If you move abroad even temporarily, British Embassies around the world say you should register your presence overseas with them. The argument being, if there is an emergency wherever you are, they can contact you and potentially help you.
However, you are not legally obliged to register – that would be a massive infringement on your human rights I’m sure – so, should you register with your embassy when you’re living abroad? Are there times when it makes sense to do so – or are you better off staying well and truly off the radar, after all, what right has your old government got to know your whereabouts?
We’re going to look at the pros and cons of registering your presence abroad with your country of domicile’s embassy and allow you to decide whether you think it would be an advantageous step for you to take, or a complete and potentially intrusive waste of time.
The argument over whether to register or not has been raging between Shelter Offshore staff – we’re aware that there are those who are living abroad in potentially violent or volatile places who could indeed benefit from consular assistance in times of trouble. We’re also acutely aware that a lot of people relocate and move overseas to escape the increasingly intrusive nature of many countries’ governments. Such people are hardly going to voluntarily tell their old home government where they have now moved to.
So, the answer to the question posed by this article – namely ‘should you register for your embassy when you’re living abroad’ is purely a personal one. The following are reasons why you might like to consider registering: -
How Could Registering Your Presence Abroad with Your Embassy be of Benefit to You?
If you’re moving abroad and leaving your family behind in the UK, it may make sense to sign up to the British Embassy’s LOCATE registration service and supply them with full details of who should be contacted in the event of an emergency should one befall you. That way, if you’re abroad and alone, if anything happens to you – from being arrested to being in an accident – the consulate locally can get the details they need about who you are, who your contact persons are back in the UK, and in the event of an emergency they can hopefully reunite you with your family.
If you’re living abroad in a volatile nation or region it can also make sense to register, because it’s just possible the embassy will get wind of forthcoming trouble ahead of any outbreaks of problems – they can forewarn their citizens and arrange for their evacuation as well if needs be.
Alternatively, if you’re abroad anywhere and trouble breaks out – as it has recently done in Thailand for example – if you’re registered with the embassy or the consulate they can more easily offer assistance to you in the event that it is required.
When Does it Make Little Sense to Alert Your Embassy to Your Presence Overseas?
If you’re living abroad but you’re often travelling it will be hard to provide the embassy with concrete details about where you are. This could even lead to greater potential confusion in the event of an outbreak of trouble abroad because the embassy may assume you’re affected when in actual fact you’re a long way from the violence or natural disaster for example.
Others who may choose not to register are those who have left their old country behind because they are disillusioned with it and they wish to cut ties with it. Additionally, those who feel that signing up to LOCATE is an infringement on their rights to freedom etc., are unlikely to feel that voluntarily giving up their personal details is a good idea!
If you’re strongly against the concept of ‘big brother’ and you’re living abroad in an effort to gain greater personal freedom, confidentiality and privacy then LOCATE will not be for you!
How Can You Find Out More if You’re Interested?
Go online and search for the British embassy or consulate in the country or region you’re in. They will have a clear link to their ‘registering with us’ section where you can explore embassy specific information about how you join and reasons why you might like to consider joining.
