Diplomatic missions of the United Kingdom

This is a list of diplomatic missions of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, excluding honorary consulates. The UK has one of the largest global networks of diplomatic missions. UK diplomatic missions to capitals of other Commonwealth of Nations member countries are known as High Commissions (headed by 'High Commissioners'). For three Commonwealth countries (namely India, Nigeria, and Pakistan), the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) still uses the term "Deputy High Commission" for Consulates-General (headed by Deputy High Commissioners), although this terminology is being phased out.[1] British citizens may get help from the embassy of any other commonwealth country present, when in a country where there is no British embassy. There are also informal arrangements with some other countries, including New Zealand and Australia, to help British nationals in some countries.

In 2004, the FCDO carried out a review of the deployment of its diplomatic missions, and subsequently over a two-year period closed its missions in Nassau (in the Bahamas), Asunción (Paraguay), Dili (East Timor), Maseru (Lesotho), Mbabane (Swaziland), Antananarivo (Madagascar), Nuku'alofa (Tonga), Tarawa (Kiribati), and Port Vila (Vanuatu). Additionally several consulates and trade offices were also closed, including those in Fukuoka (Japan), Vientiane (Laos), Douala (Cameroon), Porto (Portugal), along with Frankfurt, Leipzig, and Stuttgart in Germany, and Phoenix, San Juan, and Dallas in the United States. Other consulates in Australia, Germany, France, Spain, New Zealand, and the US were downgraded and staffed by local personnel only.[2] In 2012, Foreign Secretary William Hague announced the opening of embassies in Liberia and Haiti, the re-opening of embassies in Laos, El Salvador, and Paraguay, and the opening of a Consulate-General in Recife (Brazil). He also said that by 2015, the UK would have opened up to eleven new embassies and eight new Consulates or Trade Offices.[3] In 2013, a UK government office was established in Seattle.[4] In 2014, all services at the former UK Consulate in Orlando were transferred to the nearby UK Consulate-General in Miami.[5] In 2015, the UK Consulate-General in Denver was reclassified as a UK Government Office.[6] In 2018 the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has announced that new High Commissions will open in Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Grenada, Lesotho, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Swaziland, Tonga and Vanuatu and a British office in Somaliland like the one in Taipei, Taiwan[7]

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office employs approximately 13,200 staff in the UK and in more than 260 Posts overseas. Approximately one-third of these employees are UK-based civil servants (including members of HM Diplomatic Service) and two-thirds are employed locally by Posts overseas.[8]

Africa

Americas

Asia

Europe

Oceania

Multilateral organisations

Closed missions

Africa

Host country Host city Mission Year closed Ref.
 Cameroon Douala Consulate 2005 [8][20]
 Congo-Brazzaville Brazzaville Embassy 1991/2 [20]
 Gabon Libreville Embassy 1991/2 [20]
 Libya Benghazi Consulate 2012 [21]
 Sudan Khartoum Embassy 2023 [22]

Americas

Host country Host city Mission level Year closed Ref.
 Colombia Baranquilla Consulate 1998 [8]
Cali Consulate 2014 [23]
Cartagena Consulate 2014 [23]
 Honduras Tegucigalpa Embassy 2003 [8][24]
 Nicaragua Managua Embassy 2003 [8]
 United States Cleveland Consulate 1999 [8]
Dallas Consulate 2005 [8][25]
Orlando Consulate 2014 [26]
San Juan, Puerto Rico Consulate 2005 [8][25]

Asia

Host country Host city Mission Year closed Ref.
 Afghanistan Kabul Embassy 2021
 East Timor Dili Embassy 2007 [8]
 Iraq Basra Consulate 2012 [23]
 Japan Fukuoka Consulate 2006 [8]
Hakodate Consulate 1934 [27]
Nagoya Consulate 2007 [8]
Shimonoseki Consulate 1940 [28]
Yokohama Consulate 1972
 Malaysia Kuching Consulate General 1999 [8]
Republic of China Kashgar Consulate-General 1949 [29]
 South Vietnam[lower-alpha 1] Saigon Embassy 1975 [30]
 Syria Damascus Embassy 2012 [8][23]
 Thailand Chiang Mai Consulate 1999 [8]
Pattaya Consulate 2012 [23][31]
 Yemen Sana'a Embassy 2015 [32]
Aden Consulate-General 2005 [8]

Europe

Host country Host city Mission Year closed Ref.
 France Calais Consulate 1980 [33]
Lille Consulate-General 2011 [8][23]
Lyon Consulate-General 2012 [23]
 Germany Bonn Embassy branch office 2002 [34]
Frankfurt Consulate General 2005 [35]
Hamburg Consulate General 2006 [36]
Leipzig Consulate General 2005 [35]
Stuttgart Consulate General 2006 [35]
 Italy Florence Consulate 2011 [23][37]
Naples Consulate 2012 [37]
Turin Consulate 2006 [20][38]
Venice Consulate-General 2011 [23]
 Greece Thessaloniki Consular office 2013 [23]
 Portugal Funchal Consulate 2012 [23]
Porto Consular office 2012 [23]
 Russia Saint Petersburg Consulate General 2018 [39]
 Spain Seville Consulate 2001 [8]
 Sweden Gothenburg Consulate-General 2006 [8]
  Switzerland Geneva Consulate-General 2010 [23]
Zurich Consulate-General 1998 [8]

Oceania

Host country Host city Mission Year closed Ref.
 Australia Adelaide Consulate 2006 [8][20]
 Kiribati Tarawa High Commission 1994 [40]

Flags

Flag used on British Embassies (pictured in Rome).

The United Kingdom is one of two countries, the other being Thailand, that use diplomatic flags abroad. These special flags are flown at the chanceries of their embassies and consulates. For High Commissions, the Union Flag is used. In addition, there is a flag in use for British consular vessels in international or foreign waters.

FlagUseDescription
Flag used by British EmbassiesA Union Flag defaced with the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
Flag used by British High CommissionsA Union Flag
Flag used by British Consulates and Consulates-GeneralA Union Flag defaced with the St Edward’s Crown
Flag used by Consular officials onboard vesselsA Blue Ensign with the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The British Consulate-General, Hong Kong reports directly to the FCDO, instead of the British embassy in Beijing
  2. ↑ The British Consulate-General, Jerusalem reports directly to the FCDO, instead of the British embassy in Tel Aviv
  3. ↑ Some embassy staff have been temporarily withdrawn due to the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.
  4. ↑ The British Embassy to the Holy See is located outside Vatican territory in Rome.
  1. ↑ The embassy closed down on 24 April 1975, in the midst of the Fall of Saigon, which marked the end of the Vietnam War and the start of a transition period to the formal reunification of Vietnam.

References

  1. ↑ "[ARCHIVED CONTENT] Definition of Missions Foreign & Commonwealth Office". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 6 February 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ↑ "Caribbean Net News: Britain to close to High Commission in Nassau". Archived from the original on 28 July 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  3. ↑ Strengthening Britain's diplomatic network in Latin America and the Caribbean Archived 2014-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 21 June 2012
  4. ↑ "United Kingdom sends consul to re-establish official Washington state presence - Puget Sound Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "Changes to UK government representation in Orlando, Florida - News articles". GOV.UK. 29 January 2014. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  6. ↑ "British Consulate General Chicago". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "Foreign Secretary expands UK Commonwealth diplomatic network". GOV.UK.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 "The Foreign & Commonwealth Office" (PDF). Foreign and Commonwealth Office. January 2012.
  9. ↑ "British embassy reopened in Libya". The Libya Observer. 6 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  10. ↑ "UK help and services in India - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 1 February 2018.
  11. ↑ "The British Consulate General in Jerusalem represents the UK government in Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza". British Government. 22 May 2020.
  12. ↑ "British Vice Consulate Antalya - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk.
  13. ↑ "British Embassy Abu Dhabi - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk.
  14. ↑ "British Embassy Dubai - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk.
  15. ↑ "British Vice Consulate Corfu - GOV.UK".
  16. ↑ "British Vice Consulate Crete - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk.
  17. ↑ "British Vice Consulate Rhodes - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk.
  18. ↑ The United Kingdom doesn't recognize Northern Cyprus, but has a high commission office in North Nicosia.
  19. ↑ "UK Joint Delegation to NATO". gov.uk. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 "Annex" (PDF). parliament.uk.
  21. ↑ "Westerners in Benghazi at Imminent Risk of Terror Threat". International Business Times. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  22. ↑ "British Embassy Khartoum - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Support for British nationals abroad: The Consular Service" (PDF). House of Commons. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  24. ↑ Sentinel, Orlando (30 November 2003). "BRITAIN WILL CLOSE HONDURAN EMBASSY TO FOCUS ON TERRORISM". OrlandoSentinel.com.
  25. 1 2 "Dallas' British Consulate to close in money-saving move - Dallas Business Journal". Archived from the original on 27 July 2009.
  26. ↑ "Changes to UK government representation in Orlando, Florida". GOV.UK.
  27. ↑ "Former British Consulate of Hakodate". Travel Hakodate.
  28. ↑ "English ｜ 重要文化財旧下関英国領事館". www.kyu-eikoku-ryoujikan.com.
  29. ↑ "Dead, drunk or driven insane: British consuls in pre-1949 China". South China Morning Post. 27 June 2019.
  30. ↑ Fox Butterfield (25 April 1975). "Four Embassies Close". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  31. ↑ "Phuket: British Consulate in Pattaya closes". The Phucket News. 7 November 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  32. ↑ "US and UK close Yemen embassies after rebels seize control of Sana'a". the Guardian. 10 February 2015.
  33. ↑ "British Embassies and Consulates (Answering Machines) - Thursday 27 October 1983 - Hansard - UK Parliament".
  34. ↑ "Briten schließen Bonner Außenstelle". 8 November 2001. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  35. 1 2 3 "Caribbean Net News: Britain to close to High Commission in Nassau". 28 July 2009. Archived from the original on 28 July 2009.
  36. ↑ SPIEGEL, Sebastian Knauer, DER (30 January 2007). "Mostly Empty US Consulate Blocks Hamburg Streets: Round-the-Clock Security for Skeleton Staff". Der Spiegel.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  37. 1 2 "Doors close in Naples". The Florentine. 6 June 2012.
  38. ↑ "British Embassies and Consulates in Italy". September 2007.
  39. ↑ "Russia spy poisoning: 23 UK diplomats expelled from Moscow". BBC News. 17 March 2018.
  40. ↑ Crocombe, R. G. (1995). The Pacific Islands and the USA. Editorips@usp.ac.fj. ISBN 9789820201163.
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