Consular services

Hajj pilgrims Helping British nationals in difficulty overseas is a vital part of the work of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). We provide advice and assistance and support to British nationals travelling overseas. Britons make over 50 million overseas trips each year and although the majority of those are trouble free, if things go wrong the British Embassy is there to help.

The help we can provide is limited so it's important to take as many precautions as possible before you travel, and to know what our limitations are.

Know Before You Go is an FCO campaign which helps travellers have a safe and enjoyable holiday by encouraging them to be better prepared before going.

Our key messages are simple: make sure you've got the right travel insurance, take suitable medical precautions and read FCO travel advice before your trip!

To make life easier we have divided up our advice into useable sections. Link to the one which best suits your trip:

travel advice by country - link to the country you are visiting and get up-to-date information about what's happening there
how to stay safe abroad which covers the risk of terrorism, travel insurance, health, money, and natural disasters
Your trip which covers women, LGBT travellers, travellers with disabilities, backpackers, those going to Hajj and advice for people getting married or entering into a civil partnership abroad, amongst others.
what to do when things go wrong which deals with unexpected death, arrest and imprisonment, child abduction, forced marriage, victims of crime, sexual assault, imprisonment and kidnapping

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