While You’re Away

Yes. Emergencies can range from lost passports to an illness or injury, stolen belongings, missing persons and more. Help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Canadian government offices around the world offer help to Canadians. These include embassies and consulates. Find the office near you on the Government of Canada’s website.

Canadian citizens can also contact the Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa by calling collect: +1.613.996.8885. Leave a clear and detailed message with a contact number. You can also contact the Centre via text message, WhatsApp, email and an online form. Visit the Government of Canada’s website for more contact information.

Last Reviewed: January 2023

In some places, the Canadian government has an agreement with Australian or Swedish offices to provide services to Canadians. The list of Canadian government offices includes these offices as well.

You can always contact the Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa by calling collect: +1.613.996.8885. Leave a clear and detailed message with a contact number. You can also contact the Centre via text message, WhatsApp, email and an online form. Visit the Government of Canada’s website for more contact information.

Last Reviewed: January 2023

Canadian government offices can provide a variety of “consular services” including:

• contacting family and friends, with your consent, in an emergency
• helping you get a new passport if yours is lost, stolen, damaged or expired
• helping you during a natural disaster (such as a flood or earthquake) or an outbreak of violence
• giving you information about local laws, regulations and customs
• giving you contact information for local lawyers, police or medical services
• helping bring a loved one’s body back to Canada
• helping you vote in Canadian elections

You may have to pay for some consular services.

Last Reviewed: January 2023

Your passport has a section that says “In case of accident or death, please notify” Make sure you fill out this section before you leave. Consider listing an emergency contact who you do not usually travel with. Talk to this person beforehand so they know they are your emergency contact.

Consider also signing up for the Registration of Canadians Abroad service. You will be asked for an emergency contact. This service allows the Canadian government to know where you are and contact you if need be.

Last Reviewed: January 2023

Yes. It is very important to follow the laws of the place where you are. While you are in Canada, you must follow Canadian laws. And while you are somewhere else, you must follow that place’s laws. It does not matter whether you are a citizen of that place.

You may have heard the expression: “ignorance of the law is no excuse.” This is true. You cannot break the law in a foreign country and then say you didn’t know.

Before you leave for your trip, do some research on the place you are going. Understanding the laws and customs of the place can help you stay safe and out of trouble.

Last Reviewed: January 2023

No, they definitely are not. Every country has the right to make and enforce its own laws in its own territory.

Many countries have developed very different legal systems that may have little in common with our Canadian system. For example, some countries do not agree with our idea that a person is innocent until proven guilty. Some countries do not recognize freedom of the press, freedom of speech and freedom to associate with anyone you choose. Some countries do not guarantee legal representation to help you or that your trial be held in a language yo understand.

The laws and penalties for drug offences can be much more severe in some countries than they are in Canada. And in some countries, you can get in trouble for the clothing you wear. Never assume the legal system in a country you are visiting is the same as at home. Do your research before you go!

Last Reviewed: January 2023

It is a good idea to learn about the countries you will be visiting. Learning about the history, culture, traditions, language and customs of these places can help you make good decisions while travelling. It is very important to do this research if the place you are visiting has very different laws and customs than Canada.

Last Reviewed: January 2023

No. Canadian representatives in foreign countries can offer some help, but they cannot get you out of legal trouble.

Canadian representatives can:

• give you contact information for lawyers and translators
• contact your family or friends back home
• give you information on the local legal and prison systems
• try to make sure you are treated the same as locals for similar offences

However, they cannot “pull strings” to get you out of jail, have the charges dropped, change your sentence, or help you pay, reduce or drop a fine.

Learn more about how the Canadian government can help Canadians detained abroad on the Government of Canada’s website.

Last Reviewed: January 2023

Yes. You must never assume that local laws will not apply to you because you are a foreigner.

It does not matter if you are a citizen of a country or not. Every country has the right to make and enforce its own laws in its own territory. If you come into that country, you are subject to the laws of that country. Your Canadian citizenship does not give you any sort of immunity.

There are many news articles about Canadian or American citizens convicted and sentenced in foreign countries because they broke the law in that place, even if they did not intend to.

Learn more about how the Canadian government can help Canadians detained abroad on the Government of Canada’s website.

Last Reviewed: January 2023

No. Canadian representatives in foreign countries cannot:

• post bail or pay fines
• pay for a lawyer or give legal advice
• investigate or interfere in an investigation of a crime abroad
• ask local authorities to give Canadians special treatment

Canadian government offices can give you contact information for local lawyers and police, and provide some services (depending on location) to those detained abroad.

Learn more about how the Canadian government can help Canadians detained abroad on the Government of Canada’s website.

Last Reviewed: January 2023

This is a good example of how foreign laws can be different from what we are familiar with in Canada. In some countries, guilt by association is allowed. This means you could be charged with a criminal offence even if all you have done is be in the company of a person suspected or found guilty of a crime. Even if you are just an innocent bystander at a demonstration or riot, the local police might think you are a participant and charge you with those people who were actively involved. Be careful about what you do and who you associate with.

