Can I make a claim for criminal injury after being attacked abroad?

Victims are not eligible for compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) scheme if their incident occurred abroad.

In order to be eligible for a claim through the CICA, an incident must have occurred in either England, Scotland or Wales. There are certain niche areas that can be exceptions to this rule, such as lighthouses off the coast of Great Britain, however these all stipulate ties to Great Britain.

Alongside location requirements, applicants are also required to ordinarily be residents of the UK on the date they sustain injury and must make their claim within 2 years of an incident occurring.

For those who are victim to criminal injury abroad, other schemes exist to provide compensation. For instance, incidents in Northern Ireland are dealt with by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board or CICB. These other schemes can be located through simple web searches detailing the location of the crime.

Further reading

For a more detailed breakdown of what kinds of cases the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority can consider, visit our CICA resource.

WHAT TO DO NEXT

Should you have been victim to a crime of violence in either England, Scotland or Wales and wish to seek further advice on obtaining compensation for your injuries, please contact our dedicated CICA team on 0113 200 9787.