When things go wrong

Please contact the British Embassy on 0252 586072, 0252 580041/38, 0252 585771/3 or 0252 584098 during Office Hours (see above), or call the Duty Officer for emergent consular issues only on 078830 2343 out of Office Hours.

What kind of help we can provide to British Nationals in Rwanda?

British Embassy will do everything they can to help British people in difficulty abroad.

We can:

• issue replacement passports;
• provide information about transferring funds;
• provide appropriate help if you have suffered rape or serious assault, are a victim of other crime, or are in hospital;
• help people with mental illness;
• provide details of local lawyers, interpreters and doctors and funeral directors;
• contact you within 24 hours of being informed that you have been detained;
• offer support and help in a range of other cases, such as child abductions, death of relatives overseas, missing people and kidnapping;
• contact family or friends for you if you want;
• make 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 consular fees and the standards of service you can expect.

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 (see below);
• 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.