Last Reviewed: January 2023

Most countries have laws about buying, using, selling or transporting certain drugs or substances. Remember though, a substance legal in Canada (such as cannabis) may not be legal in the country you are visiting.

You will not be excused for your behaviour just because you are a foreigner. Most countries have very heavy fines or jail sentences for possession and trafficking in drugs. Some countries even have the death penalty for some drug offences. For example, a famous U.S. citizen was convicted and sentenced to a steep sentence in a foreign country because they had cannabis oil in their luggage.

If you have questions, do your research beforehand.

Last Reviewed: January 2023

Some countries have strict rules (and even laws) about dress. It is important to know these rules/laws and behave accordingly. You can be punished for breaking the law, even if you do not know about it.

Some countries have rules for visiting certain attractions, such as churches, mosques, temples and other holy places. Often, shorts and sleeveless tops are inappropriate and females may need to cover their heads in some way. Even if it’s not the law, you should find out about and respect local expectations.

Last Reviewed: January 2023

You should be careful about photographing people in the countries you visit. Some local people do not like having their picture taken or they may be very superstitious about it. They may also expect you to pay them after taking their picture. Always ask for permission first.

Sometimes there are rules about not taking photos in certain places, such as a holy place. The Canadian government also warns Canadian travelers to never take pictures of military facilities, harbours with military vessels in them, or major industrial installations like oil refineries. You may have your camera taken away by local authorities or even be suspected of spying.

Last Reviewed: January 2023

If your passport is lost or stolen while you are on your trip, you should contact the nearest Canadian mission, such as an embassy, High Commission, Consulate or Trade Mission immediately as well as the local police.

Before the document can be replaced the Canadian authorities will investigate the circumstances surrounding the loss. You must

• complete another application form,
• provide a copy of the police report,
• show some proof of Canadian citizenship, such as your birth certificate,
• have another photograph taken, and
• pay another application fee

before another passport can be issued for you.

Last Reviewed: August 2012

You only get one passport. However, you should make a photocopy of your passport’s identification page and keep it with you in a separate place from your passport. This page includes your picture, your basic personal information and your passport number, which all helps if you need to get a new one. Also, you should leave a photocopy of that page at home with your family.

Last Reviewed: August 2012

You should keep a separate record of your traveler’s cheques and credit cards if you have any. Never carry your passport, travel tickets, identification like your birth certificate, cash, traveler’s cheques or credit cards in the same place. If you do and they are lost, you will lose everything and have no money or even any identification to prove that you are who you say you are.

Last Reviewed: August 2012

If a Canadian citizen reports that he or she has lost a passport, the Security Section of the Passport Office is notified. If there are suspicious circumstances or if a person reports the loss or theft of a passport more than once, the Security Section will begin a complete investigation. This could delay the issuing of a new passport to replace the one you lost or had stolen and can even lead to a refusal to give you a new passport, except for an emergency passport valid only for your immediate return to Canada.

Last Reviewed: August 2012

You should check to make sure that the prescription medicine you are taking is legal in the country you will be visiting. Even some medicines sold in Canada without a prescription might be illegal in another country, like pain relievers that contain codeine. You should call a special travel medical clinic to get information about this. For a list of travel medical clinics in Canada, you can visit the Canadian Society for International Health website or call (613) 241-5785.

Last Reviewed: August 2012

You should carry a copy of your prescription for your medicine that lists both the generic and trade names of the drug, as well as a letter from your doctor that states the medical reasons for your prescription and the recommended dosage. Keep all of your medicines in their original, labeled container, don’t mix them up to try and save space. The travel medical clinics we mentioned in the last question can give you additional advice about what to do.

Last Reviewed: August 2012

You should take along a letter from your doctor that states your medical condition and that you need the needles for a medical purpose. You should also take along enough needles to carry you through to the end of your visit.

Last Reviewed: August 2012

You should take along a letter from your doctor that states your allergy and the need to have an antidote in needle form in case of an emergency. The travel medical clinics can give you further advice about how to travel with these items.

Last Reviewed: August 2012

Some countries have legal requirements about what vaccinations you must have and what proof you may have to produce before you will be allowed to enter. You may need to make sure that you received all of your childhood vaccinations or have them brought up to date. Your family doctor, local health clinic, or the travel medical clinics can help you with this.

Last Reviewed: August 2012

You might want to consider wearing a MedicAlert bracelet if you have a serious medical condition that might cause you trouble when you travel. The MedicAlert Foundation will put your important medical information in a database that can be accessed 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world. You can call 1-800-668-1507 for membership information or see the MedicAlert website.

Another good idea is to take an extra pair of prescription glasses or your prescription for glasses or contact lenses in case you lose them when traveling.

Also, visit the Public Health Agency of Canada website as it regularly posts health warnings for travellers.

Last Reviewed: August 2012