How does the Foreign Office help British nationals in a crisis?

In early March 2026, the UK chartered flights to evacuate British nationals from the Middle East following the escalation of the US/Israel–Iran war. By 18 March some 100,000 had been repatriated. ³⁷ https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/mar/17/uk-nationals-flown-back-from-iran-since-start-of-conflict  Other recent examples of the government stepping in to offer support abroad include the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the evacuation from Afghanistan and the Covid pandemic.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) coordinates the UK’s response operations during international crises. It is doing so more frequently: ³⁸ Delaney M, ‘New data shows conflict at historic high as U.S. signals retreat from world stage’, Peace Research Institute Oslo, www.prio.org/news/3616 ³⁹ Joint Research Centre, ‘Humanitarian crises and disasters: the world has become a riskier place over the past decade’, European Commission, 18 March 2024, https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and-updates/humanitarian-crises-and-disasters-world-has-become-riskier-place-over-past-decade-202…  Former FCDO permanent secretary Lord Simon McDonald recalled that the department “went into crisis mode” some 38 times between 2015 and 2020, accumulatively spending almost a year in this state (343 days). ⁴⁰ McDonald S, ‘How the Foreign Office does crisis’, UK in a Changing Europe, 27 October 2023, www.ukandeu.ac.uk/how-the-foreign-office-does-crisis/

How does the FCDO define a crisis?

The FCDO will set up a crisis response in the case of three types of incident involving British nationals: ⁴¹ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, ‘If you’re affected by a crisis abroad’, GOV.UK, 2 August 2024, www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-deal-with-a-crisis-overseas

1. an incident in which many British nationals are killed or injured, or which continues to pose a danger, including terror attacks, pandemics, major transport accidents, and natural disasters such as hurricanes and tsunamis.
2. civil or political unrest.
3. an incident causing disruption and hardship to many British nationals, such as major travel disruption in the event of airport shutdowns or airline collapse.

The FCDO will also mount a crisis response for humanitarian crises, regardless of whether British nationals are caught up in them. For humanitarian crises the FCDO will fund trusted partners and deploy humanitarian experts, aid items and specialist teams such as the UK Emergency Medical Team and UK International Search and Rescue Team. Such operations are not targeted at British nationals, although in many crises both a humanitarian crisis response, and one focused on supporting British nationals, will be stood up together. This explainer focuses on support to British nationals during a crisis.

How does the FCDO coordinate its crisis response?

While the most senior staff based at FCDO’s overseas missions can declare a crisis independently of London, cross-cutting or major crises that activate the mechanisms we describe here are declared by the FCDO permanent secretary. ⁴² Barton, Sir Philip, ‘Statement of Sir Philip Robert Barton KCMG OBE on behalf of the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs’, 18 May 2023, https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/18151205/INQ000130416.pdf

The Crisis Management Department (CMD), one of four departments within the FCDO’s Consular and Crisis Directorate, ⁴³ The Consular and Crisis Directorate includes: the Strategy and Network Department (SND), which sets the FCDO’s consular strategy and oversees the global consular network; the Consular Assistance Department (CAD), which provides direct assistance to the public, and includes the Global Response Centre (GRC) that monitors global events and supports British nationals with urgent queries and breaking crises occurring out-of-hours; the Consular Services Department (CSD) which provides 24/7 consular services; and the CMD.  leads the UK’s crisis response. It also develops crisis policy for its headquarters in London and its overseas posts, carries out risk assessments and checks preparedness in coordination with regional crisis advisers, including running simulation exercises.

Regional crisis advisers are based in overseas posts and so are on the ‘frontline’ of the response in-country, supporting ambassadors and heads of mission to ensure that their region has up-to-date crisis management plans. They also, with the CMD, deliver crisis training to identify any gaps that their posts might have.

The FCDO tends to co-locate all staff working on the crisis in its dedicated crisis response centre in Whitehall. Once a crisis is declared, CMD staff must be able to reach the crisis centre within two hours. Weekend and out-of-hours working is expected, and done according to a shift system. Other FCDO staff, in particular those with relevant expertise, are also asked to help with response, as are staff from the wider Consular and Crisis Directorate.

In most international crises the FCDO will be the lead government department, but many will involve assistance from others, most often the Ministry of Defence. The National Security Secretariat in the Cabinet Office will often also coordinate between departments and advise the prime minister.

What practical steps might the FCDO take in a crisis?

The FCDO response will depend on where the crisis occurs and how dangerous it is for its employees. Many of its actions are aimed at establishing communication between the department and British nationals, such as: ⁴⁴ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, ‘If you’re affected by a crisis abroad’, GOV.UK, 2 August 2024, www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-deal-with-a-crisis-overseas

• setting up a phone hotline or online form through which people can contact the FCDO about British nationals who need help, as it did this in March 2026 for British nationals stranded in the Middle East
• an online registration service for nationals to provide their details and location. The FCDO may share this information with third parties (like travel companies or local authorities) who can provide additional support on site
• sending staff to the affected region (such as a Rapid Deployment Team), sometimes including specialists from the British Red Cross or UK Police Disaster Victim Identification. ⁴⁵ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, ‘If you’re affected by a crisis abroad’, GOV.UK, 2 August 2024, www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-deal-with-a-crisis-overseas  This happened during the Afghanistan evacuation.

In exceptional cases where commercial flights are not available, the FCDO may provide alternative transport, as it did in March 2026 when flights left Oman. In extreme circumstances, the UK government will send military vessels and aircraft to evacuate an area, such as in Afghanistan in 2021.

The FCDO does not usually offer assistance to nationals of other countries (even if they are UK residents) but may help residents of Commonwealth countries (if they do not have an embassy or consulate) or non-British immediate family members travelling with a British national. ⁴⁶ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, ‘If you’re affected by a crisis abroad’, GOV.UK, 2 August 2024, www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-deal-with-a-crisis-overseas  The UK government may also coordinate with other countries affected. These decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.

Are there any criticisms of the FCDO’s response model?

Overall the UK is regarded as having effective crisis response mechanisms, however some high-profile crises have displayed gaps in the FCDO’s preparedness. For example, while its consular response to the pandemic received praise from the Foreign Affairs Committee the department was criticised for being “too slow” and placing “too much reliance on commercial providers”. ⁴⁷ House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, ‘Flying Home: the FCO’s consular response to the COVID-19 pandemic’ (HC 643), 28 July 2020, https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/2159/documents/67626/default/  The 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan received particularly negative reactions, the FAC describing it as a “disaster in terms of planning, execution and consequences for the UK’s wider interests”. ⁴⁸ House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, ‘Missing in action: UK leadership and the withdrawal from Afghanistan’ (HC 169 incorporating HC 685), 24 May 2022, https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/22344/documents/165210/default/