• issuing replacement passports;
• 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 and 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; and
• making special arrangements in cases of terrorism, civil disturbances or natural disasters.

UK law says we have to charge for some services. Consulates display the current fees and the standards of service you can expect under Service First.

We cannot...

• 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;
  
• perform notarial acts, administer oaths (except oaths of allegiance) and take affidavits that are effectual in the UK
  
• 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; or
  
• make business arrangements on your behalf.

When offering you support, we will:

• be polite and professional;
  
• maintain confidentiality;
  
• answer enquiries and requests for help in person, on the phone or in writing as soon as possible;
  
• explain clearly, from the start, how we can help you;
  
• provide appropriate cover so that someone can deal with genuine emergencies outside normal office hours; and
  
• make sure our help is accessible and equal to everyone, no matter what their sex, race, age, colour, sexuality, disability or religion.

You should:

• treat our staff with respect (if you are physically or verbally abusive, we may refuse to continue to help you);
  
• have full travel insurance, or health care and any other appropriate cover if you live abroad;
  
• have made preparations before travelling, for example, packing medicine, having any necessary vaccinations, and leaving details of your itinerary with family or friends;
  
• have researched your destination, including checking our travel website;
  
• follow local laws;
  
• take local advice about what is safe or unsafe, and follow this advice;
  
• avoid unnecessary risks and take care of your travel documents and money; and
  
• be prepared to pay for some types of consular support, for example, issuing an emergency passport (we do not make a profit from these charges but instead use the funds to help British nationals).