Help for British people abroad
What help can people receive from the consular service when they are abroad? This briefing highlights relevant guidance and discusses proposals for a legal right to consular assistance in cases involving human rights.
The Consular service is the part of the UK Government which assists British nationals when they encounter problems overseas: from lost passports to kidnapping, detention or death.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provides:
- guidance on support for British nationals abroad, outlining the type of help it can provide and offering general advice on staying safe overseas.
- up to date travel advice and warnings for specific countries.
The department advises that there are a number of ways in which people can contact the consular service - email, telephone and through social media channels – and provides contact details.
The government’s Consular charter (updated in 2022) sets out what services are provided by the consular service, what people can expect from it and what it asks for in return. The FCDO explains that the assistance provided is at its discretion (there is currently no legal right to assistance). It says support includes the following (hyperlinks as in the original):
- providing information about the legal or judicial systems in the country you are in, and details forinterpreters and other services. We cannot provide legal advice but can give you details of local lawyers
- providing contact information for local police and medical services if you have been thevictim of crime, sexual or violent assault. Sometimes we may be able to accompany you to the police station to report a crime
- visiting or contacting you if you arearrested or detained, or serving a sentence in prison
- with your consent, providing information to family in the UK about your situation or raising concerns with the local authorities about any mistreatment
- if we are informed about thedeath of a British national abroad and no family are present, asking the police to inform the family in the UK
- providing details oninternational funeral directors and advice on how to register a death overseas
More specific guidance on assistance in specific circumstances, such as a medical emergency, where someone is the victim of a crime abroad, or if someone is arrested is also provided on the FCDO’s Support for British nationals abroad page.
The Consular service also has a role in the event of a crisis abroad and may arrange evacuation “in extreme and rare circumstances” for British nationals.
The FCDO states there are limits to the assistance that may be provided by the consular services, for example if someone is in a location to which travel has been advised against, or where there is no consular presence. It also explains that under the Vienna convention on consular relations, its staff “must not interfere in the internal affairs of the host country when providing consular assistance.”