British Embassy Washington

The British Embassy Washington maintains and develops relations between the UK and the United States.

Find out more on our USA and the UK news page

We deal with a wide range of political, commercial, security and economic questions of interest to the UK and the US. Our consular team in Washington provides consular assistance to British nationals in the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.

The ambassador is responsible for the direction and work of the embassy and its consulates. Their tasks are to present UK policies to the American government and to Americans, to report and explain American policies and views to their own government in London, and to support UK interests. They are also responsible for press and cultural relations and for consular services. They are based at the British Embassy in Washington but travels regularly throughout the United States.

British consulates champion trade and investment between the UK and US. They also keep the ambassador aware of political, economic and other developments in their consular districts. The consuls are also responsible for providing consular services to British nationals in their consular districts.

We are currently unable to process applications for White House Tours. Find out more.

We provide services to British nationals living in and visiting the USA.

You can access UK government services while in the USA.

If you’re travelling in USA, see our USA travel advice

If you’re in District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia or West Virginia and you need advice which is not covered by reading our travel advice then you can contact us online.

If you’re in District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia or West Virginia and you need urgent help (for example, you’ve been attacked, arrested or someone has died), call +1 202 588 6500. If you’re in the UK and worried about a British person in the USA, call +44 20 7008 5000 (24/7, 365 days a year).

You can apply for an emergency travel document if you’re abroad and your passport has been lost or stolen, damaged or expired, and you can’t get a new or replacement passport in time to travel.

Apply online for an emergency travel document

If the person needing the emergency travel document is under 16, a parent or guardian should apply on their behalf.

If you are travelling in more than 3 weeks, check if you can get a new or replacement passport in time to travel.

If you’re not sure, check if you’re a British citizen

If you’re not a British citizen but think you may be eligible, contact us to apply for an emergency travel document.

See the full list of notarial and documentary services we provide.

White House Tours
We regret that at present we are unable to arrange any White House Tours or process applications for the general public. While the White House website asks foreign citizens interested in a tour to contact their embassy, the accompanying US mandatory restrictions make tours impractical. We are sorry not to be in a position to assist at this time.

You may wish to consider tours of the US Capitol Building, where visitors are able to make tour reservations up to three months in advance or obtain same-day tour passes. Passports or other forms of ID are not required for entry into the U.S. Capitol. You can also take a virtual tour of the White House.

We charge fees for some of our services. See the full list of consular fees in the USA.

We also provide services in: