Head of Mission

Agrément for new Heads of Mission

Any request for agrément should be sent to the Ceremonial Team who will take this forward.

On arrival

Contact details for Ceremonial Section

Ceremonial.Section@fcdo.gov.uk  

As soon as possible after arrival your Head of Mission-designate should write formally to the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs announcing their arrival.  The letter should be signed personally by your new Head of Mission and should be handed over to the Vice-Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps (FCDO Director of Protocol) at the first official call – see below.

Call on the Vice-Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps

The Head of Mission-designate’s first official call should be with the Vice-Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps, Ms Victoria Busby OBE.  Please contact Ms Busby’s office to arrange a convenient time.  At this meeting the letter to the Secretary of State is presented, along with working copies of credentials (the Letter of Credence for the Head of Mission designate and the Letter of Recall of their predecessor).  On presentation of these, the Vice-Marshal will confirm that the new Head of Mission has formally assumed the role and is able to carry out their functions fully.

Presentation of credentials

Once the Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps has been informed by the Vice-Marshal that the Head of Mission has assumed his/her functions, the Marshal arranges for the presentation of credentials (the Ambassador’s/High Commissioner’s Letter of Credence and his/her predecessor’s Letter of Recall).

Before the ceremony the Marshal will arrange for a briefing for your Head of Mission to go through the procedures and expectations in advance.

After the ceremony your Head of Mission may choose to host a Vin d’Honneur, although this is optional.  The Marshal’s Office will provide guidance on those who may be invited to the Vin d’Honneur.

Your Head of Mission will receive a complimentary photograph of his/her presentation of credentials from the Marshal’s office.  Any additional copies may be obtained by contacting PA News Centre, 292 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 1AE, tel no. 020 7963 7000.

It is important to note that, before the presentation of credentials to The King, your Head of Mission is welcome to attend any functions, including attendance at Royal occasions, following their presentation of the working copies to the Vice-Marshal.

The Marshal makes separate arrangements for Realm High Commissioners to be received by The King.

On departure

When Heads of Mission are about to terminate their appointment in London, they must write to the Vice-Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.  The letter must appoint a Chargé d’Affaires or Acting High Commissioner from the date of departure.  The Vice-Marshal will acknowledge the Head of Mission’s letter.

Completion of Form 1

The appointment, changes in circumstances (including all arrivals/departures of family and private servants) and termination of functions of a Head of Mission should be notified to Protocol Directorate on Form 1

For more information please contact Ceremonial Section (see contact details at the top).

 

Diplomatic Immunity

UK Law

Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 Heads of Mission are immune from criminal civil and administrative jurisdiction except in certain cases of civil action relating to private immovable property, succession commercial activity in a private capacity. Heads of Mission are also exempt from the payment of council tax, TV licence and petrol duty.

Members of diplomatic missions and their families are expected to respect the laws and regulations of the United Kingdom. The purpose of these diplomatic privileges and immunities is not to benefit individuals, but to ensure the efficient operation of the diplomatic mission; therefore this privilege should not be abused. We have more substantive guidance on diplomatic immunity.

Civil Claims

Debts

His Majesty’s Government expects all diplomatic missions and international organisations to pay their debts promptly. This includes the payment of National Non-Domestic Rates (see Mission Premises page), congestion charges and all parking fines.

Nuisance

Members of diplomatic missions are expected to show consideration towards their neighbours. Inconsiderate behaviour, such as the holding of noisy parties late at night, can bring the name of the mission, or the sending State, and of the diplomatic corps as a whole, into disrepute. In some cases it can also constitute a breach of the law.

Driving Offences

Please see Driving in the UK page for details.

Recording of Offences

The FCDO keep records of all alleged offences committed both by members of diplomatic missions and international organisations. They also keep comprehensive statistics of all unpaid parking and Congestion Charge fines and outstanding NNDR.

Whilst the FCDO recognises its obligation under Article 29 of the Vienna Convention to respect the dignity of individual diplomats.  The FCDO is obliged to report these statistics to Parliament each year and the public, as well as the press, have access to this information.

 

Identity Cards

Entitlement

Identity Cards are issued to all Heads of Mission and members of their family over 16 years of age. The cards contain the holder’s photograph and an indication of his/her official position. They do not in themselves confer any entitlement to immunity or privilege. In the event of any incident, the police must satisfy themselves that the identity card is a valid one and that its holder is an entitled person. This usually involves checking with computer records with the Parliamentary & Diplomatic Protection Group.

Identity cards are not issued to:

• staff or members of their families who are British nationals,
• private servants employed by Heads of Missions or any other domestic workers.
• unmarried partners
• locally-engaged members of staff.

Applications

Applications for identity cards for entitled persons should be made on Form 2.  Completed forms will be processed by Protocol Directorate within 5 working days.

