Get emergency help from a British embassy

Find the right contact

Use GOV.UK's embassy directory to find the office responsible for your location. It may be in another country. Call for urgent help; an online enquiry is more suitable for matters that can wait. Arrange an appointment before visiting an embassy or consulate.

If you are calling about someone else, explain your relationship and what you know about their safety. Give information that you know to be accurate, and distinguish it from anything you have only heard.

Find the responsible British embassy or consulate (opens in a new tab)FCDO support and contact routes (opens in a new tab)

Prepare these details for the call

Do not delay an urgent call because you lack a passport number or other paperwork. Keep a pen or notes app ready for the next steps and reference details.

• Your name, nationality, current location and a number where you can be reached.
• What happened, when it happened and whether anyone is in immediate danger.
• Any hospital, police or detention location and a useful reference number.
• Urgent medical, disability, safeguarding or communication needs.
• Who is travelling with you, including children or dependants.
• What local services, your insurer or travel company have already said.

What consular support can involve

Depending on the case, officials can explain local processes, provide details of local lawyers or medical services, support people after serious crime, contact detained British nationals and help with emergency travel documents. They may help communicate with family, with your consent.

Explain any reason you cannot protect yourself or access help. Support is assessed individually, with particular attention to vulnerable people. Some services, including emergency travel documents, carry a fee.

Read what consular assistance covers (opens in a new tab)Help after a crime abroad (opens in a new tab)

Keep other help moving

Contact your insurer's emergency assistance team about treatment, travel and covered costs. Use local police for crime reports and local emergency services for immediate rescue or medical care. Consular support does not replace those services.

Officials cannot pay ordinary bills, give legal advice, override immigration decisions or get someone released from prison. If you hold another nationality, help can be restricted in that country. In British Overseas Territories, contact the local authorities for assistance.

During a wider crisis

Check your country's FCDO advice for any dedicated hotline or registration service. Register if asked, keep your location details current and follow local instructions. Tell family if you are safe and contact your transport provider about available routes.

Embassy access and government help may be limited by conditions on the ground. Do not assume an evacuation will be offered or that an embassy is a shelter you can enter without arrangements.

FCDO guidance for a crisis abroad (opens in a new tab)