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Help for British nationals
Please be advised the Consulate-General has implemented new opening hours and an online appointment system with effect from 1 May 2012. In case of emergencies please call 02 287 6211.
This page gives information on what help we can provide if you do get into difficulty. We offer help which is appropriate to the individual circumstances of each case, including:
- issuing emergency travel documents;
- 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; and
- making special arrangements in cases of terrorism, civil disturbances or natural disasters
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;
- 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 things go wrong
Find out how we can help and what you should do when something goes wrong while you're abroad
The British Consulate-General in Brussels
Avenue des Nerviens 9 - 31 Nerviërslaan,
1040 Brussels
+32 (0) 2 287 6211
Useful information
Store the word "I C E" (In Case of Emergency) in your mobile phone address book, and against it enter the number of the person you would want to be contacted in case of emergency. Fill in next of kin details at the back of your passport.
In an emergency situation ambulance and hospital staff will then be able to quickly find out who your next of kin are and how to contact them.
