Updated Monday 23 August
Please continue to monitor this UK Government page for the latest information:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/support-for-british-and-non-british-nationals-in-afghanistan
The following is the information provided by the UK Government for British nationals and non-British nationals in Afghanistan:
British nationals
If you are a British national, or family member of a British national in Afghanistan you should call +44 (0)1908 516666 and select the option ‘Consular services for British nationals’.
It is extremely important that this phone number is used for people to register their need for help, not to ask for updates, which we cannot currently provide.
This phone number is monitored 24/7 by consular officers. All those who register will be contacted by one of our consular staff and we will contact British nationals for whom we have details as soon as flights from Kabul are confirmed. View information for British nationals and their families.
If you are able to leave Afghanistan safely by other means, you should do so immediately.
Non-British nationals
ARAP
The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) is for Afghans who have supported British efforts in Afghanistan, for example interpreters and other personnel. View further details on ARAP.
Other prioritised groups (non-ARAP)
We are also prioritising the following groups:
- current or former Chevening Scholars
- people with existing leave or an open application for student, work, and family visas
- journalists and those who worked with British news agencies
- members of civil society groups for womens’ rights
- Afghan government officials
- officials working in counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics
- employees of charities, humanitarian organisations and NGOs
If you are a non-British national in Afghanistan, or are the family member of a non-British national in Afghanistan, and in need of assistance, you should call +44 (0)2475 389980.
You should be prepared to provide as many details as possible including:
- your full name as printed on your travel document / identity card or passport
- your date of birth
You should also provide these details for any dependants or immediate family members you may have such as your spouse and children.
If you are calling on behalf of any individual or individuals in Afghanistan please ensure you have the same details available as requested above to provide.
Please do not call this number to ask for updates. Call lines may be busy but we will answer your call as soon as we can.
This helpline is not providing advice on eligibility for the full Afghan citzens’ resettlement scheme and it is not for registering interest for the scheme. Please continue checking back on the Afghan citizens’ resettlement scheme page for updated details of the scheme
Information for Pontypridd constituents
If you have a case you wish for me to raise, and you are not already in contact with my office, please email me at Alex.DaviesJones.MP@Parliament.uk with the following information.
The Home Office and the Foreign Office are asking for the following information about those trying to travel to the UK from Afghanistan – please do give me as much of this information as you can for each of your family members:
- Full name
- Date of Birth
- Nationality
- Passport / travel document number
- Location in Afghanistan
- Any information on why your family are at risk from the Taliban
- Contact details
And, if your family have already applied to travel to the UK:
- Home Office reference number
- Do they have a visa application pending (if so, please provide the reference)
Support for people in Afghanistan and their families
I wanted to provide you with an update on the action I’ve taken to support people who remain in Afghanistan and are in need of immediate assistance. I also wanted to share advice and information that might be useful to you.
Throughout the week my office has been speaking to residents concerned about family members who are stuck in Afghanistan. In each case we have immediately contacted the Foreign Office and the Home Office, to ensure that the information we have been given has been provided to the teams that are working to evacuate British Citizens and refugees.
Please be assured that my office are in regular contact with the Foreign Office regarding cases and as soon as we receive any updates or information we will contact you straight away.
I would ask that you please keep my office updated with any developments regarding the case that you have raised with me. However, as I’m sure you can appreciate, I am receiving an extremely high number of phone calls at present. Therefore, I am asking you to only contact my office by email – the inbox is monitored throughout the week and my team will call you if an urgent conversation is required.
The most recent advice we have received – which was given to us by the Home Office on the afternoon of 20 August – is that people meeting the following criteria should head to the Baron Airport in Kabul, next to the airport:
- UK Nationals, who have their UK Passport with them
- Family members of UK Nationals who have documentary proof of their relationship with them and can travel to the hotel/airport with the UK citizen they are related to
- We are advised that it is not safe for anyone not meeting the criteria above to travel. We are raising cases that do not meet these criteria through formal channels and will update on these cases as soon as we can.
As well as raising individual cases, I have written to the Foreign Secretary to urgently call for more clarity to be provided on the support and information available to people in Afghanistan who wish to leave and their families. I will continue to press for this to be provided as soon as possible. I have also called for the Government to extend the ARAP scheme to all those who supported UK activities in Afghanistan, whether they worked directly for the UK Government or for partner organisations and contractors. Finally, I have called on the Government to provide support to refugees arriving in this country from Afghanistan.
As this is a fast evolving situation, we are closely monitoring the UK Government’s strategy for helping Afghan Nationals to evacuate and seek refuge in a safe country.
So far we have the following information:
British Nationals
British Nationals stranded in Afghanistan should contact the Consular Services to register their families’ details and seek up-to-date advice. Their contact details are below, and British Nationals are being encouraged to call:
- +44 (0)1908 516666 (select the option “Consular services for British nationals”)
- help@fco.gov.uk
You can also find the Foreign Office’s up-to-date advice for British Nationals online: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/afghanistan
Afghan Nationals who have assisted the UK
The UK has set up a visa scheme under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) to offer relocation and support to current and former Locally Employed Staff in Afghanistan who assisted the UK.
If your family members meet the eligibility requirements, please encourage them to apply. Information about the scheme can be found at:
Other Afghan Nationals
The UK Government is currently setting up an Afghan Citizen’s Resettlement Scheme for those fleeing Afghanistan. The scheme is not yet open and details will be announced by the Government in due course.
The link to the scheme’s webpages are below. Please do monitor this to get information as soon as it launches and please advise your relatives to apply as soon as possible:
- https://www.gov.uk/guidance/afghan-citizens-resettlement-scheme
- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bespoke-resettlement-route-for-afghan-refugees-announced
Other countries are also setting up their own programmes to resettle Afghan nationals. If your family is eligible, they may also want to consider applying for humanitarian assistance from other countries.
Information on Canada’s schemes for Afghan nationals can be found at:
Your Family
While we are waiting for more information on the routes that are being set up for MPs to pass on details of Afghan Nationals with relatives in the UK who need to leave Afghanistan, it would be helpful if you could provide us with some information about your family.
The Home Office and the Foreign Office are asking for the following information about those trying to travel to the UK from Afghanistan – please do give me as much of this information as you can for each of your family members:
- Full name
- Date of Birth
- Nationality
- Passport / travel document number
- Location in Afghanistan
- Any information on why your family are at risk from the Taliban
- Contact details
And, if your family have already applied to travel to the UK:
- Home Office reference number
- Do they have a visa application pending (if so, please provide the reference)