Why is the U.K. embassy useless unlike the US embassy?
Posted by OutsideWishbone7@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 27 comments
Whenever American friends contact the US embassy abroad the embassy will help them. From arranging emergency travel home to getting them out of sticky situations. It is professional and efficient.
The U.K. embassy that I’ve seen in several countries now does nothing for its citizens beyond providing phone numbers and probably a cup of tea (though unlikely Yorkshire tea). The only purpose is to drum up business I assume. I’m looking at building out my U.K. business in the Philippines and the embassy is a hindrance rather than a support. If you get into any trouble they just wash their hands.
Here in Manila you cannot even visit the U.K. embassy, yet you can walk up and enter the American one. A few months ago they ran a Britain fair in BGC Manila. It was almost laughably pathetic. A couple of food stands, some car sellers. No exhibition of British business etc
Are British citizens just second class citizens to their embassy. Why are the consular staff so useless?
RoseyOneOne@reddit
I've lived in 3 different countries over the last 20 years but haven't met anyone that was in such a jam that they needed their embassy. Maybe I just live a boring life.
Savingsmaster@reddit
You’ve never had to renew your passport in the last 20 years?
I’ve never heard of a country whose embassies / consulates do not have a process to renew its citizens passports except for the UK.
When I spoke with the UK consulate in the country I’m currently living they just shrugged their shoulders and told me to just post my passport back to the UK for renewal. They would not arrange anything.
badlydrawngalgo@reddit
Passport renewal is all online for UK passports. It's painless, efficient and quick.
Mine took 10 days from start to holding my new passport in my hand delivered by DHL. You don't just post it back though, you apply online and only post it back when they tell you to. https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports
pearpool@reddit
This isn't true.
Passport renewal is only done in a different city in the country I live in, I live in the capital btw.
Getting a child's first passport takes around 6 months. An absolute joke, also requiring travel to another city. This impacts visiting loved ones and career moves as you are stuck in the country they were born until they get a passport. Ridiculous when I see other nationality expat colleagues just literally writing an email to their embassy with a witness letter - and they get a passport within two weeks.
UK system is a joke - don't gaslight people into thinking it isn't. Never heard of such a bureaucratic passport system.
From the link that you provided:
*You must apply in person. If you’re unable to, someone else can go on your behalf. You must bring photo ID with you.
Bring original supporting documents and a colour photocopy of each one. The original documents will be returned to you.
You must also bring your current passport with you when you apply, and a full colour photocopy of the entire passport (every page including blank pages).
You can’t travel with it after you’ve applied for a new one - but you will be able to keep your existing passport for ID purposes.
You must book an appointment online to apply in person.*
badlydrawngalgo@reddit
I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean. Overseas passport renewal is online, as is applying for a child's passport. As far as I'm aware that applies to all countries, although I do understand that there may be some isolated circumstances and countries that this doesn't apply to. What country do you live in? Applying for a child's passport
pearpool@reddit
It doesn't apply to all countries. It might be the Anglosphere and Europe where it is available online. Sucks for everyone else.
badlydrawngalgo@reddit
That's the first time I've heard of Kazakhstan and Bhutan being in the Anglosphere and in Europe, it definitely applies to them.
Savingsmaster@reddit
When I renewed my passport 3 years ago I was told it could not be guaranteed within any timeframe and the standard timeframe was 10 WEEKS not 10 days. I am a frequent traveller so had no choice but to fly back to London and do an urgent in-person renewal.
I am living in a gulf country where there is always a risk of conflict (as currently evidenced) so the idea of mailing your passport and being unable to travel for potentially many weeks in an emergancy situation is utterly insane and irresponsible of the government to put their citizens in that position.
badlydrawngalgo@reddit
Mine was in 2024 and from reading other more current reports it seems to be a similar timeframe these days. There was a spell during and after COVID when passports took ages, but thankfully that's passed. The website does also address obtaining an emergency travel document if your passport has gone missing or expired or (presumably) "in the post", that's online too and can be issued immediately.
wandering_engineer@reddit
I personally know people who do embassy consular work, it is far more common than you'd think. Unfortunately it's often people in bad situations (lost passport, sudden death while traveling, sometimes people who were unfortunately swindled, arrests, etc).
