[ARCHIVED CONTENT] Help for Dual Nationals Foreign & Commonwealth Office

If you are British and also a national of another country then you are a dual national. Being a dual national affects the level of consular help you receive. This page explains what assistance a British Consul may offer dual nationals.

If you have some connection with a foreign or Commonwealth country, for example, by birth, by descent through either parent, by marriage or by residence, you may be a national of that country in addition to being a British national. You should check with the authorities of any other country with which you are connected. It is for them, and not for the British Government, to determine whether you hold the nationality of their country. Acquisition of British nationality or citizenship does not necessarily cause you to lose your nationality of origin.

Some countries expect their dual nationals to travel on their national passports under certain circumstances. You should check with the authorities of your other nationality. The London addresses of foreign and Commonwealth diplomatic and consular representatives are available on this website: click here.

If you are a dual national in the country of your other nationality
If you are a British national and you are in the country of your other nationality, the authorities of your other nationality are entitled to take the view that the British Government has no standing in the matter. The British Consul will not provide consular assistance to you regardless of which passport you have used to enter the country of your other nationality. We have the discretion to make an exception to this rule if, having looked at the circumstances of the case, we consider that there is a special humanitarian reason to do so. Such circumstances might include, for example, cases concerning minors, forced marriages or capital offences. However, the assistance we can provide will depend on the circumstances and will require the acquiescence of the other state. If under the law of that country you are liable for any obligation such as military service, the fact that you are also a British national does not necessarily provide exemption and we will not intervene on your behalf on such matters. However, there is assistance that the British Consul can still provide to you in your country of other nationality.

The British Consul can...

In a crisis, try to evacuate dual nationals (including those who have renounced British citizenship but who are applying for resumption), subject to the resources available;

Issue passports or emergency passports;

Accept registration with the consular section (subject to local procedures). However, registration does not mean that the Post will provide consular assistance;

Provide general advice on how to transfer funds by commercial means;

Provide details of local lawyers, interpreters and doctors;

Provide details of organisations experienced in tracing missing persons;

Undertake notarial work.

If you are in a country of which you are not a national
You should seek consular assistance from the country on whose passport you are travelling. If you are a dual national travelling to a third country on a passport other than your British passport then you should contact your other nationality’s Embassy for assistance.

If you are travelling to a third country on your British passport

The British Consul can...

Issue emergency passports, and in some places full passports;

Contact relatives and friends and ask them to help you with money or tickets;

Tell you how to transfer money;

n an emergency, cash you a sterling cheque worth up to £100 in local currency, if supported by a valid banker's card;

Provide details of local lawyers, interpreters and doctors;

Arrange for next of kin to be told of an accident or a death and advise on procedures;

Visit you if you have been arrested or put in prison, and arrange for messages to be sent to relatives and friends;

Put you in touch with organisations who help trace missing persons;

Speak to the local authorities on your behalf;

Only as a last resort, in exceptional circumstances, and as long as you meet certain strict rules, give you a loan to get you back to the UK, but only if there is no-one else who can help you.

BUT Consuls cannot...

Provide consular assistance if you are a dual national in the country of your second nationality, except in certain special circumstances where there is a special humanitarian reason to do so;

Intervene in court proceedings;

Get you out of prison;

Give legal advice or start court proceedings on you;

Get you better treatment in hospital or prison than is given to local nationals;

Investigate a crime;

Pay your hotel, legal, medical or any other bills;

Pay your travel costs, except in very special circumstances;

Do work normally done by travelagents, airlines, banks or motoring organisations;

Get you somewhere to live, a job or work permit;

Demand you be treated as British if you are a dual national in the country of your second nationality.