Our Consular staff will do everything they properly can to help British people in difficulty in Russia.  This page gives advice what help you can expect from our Consular staff.
 
We can:

• issue emergency passports
• contact relatives and friends and ask them to help you with money or tickets
• advise you on how to transfer money
• in an emergency, cash you a sterling cheque worth up to £100 if supported by a valid banker's card
• as a last resort, in exceptional circumstances, and as long as you meet certain strict rules, give you a loan to get you back to the UK against an undertaking to repay but only if there is no-one else who can help you
• help you get in touch with local lawyers, interpreters and doctors
• arrange for next of kin to be told of an accident, hospitalisation or a death and advise on procedures
• visit you if you have been arrested or put in prison, and arrange for messages to be sent to relatives and friends
• put you in touch with organisations that help trace missing persons
• in some cases speak to the local authorities on your behalf

 
UK law says we have to charge for some services. Current fees are displayed in our consular waiting room and can be found elsewhere on this website.  There is also an attendance fee if one of our consular officers has to go to the Consulate to undertake a service out of hours; the current rate is £121 per hour (min. charge one hour)

We cannot… 

• intervene in court cases
• get you out of prison
• give legal advice or start court proceedings for you
• get you better treatment in hospital or prison than is given to local nationals
• investigate a crime
• pay your hotel, legal, medical or any other bills
• pay your travel costs
• do work normally done by travel agents, airlines, banks or motoring organisations
• get you somewhere to live, a job or work permit
• demand you be treated as British if you are a dual national in the country of your second nationality (read more on Dual Nationality)
• arrange extensions to Russian visas