Who we are
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
Email: protocol.enquiries@fcdo.gov.uk
What data we process and why
The FCDO works in the UK and overseas to safeguard Britain’s national security, build Britain’s prosperity and support British citizens overseas. In doing so we process personal data.
In particular, Diplomatic Missions and International Organisations Unit (DMIOU) processes the following categories of personal data for diplomatic and consular staff posted to foreign diplomatic missions and consular posts in the UK, and officials posted to international organisations in the UK:
- your full name (and the names of any members of your household);
- your nationality/nationalities (and the nationality/nationalities of any members of your household);
- your UK residence status (and the residence status of any members of your household);
- your marital status (and the marital status of any members of your household);
- your role at the mission to which you are posted;
- your place of residence in the UK; and
- any vehicles belonging to you in the UK.
We process this personal data for the purposes of fulfilling the UK’s statutory obligations under the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations and applicable international organisation headquarters agreements. There are also occasions when we process data relating to the alleged commission of an offence by, or upon an individual entitled to immunity. We process this data to ensure that immunities are not misused.
Legal basis for the processing
Protocol, including DMIOU, processes this data because it is necessary to do so in order for the FCDO to perform its official functions as a government department.
Data sharing
Protocol records this data on a central database. We then share relevant data with appropriate government authorities, namely the Metropolitan Police Service, the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency, local authorities and the TV Licencing Authority. This is to ensure that diplomatic and consular staff and members of international organisations (and members of their households) receive the privileges and immunities to which they are entitled and in order to ensure that such privileges and immunities are not misused
There may be other circumstances in which we may lawfully share your data with third parties where, for example, we are required to do so by law, by court order, or to prevent fraud or other crimes. Where we share data, however, we shall do so in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
How long we keep your data
Protocol will retain your personal data for as long as any issues, or potential issues, relating to your status, privileges and immunities (including those of any members of your household) remain relevant. Such issues may arise after your posting to the UK has ended.
Your rights
In certain circumstances you have the right to:
- Object – request that your data is not processed for certain purposes.
- Erasure – request that your personal data is erased where one of the statutory grounds applies
- Data portability – the right to obtain and reuse your personal data for your own purposes across different services in certain circumstances.
- Restrict processing – request that the processing of your personal data is restricted in certain circumstances – for example, where accuracy is contested.
- Rectification – request that any inaccuracies in your personal data are rectified without delay. Request that any incomplete personal data is completed, including by means of a supplementary statement.
- Access – request information about how your personal data is processed and to request a copy of that personal data.
If your personal data is processed on the basis of consent, you have the right to:
- withdraw consent to the processing of your personal data at any time.
Data collected on this website
The purpose of this privacy statement is to assist you in understanding how we use personal information collected via this website.
You do not have to provide any personal information in order to browse this website.
When you use our website, we may collect tracking information such as your browser type, the type of operating system you use, the name of your internet service provider and pages visited on the site.
We obtain this information by using technologies, including cookies, to increase the functionality and user-friendliness of our website and to better tailor our website to your needs. For example, we may want to know how long the average visitor spends on our website or which pages get the most attention. Information such as this will only be used in aggregate form and does not identify you personally.
We collect information on our website visitors for a variety of purposes, including to reply to your enquiries more efficiently through the services we provide. We also use information in aggregate form (your individual details cannot be identified) to audit usage of the site.
Information that you supply in connection with the provision of a product or service, or a job application will be treated in confidence and in accordance with the principles of the Data Protection Act and General Data Protection Regulation.
If you sign up to receive email updates from us, we will use the information you give us to provide the service(s) you have requested only. If you inform us that you wish to cancel your details will be deleted from our records.
We do not sell or pass on your personal information to others outside Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Use of cookies
When you visit our website, we may store some information on your computer. This information will be in the form of a ‘cookie’ or similar file and can help us in many ways. For example, cookies allow us to tailor a website to better match your interests and preferences. With most internet browsers you can erase cookies from your computer hard drive, block all cookies or receive a warning before a cookie is stored.
The web statistics package we use on our site, Google Analytics, sets cookies to help us accurately estimate the number of visitors to the website and volumes of usage. This is to ensure that the service is available when you want it and fast. The following cookies are set by Google Analytics:
| Cookie Name | Expiration Time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| _ga | 2 years | Used to distinguish users. |
| _gid | 24 hours | Used to distinguish users. |
| _gat | 1 minute | Used to throttle request rate. |
| wordpress_test_cookie | 30 days | Saves a message to let us know that you’ve seen our cookie message |
For further details on the cookies set by Google Analytics, please refer to the Google Analytics documentation.
Further information on how to prevent cookies from being stored on your computer can be found on All about cookies website under the ‘manage cookies’ section.
Links
This website contains links to other websites that are not controlled by us, including social media channels on which we have profiles. This privacy policy applies only to this site.
How to contact us
If you have any questions about anything in this notice, or if you consider that your
personal data has been misused or mishandled, or if you would like to exercise any of your rights, you can contact us at: Protocol.Enquiries@fcdo.gov.uk.
You can also contact the Data Protection Officer at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office:
Data Protection Officer
Knowledge Management Department
Knowledge and Technology Directorate
Room K4.02
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
Email: Data.Protection@fcdo.gov.uk
Tel: 020 7008 1500
Complaints
You may also make a complaint to the Information Commissioner, who is an independent regulator. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Email: casework@ico.org.uk
Tel: 0303 123 1113
Changes to this notice
Protocol may modify or amend this privacy notice at our discretion at any time. When we make changes to this notice, we will amend the last modified data at the top of this page. Any modification or amendment to this privacy notice will be applied to you and your data as of that revision date. Changes to this notice will be posted on this website.