United Kingdom

Government advisories

• ☐ United States: level 2/4 — Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
• ☐ Canada: level 2/4 — Exercise a high degree of caution

Health notices

• ☐ Global Polio (level 2)
• ☐ Global Measles (level 1)

Entry requirements

☐ The visa policy of the United Kingdom is the policy by which His Majesty's Government determines visa requirements for visitors to the United Kingdom and those seeking to work, study or reside there. The visa policy of the UK also applies to the Crown dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man, which each operate their own immigration enforcement and have separate work permit systems. The visa policy does not apply to any of the British Overseas Territories, who generally apply their o

Practical

• ☐ Plug type G/D/M, 230V — bring an adapter if yours differs
• ☐ Drives on the left
• ☐ Emergency (police): 999 or 112
• ☐ Emergency (ambulance): 999 or 112
• ☐ Emergency (fire): 999 or 112
• ☐ SIM: The British use mobile phones for a lot of things, and assume everyone has one with them at all times. Expect to be asked for a mobile phone number when trying to rent a bicycle, have mail forwarded to you, reserve a restaurant table (even when reserving by phone), or many other rather trivial actions.
• ☐ Money: The currency throughout the UK is the pound (£) (ISO code: GBP). It's more properly called the pound sterling to distinguish it from other pounds, but rarely in everyday speech. It is divided into 100 pence (singular penny) (p). You may also hear the slang term quid for pounds. People often will just say 'pee' instead of pence. "Fiver" and "tenner" are common slang for £5 and £10, respectively.
• ☐ Tipping: The UK does not have a strong culture of tipping. Locals in the UK usually only tip in limited situations, and usually only as a reward for exceptionally good service, and tips are almost never expected in any circumstance. Visitors from the U.S. and Canada are seen as very generous tippers, and even a bit of a soft touch by some.

Laws that could get a tourist arrested

• ☐ Emergency Call Misuse — It is a crime to call 999 or 112 without due cause, defined as an immediate serious threat to life or safety.
• ☐ Kerb-Crawling — It is illegal to kerb-crawl while looking for paid sex or to solicit custom. Police actively monitor areas associated with this activity.

Before you go

General trip-prep, not specific to United Kingdom — the same short list applies anywhere.

• ☐ Register with your embassy's traveler program if one exists
• ☐ Check your passport's validity and blank-page requirements on your destination's official entry-rules page
• ☐ Photograph/screenshot your passport, visa, and travel insurance documents
• ☐ Download offline maps for your destination
• ☐ Confirm your bank/card issuer knows you're traveling
• ☐ Check whether your phone plan needs a travel add-on or a local SIM