| The British Embassy has now completed its restructuring of the consular network in Switzerland, which has been underway since summer 2010. The objective of the restructuring has been to ensure that British citizens can access the right professional consular assistance as quickly as possible in the event of need. We have therefore centralised and expanded our professional consular team in Berne. At the same time, we have appointed a new network of Consular Wardens. Unlike the previous Honorary Consuls, the Consular Wardens are not officially recognised by the Swiss authorities as consular agents under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and so will not provide consular services or have their contact details published. The Consular Wardens will provide the Embassy with assistance and advice in the event of emergencies or unusual events affecting British citizens.
The Embassy is pleased to announce the following Consular Warden appointments: Peter Steimle - Ticino region All consular services will be delivered by the Embassy in Berne and all queries directed there. The Embassy website contains information about passport and visa matters, as well as consular services: www.ukinswitzerland.fco.gov.uk IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY With the closure of the Consulate General in Geneva and the Honorary Consulates elsewhere, BRA Members may be wondering what happens, for example, in the case of an emergency affecting a British national after Embassy office hours. The BRA has been advised that if the caller feels that it is indeed an emergency and cannot wait until the Embassy reopens, they should listen to the recorded message on its switchboard, 031 3597700, for instructions on connecting to a help-desk at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. If the response team feels that it is a genuine emergency, they will call one of the Consular team in Berne and provide all the details. The duty Consular officer will then contact the British national. |
CONSULAR NETWORK IN SWITZERLAND
Sep 14th, 2011 by webmaster