operators and travel agencies, insurers and the ministries of Foreign Affairs of other European nations. Its main task is, on the one hand, to exchange information and crisis plans with all these bodies, and, on the other hand, to exchange information with the family and acquaintances in Belgium of persons in crisis situations abroad. A team of coordinators and telephone operators makes every effort to collect the data of the Belgians, to find out where they are located and, if necessary, to bring them together in a safe place. In short, during a crisis situation the crisis centre is the communication and coordination point par excellence.

The activation of the crisis centre will each time be communicated on the website of the FPS Foreign Affairs and/or on the social media channels of the FPS. You can contact the crisis centre when you are on site or have family/friends on site and have urgent questions about the crisis situation concerned. However, you can’t contact the crisis centre for administrative or logistical questions about reimbursements or reservations of flights or hotels.

The competent Belgian embassies or consulates also coordinate, in case of crisis, with the crisis centre which information can be shared with the Belgian community on site. When you register on Travellers Online or report yourself to the embassy or consulate, you can proactively receive relevant communication about the emergency situation.

In the worst case, a repatriation or evacuation is organised. Repatriation or evacuation is, however, not a standard procedure, it is not a “civil right”. As long as you still have departure possibilities via the regular channels yourself, you must use these, since no evacuation or repatriation can be organised when you can still leave the country yourself. The traveller is informed via the Travel Advice of the considerable risks in certain countries. Therefore always follow carefully and in time the advice of the FPS Foreign Affairs to leave a certain country. Repatriation or evacuation is not always possible, for example when the local circumstances do not allow it.

If there are no departure possibilities via the regular channels, and no repatriation or evacuation can be organised? Then make sure that your emergency kit is in order and go to a safe place where you can bridge a short period.
 

What does the crisis centre not do?

• Provide medical information or advice. This falls exclusively under the responsibility of local medical personnel or the local police.
• Report deaths. Only the local police in Belgium may do this.
• Share detailed personal data with non-related persons.
• Share information or advice about reimbursements, flight cancellations or other administrative or logistical questions.