Help for British Nationals
What kind of help can we provide?
British Consulates in Paris, Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon and Marseille will do everything they can to help British people in difficulty abroad.
We offer help which is appropriate to the individual circumstances of each case, including:
- Issuing replacement passports (only in Paris);
- Providing information about transferring funds;
- Providing appropriate help if you have suffered rape or serious assault, are a victim of other crime, or are in hospital;
- Helping people with mental illness;
- Providing details of local lawyers, interpreters, doctors and funeral directors;
- Doing all we properly can to contact you within 24 hours of being told that you have been detained;
- Offering support and help in a range of other cases, such as child abductions, death of relatives overseas, missing people and kidnapping;
- Contacting family or friends for you if you want;
- Making special arrangements in cases of terrorism, civil disturbances or natural disasters.
Under UK law, we have to charge for some services. Consulates display the current consular fees and the standards of service you can expect under Service First.
Download the FCO publication: Support for British nationals abroad: a guide [PDF, 3.25Mo, new window]
What we cannot do
- Get you out of prison, prevent the local authorities from deporting you after your prison sentence, or interfere in criminal or civil court proceedings;
- Help you enter a country, for example, if you do not have a visa or your passport is not valid, as we cannot interfere in another country’s immigration policy or procedures;
- Give you legal advice, investigate crimes or carry out searches for missing people, although we can give you details of people who may be able to help you in these cases, such as English-speaking lawyers;
- Get you better treatment in hospital or prison than is given to local people;
- Pay any bills or give you money (in very exceptional circumstances we may lend you some money from public funds, which you will have to pay back);
- Make travel arrangements for you, or find you work or accommodation;
- Make business arrangements on your behalf.
Definition of a UK national
For the purpose of the EU, "UK nationals" are defined as:
a) British citizens;
b) Persons who are British subjects by virtue of Part IV of the British Nationality Act 1981, who have the right of abode in the United Kingdom and are therefore exempt from UK immigration control;
c) British Dependent Territories citizens who acquire their citizenship from a connection with Gibraltar.
Commonwealth citizens with the right of abode in the UK are not "UK nationals" for EU (or any other) purposes.
Channel Islanders or Manx citizens do not benefit from Community provisions relating to the free movement of persons and services unless they, or a parent, or a grandparent were born, adopted, naturalised or registered in the United Kingdom or they have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom for five years.
Publications
Support for British nationals abroad: a guide [PDF, 3.25Mo, new window]
