Criminal Injury Compensation Abroad

Claims relating to crimes overseas

The jurisdiction of the Criminal Injury Compensation Authority (CICA) extends only as far as the borders of Great Britain, so if you were the victim of a criminal injury outside of England, Scotland or Wales (Northern Ireland has its own compensation system) and wish to claim, you must do it by going down different channels. The same general steps should be taken if you suffer an injury in any foreign country — you should report the incident to the police and medical authorities as failure to do so can cause difficulties when trying to claim compensation.

Criminal injury claims in European Union states

European law states that all EU member states must have a criminal compensation scheme in place, which will be similar to CICA. CICA can help you with the process of claiming in an EU country — they have a specialist department called the EU Compensation Assistance Team (EUCAT) who should be contacted if you feel that you need any help when claiming for an injury sustained in an EU country.

Criminal injury claims in non-EU states

Several non-European Union states have authorities through whom it is possible to claim compensation from for criminal injury, as of 2010 the US Office for Victims of Crimes lists these as: Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Colombia, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.

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