Rules and laws differ from one country to the other. And it’s a good practice to know the basic laws of the countries you’re visiting as a tourist or an expat. For example, traveling without identification in Russia is one way to get detained. So what do you do if you’re arrested in a foreign country?
Stack Exchange recommends contacting the embassy as the first step, but you should not depend on the embassies for all the help and assistance you’d need. Some of the things you can expect them to do are:
- Contact family members to pass messages along
- Provide details on contact information on local lawyers, and interpreters if needed.
- Depending on whether such a support system is available for your nationality, get you in touch with charities or provide loans for financial aid.
Embassies will not “directly provide legal assistance, immunity, or evacuation just because someone is in trouble with the police,” so it’s best to know the laws ahead of time if you can.
Simply performing a web search for laws travelers should know in the country you’re headed to is a good place to start.
See the entire discussion at What should you do if you get arrested in a foreign country?