Sign up to the FCO LOCATE service when travelling abroad

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office launched a service in 2008 called LOCATE, which is designed to keep track of the location of British Nationals travelling abroad.

The FCO LOCATE service enables you to document all your planned holidays and trips abroad so the Foreign Office can track you down in an emergency. Emergency situations include natural disasters and terrorist threats.

You can apply quickly and conveniently online, where you will be asked to provide the following information:

Forename
Surname
Date of birth
Passport number and issue date
Nationality
Destination country and travel dates
One form of contact in your holiday destination
Emergency contact

All the information that you provide will be treated in accordance with the Data Protection Act, so you can be sure your details will only be used for the LOCATE service.

So what are the benefits of signing up for LOCATE?

Crisis staff can contact you more easily during a catastrophe to find out if you are safe
Family and friends can contact you more easily if there is a crisis at home
The British Embassy in the country you are visiting will be made aware of your arrival
It's quick and easy to sign up to LOCATE, and you can update you details and travel plans whenever you need to. You can even upload trip details up to a year in advance
Knowing that you are signed up to LOCATE can put your mind at ease when you are travelling abroad

Once you are signed up to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office LOCATE service, you can update your details at any time and you can travel abroad safe in the knowledge that you will be well looked after in the unlikely event of an emergency.