You also have people just needing routine services, like renewing passports, filing CRBA for a newborn child, etc. At least for the US all of that has to be done through the local embassy. Kind of surprised you never had any contact with the embassy at all, unless you live part-time in your home country. How else would you renew your passport?
atchijov@reddit
Being expat for more than 30 years, American Embassies never strike me as an example of efficiency. Eventually with some persistence you can get them to “do they job”… but they certainly function exactly the same way as any other burocratic institution all around the world.
wandering_engineer@reddit
I personally know a number of FSOs (the people actually working at US embassies) and they are incredibly hardworking, often Type-A people. Honestly after hearing some of the consular horror stories they've gone through, I have a lot of respect for them - it's a thankless job.
Unfortunately, like any other government worker, they are very heavily constrained by laws and regulations. If they aren't "doing their job" there is likely a good reason, they are not a business. Honestly, I don't know the issue you had, but I would tell you the same thing I've told to other US citizens complaining (because voting abroad is too complex, or because they had to reimburse the USG for their Covid evacuation flight, or because they didn't send in the Marines when their precious kid was arrested for drunk driving, or whatever). If you don't like it, complain to your member of Congress - they set immigration laws, funding, etc. Don't blame the poor entry-level FSO stuck with consular duty.
atchijov@reddit
Sorry if my comment came out too harsh. I totally agree with what you said about thankless job and limitations of the law and bureaucracy.
ThrowDeepALWAYS@reddit
Just a thumbs up for US embassies. They were just spectacular in helping locate me, get me to a hospital and ensure my emergency contacts were notified of my whereabouts after a serious accident.
Public-Guidance-9560@reddit
Have you not watched the grand tour? British embassy is for fat well connected Brits to have a cushy job and a tower of ferrero rocher.
platebandit@reddit
UK embassy usefulness entirely depends on who you’re put through to. Some are bone idle useless but (ex hostel manager) they’ve helped some people out of really tricky spots.
missesthecrux@reddit
Isn’t this more the purview of the Chamber of Commerce rather than the Embassy? I’m not surprised there is duplication and redundancy in the US.
OutsideWishbone7@reddit (OP)
You know I thought the same after I wrote my rant… oops. Learning point … think before I type. 😬
Malee22@reddit
The embassy has a commercial officer who helps businesses. But maybe not small businesses.
Sjoerdiestriker@reddit
Perhaps because it is not the Embassy or Consulate's job to help people set up businesses.
luvthefedlife2@reddit
lol the US embassy has usually been useless or incompetent in my situations…
Longjumping_Life_270@reddit
Can I ask what kind of help you sought from the embassy? Just curious.
apc961@reddit
US embassy not doing jack shit, that is pure mythology.
During covid they arranged limited evacuation flights except you had to pay and the charges were massive. They also flew in a batch of vaccines for their embassy staff (at US taxpayer expense of course) but claimed they couldn't do this for US expats living in the country (there was zero local access to vaccines at the time). Someone called them out on Twitter for this and the official embassy account tweeted back, basically telling them to to get fucked. I still have the screenshot of that somewhere, it was wild.
Emotional-Ebb8321@reddit
That may well be true (I've never tested it), but equally, that is not what the OP was complaining about.
UK != US.
Zealousideal_Rub6758@reddit
Embassies don’t provide any non consular service to individuals. If you want help with your business, pay a consultant.
HungryGhost5000@reddit
They are the worst. and on some embassy sites, the websites are broken so you click "contact us" or whatever, then it takes you to another page and click the button, and it redirects you to the first page in an infinite loop.
RidetheSchlange@reddit
American embassies are listening stations and fronts for spying and CIA operations in that country. This is why the US invests so heavily into them to give plausible deniability when the questions of listening stations come up. They can then say how much they have helped their own citizens. The UK has no such monitoring programe of the scale the US has and theirs is structured completely differently.