On 7 August 2026, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority published a GOV.UK notice stating that people injured or bereaved in the Christopher Street Day terror attack in Berlin on 25 July 2026 may be able to apply under the Victims of Overseas Terrorism Compensation Scheme 2012. The practical effect is that an official UK compensation route is now available for eligible claimants affected by that incident. (gov.uk)
According to the CICA scheme guide, the overseas terrorism scheme is designed for direct victims who suffered a relevant physical or mental injury, for certain people who witnessed the act or its immediate aftermath involving a loved one and then developed a medically evidenced mental injury, and for qualifying relatives of someone who died. The Berlin notice restates the nationality groups used by the scheme, including British, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens ordinarily resident in the UK, members of the UK armed forces, and certain close relatives or family members connected to those groups. (gov.uk)
Nationality is only one part of the test. GOV.UK guidance says applicants must usually have been ordinarily resident in the UK on the first date of the designated act and for the three years immediately before it, unless they meet one of the alternative conditions in paragraph 13 of the scheme. In practice, CICA looks at the overall pattern of residence and the claimant's ties to the UK, including family, employment and property, rather than relying on travel records alone. (gov.uk)
The scheme only applies to a 'designated act' of terrorism, which the guidance says is an act designated under section 47 of the Crime and Security Act 2010. Claimants also carry the burden of proof: CICA says applicants must provide the evidence needed to establish eligibility, including documents on nationality, residency and the injury or bereavement. (gov.uk) Time limits matter. The guide says claims should be made as soon as reasonably practicable and, where the applicant was an adult at the time of the incident, normally no later than two years after the last date of the designated act, with extensions limited to exceptional cases that can still be decided without extensive further enquiries. (gov.uk)
For successful applicants, awards are set by Parliament and calculated by reference to a tariff of injuries. GOV.UK says the scheme can cover physical or mental injury, loss of earnings where incapacity lasts more than 28 weeks, and certain special expenses; for bereaved families it can also provide bereavement, child, dependency and funeral payments. (gov.uk) The payment rules are tightly defined. Loss of earnings is calculated at the rate of statutory sick pay in force when the claim is decided and is only payable from week 29, while funeral support starts at a flat £2,500 and can rise to a maximum of £5,000 where circumstances justify it. (gov.uk)
The application route remains largely form- and telephone-based. The Ministry of Justice and CICA provide separate forms for personal injury and fatal injury claims, and GOV.UK says the VOTCS team can also help applicants to start a claim by telephone. (gov.uk) Current published contact details are 0300 003 3601 from the UK and +44 (0) 203 684 2517 from outside the UK. The helpline is open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 3pm, and Relay UK is available for people who cannot hear or speak on the phone. (gov.uk)
CICA's guidance is explicit that claimants do not need a paid representative such as a solicitor or claims management company to use the scheme. Free independent advice may be available through victim support services, and the Home Office's updated guidance says the Support Hub can help people affected by terrorist attacks abroad to understand compensation and wider assistance. (gov.uk) For families affected by the Berlin attack, the main point is that the 7 August notice is not itself an award decision. It is a notice that the statutory route is open, subject to the scheme's tests on injury or bereavement, nationality, residency, evidence and time limits; the same notice also states that British and non-British nationals may be able to receive other support. (gov.uk)