Holders of identity cards are advised to carry them at all times.  If the card is lost or stolen, please submit a request for a replacement on Form 2, including brief details of the circumstances of the loss. In the event of theft of the card, it is advised to report the theft to the police.

Renewals and returns

Identity cards are valid for 5 years. Upon expiry, if there is a need to renew the card, an application should be submitted to Protocol Directorate using Form 2.

Identity cards should be returned to Protocol Directorate when the holder leaves the United Kingdom at the end of their posting.

 

Opening a bank account

Banks in the United Kingdom are under a legal obligation to obtain satisfactory evidence of identity from anyone who wishes to open a bank account. When opening a bank account in the UK please refer to the following guidance.

 

Domestic Property

Council Tax

Heads of missions are exempt from payment of Council Tax on their domestic properties.

To ensure that relief from Council Tax is granted, missions should submit Form 3 to Protocol Directorate in respect of the residential properties occupied by the Head of Mission.  Failure to provide this information on Form 3 will result in the local authority being unaware that an address is occupied by diplomatic staff and thereby exempt from Council tax. The occupant could receive demands for payment of council tax and, possibly, visits by council authorities and recovery enforcement agents. It is therefore in the mission’s interests to provide full information to Protocol Directorate to avoid any inconvenience and potential embarrassment.

Please note that relief is granted to the entitled occupant during the period of occupation. Missions should provide notification of the departure of an entitled person from a property on the form Form 4.

 

Income Tax

Income tax liabilities

HMRC Diplomatic Liaison Office
Tel: 03000 516 604
Fax: 03000 516 629

Address: HMRC Embassy Unit SO938 Newcastle NE98 1ZZ

 

HMRC National Advice Service
0300 200 3700
8am-8pm
Monday – Friday

Schedule 1 of the Diplomatic Privileges Act 1964 sets out the entitlement to immunity from the payment of income tax and capital gains tax by members of a diplomatic mission. With one exception (please see following paragraph), what follows applies to staff of diplomatic missions who are not:

• British Citizens
• British Dependent Territories Citizens
• British Overseas Citizens
• British Subjects
• British Nationals (Overseas)
• Permanently resident in the United Kingdom
• Dual national
 
Official salaries of members of the Mission and tax exemption on private income from sources outside the United Kingdom

Heads of mission are exempt from the payment of United Kingdom income tax on the official salaries they receive by reason of their employment.

The members of the family forming part of his household are also exempt from United Kingdom income tax on private income from sources outside the United Kingdom.

Income liable to UK tax

The Diplomatic Privileges Act 1964 does not provide for exemption from United Kingdom income tax on income arising from sources (other than salary) within the United Kingdom. A member of a mission or those forming part of his/her household who has received non-exempt income should apply for, and submit, a return to the HM Revenue and Customs giving details of this income.

Inland Revenue guidance about the tax treatment of bank and building society interest can be found on the HM Revenue and Customs website.

Capital Gains Tax

Members of diplomatic missions (except service staff) are exempt from United Kingdom capital gains tax except where it arises on the disposal of private immovable property not held on behalf of the sending State for the purposes of the mission, or of investments in commercial undertakings in the United Kingdom.

If applicable, members of diplomatic missions should include any capital gains liable to United Kingdom capital gains tax in the return of income referred to above. HM Revenue and Customs will issue a notice of assessment and application for payment in due course.

Members of the family of a diplomatic agent forming part of his/her household are also exempt from United Kingdom capital gains tax except in relation to private immovable property in the United Kingdom, and investments in commercial undertakings in the United Kingdom.

 

Domestic Workers

Notification of domestic staff

UKVI Sponsorship, employer and education Helpline
0300 123 4699

Useful links
UKVI

In accordance with Article 10(1)(c) of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, missions must notify Protocol Directorate of the arrival and departure of all domestic staff/servants employed by individual members of the mission by submitting a Form 1. Private domestic staff recruited as part of the diplomat’s household must be resident at his/her home [Full Information can be obtained from the UKVI website]

Any abuse of these rules may result in a refusal to recommend the further issue of visas to domestic servants recruited overseas by individual diplomats (or by any member of the offending person’s mission) and to insist that they recruit in future from the local workforce.

Official domestic staff working at the Head of Mission’s residence (category D)

Official domestic staff who work at the Head of Mission’s residence and are employed by the mission’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs may enter the UK on an exempt endorsement. The member of domestic staff should be notified as a Category D member of the Mission.

ID Cards

Identity cards are not issued to private servants employed by Heads of Mission or any other domestic workers working at the Mission.

 

Further guidance

For guidance on the following please see attached links.

Importing from outside the EU

How to claim for vehicles

Purchase of cigarettes and spirits