The UK consulate in Romania refuses to process emergency travel documents. What are my options?

Upvote:4

I am not a British citizen and therefore have no experience with British consulates specifically but I do know a bit about bureaucracy and living abroad so I might be able to offer some advice. Generally speaking, you are indeed dependent on your consulate, there is no way around that.

In fact, if you would stay illegally for a long time and the authorities of the country you are in would want to remove you (that's not happening in this case, I am just mentioning this to illustrate how the system works), they would contact the British consulate to confirm your citizenship and obtain a laissez-passer.

So the consulate apparently pushed you out and you understandably feel angry about that but there is no point belabouring this further, asking whether they have the “right” to do that or what else you could do if they don't help you.

From what you wrote, I gather that you have not been issued a formal refusal or negative decision you would have to appeal or anything like that. The next step is therefore simply trying again. Maybe you will talk to someone else but even if you don't, make sure you keep calm, no matter what, even if you feel the consulate is less helpful than it should. Be polite, don't be argumentative, listen to what they tell you and look for solutions. EDIT: To repeat the same thing more bluntly and as some others commented, you need to suck it up and stop with all the talk along the lines of “it's their problem”, “the government should do this” or “they shouldn't have done that”.

Regarding money, consulates generally cannot waive fees or provide you with funds but they should be able to help you get some from the UK. One solution when everything else fails (e.g. you have no bank cards anymore, nobody can pay for you) is to get a relative (or perhaps your bank's or credit card's assistance service) to send you money via Western Union. They strongly warn against that of course but it's possible to allow the recipient to get the money without ID, with a password. And it's expensive too. But it works.

More post

Search Posts

Related post