From: owner-travel-advisories Subject: NEW TRAVEL INFO -- United Kingdom Newsgroups: wstd.travel.advisories Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1998 18:27:34 GMT Organization: The World @ Software Tool & Die Xref: world wstd.travel.advisories:1676 Path: world!bzs Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Message-ID: <199804061431_MC2-391F-A981@compuserve.com> Content-Disposition: inline Precedence: bulk Sender: "U.S. Department of State" <76702.1202@compuserve.com> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Mime-Version: 1.0 Distribution: wstd Approved: usenet@world.std.com Lines: 132 STATE DEPARTMENT TRAVEL INFORMATION - United Kingdom ============================================================ United Kingdom - Consular Information Sheet April 3, 1998 Country Description: The United Kingdom is a highly developed constitutional monarchy; Gibraltar is a British dependent territory. Entry Requirements: A passport is required. Tourists are not required to obtain a visa for stays up to six months in the United Kingdom nor to enter Gibraltar. Those wishing to remain longer than one month in Gibraltar should regularize their stay with Gibraltar Immigration authorities. Persons traveling overland between Gibraltar and Spain may experience delays at the border. For further information concerning entry requirements, travelers can contact the Consular Section of the Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland at 19 Observatory Circle, Washington, D.C. 20008, telephone 202-986-0205, or the nearest consulate of the United Kingdom in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, or Seattle. Medical Facilities: Good medical services are widely available, but free care under the National Health System is allowed only to residents. Visitors can expect charges roughly comparable to those assessed in the United States. Doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash payment for health care services. Medicare does not pay for treatment of any kind outside the U. S., and medical insurance is not always valid outside the United States. Supplemental medical insurance with specific overseas coverage has proven useful, even for those with regular insurance plans. Further information on health matters can be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) international travelers hotline at 1-888-232-3228, from their autofax service at 1-888-232-3229, or via their Internet home page at http://www.cdc.gov. Crime Information: The United Kingdom and Gibraltar benefit from generally low crime rates, and incidents of violent crime are minimal. Incidents of pickpocketing and theft of unattended bags are common in urban areas, however, and thieves sometimes target unattended cars at tourist sites. American visitors should take steps to ensure the safety of their U.S. passports. Visitors in the United Kingdom are not expected to produce their passports for police checks or other purposes, and thus may store their passports in hotels or residences. In Northern Ireland, however, passports or similar photograph identification should be carried at all times. The need to carry a passport to cash travelers checks is also minimized by an abundance of United Kingdom and Gibraltar ATM machines able to access systems widely used in the U.S. The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport should be reported immediately to local police and the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. Useful information on guarding valuables and protecting personal security while traveling abroad is provided in the pamphlet "A Safe Trip Abroad," which is available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. Drug Penalties: U.S. citizens are subject to the laws of the country in which they are traveling. Penalties for possessing, using, and dealing in illegal drugs in both the United Kingdom and Gibraltar are strict, and convicted offenders can expect jail sentences and fines. Terrorist Activities: The United Kingdom is a stable, modern democracy. Political demonstrations are generally orderly and well policed. There is, however, a history of terrorist violence related to the political situation in Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, and numerous such incidents have occurred throughout England and Northern Ireland. Although the main paramilitary groups are on cease-fire, there continue to be acts of terrorist violence by dissident groups. U.S. citizens have not been specifically targeted, but some have been injured when caught up in disturbances. In recent years there has been widespread civil unrest throughout Northern Ireland during the summer marching season. As a result, American citizens traveling in Northern Ireland have experienced delays and disruption in their travel. Some degree of civil unrest is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Road Safety: Roads in the United Kingdom are excellent, but often congested in urban areas. Penalities for drunk driving are stiff. Visitors uncomfortable with the prospect of left-sided driving may wish to avail themselves of extensive rail and air transport networks. By the same token, pedestrians should look both ways prior to stepping off curbs, as the flow of traffic is from the opposite direction. The phone numbers for police/fire/ambulance emergency services--the equivalent of "911" in the U.S.--is 999 in the United Kingdom and 112 in Gibraltar. Aviation Safety Oversight: The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has assessed the Government of Great Britain's civil aviation authority as Category 1 -- in compliance with international aviation safety standards for oversight of Great Britain's air carrier operations. For further information, travelers may contact the Department of Transportation within the U.S. at telephone 1-800-322-7873, or visit the FAA's internet website at http://www.faa.gov/avr/iasa.htm. The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) separately assesses some foreign air carriers for suitability as official providers of air services. For information regarding the DOD policy of specific carriers, travelers may contact the Pentagon at telephone 1-703-697-7288. Embassy/Consulate Location/Registration: U.S. citizens are encouraged to register at the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy or at a U.S. Consulate and obtain updated information on travel and security in the United Kingdom. The U.S. Embassy in London is located at 24/31 Grosvenor Square, telephone (44) (171) 499-9000. U.S. Consulates are located in Belfast, Northern Ireland, at Queen's House, 14 Queen Street, telephone (44) (1232) 328239 and in Edinburgh, Scotland, at 3 Regent Terrace, telephone (44) (131) 556-8315. The U.S. Consulate in Edinburgh provides only emergency American citizens services. No. 98-32 This replaces the Consular Information Sheet dated March 10, 1997, to include information on travel insurance, the present security situation and the FAA aviation assessment. ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- The "travel-advisories@stolaf.edu" mailing list is the official Internet and BITNET distribution point for the U.S. State Department Travel Warnings and Consular Information Sheets. 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