The EU has put in place legislation that facilitates access to compensation in situations where the crime was committed in an EU country other than the victim's country of residence.
Directive 2004/80/EC on compensation to crime victims allows people who have fallen victim to crime abroad to apply for state compensation. The Directive requires that all EU countries have a state compensation scheme which provides fair and appropriate compensation to victims of intentional violent crime. In order to facilitate victims’ access to compensation in cross-border cases, the Commission has adopted Commission Decision 2006/337/EC that established standard forms for the transmission of applications and decisions on compensation.
At the e-Justice Portal, the Commission, together with Member States, collects information about the available national compensation schemes.
Directive 2012/29/EU establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, revised in 2026, provides for the right to obtain a decision on compensation from the offender.