Heads of Diplomatic Missions of the United Kingdom
The Heads of British diplomatic missions are persons appointed as senior diplomats to individual nations, or international organisations. They are usually appointed as ambassadors, except in member countries of the Commonwealth of Nations where a high commissioner is appointed. The head of mission to an international organisation is usually a permanent representative. For some nations a consul or consul-general is appointed.
The positions have a dual role, being representatives of the British Monarchy and the British Government; they are recommended by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and then approved by Buckingham Palace.[1]
Resident heads of mission
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[note a] No diplomatic relations with Taiwan; office functions as an unofficial mission.
Non-resident heads of mission
The United Kingdom does not maintain a full embassy or High Commission in a number of countries. In each of these cases the head of mission to another country, usually a neighbouring one, is also accredited to the other country (except, at present, for the ambassadors to Haiti and Honduras, who are dedicated but non-resident). In most cases a smaller, local mission provides for emergencies, and is headed by a lesser diplomat or a member of the local British community.
In April 2018 the Foreign Secretary announced the opening of nine new diplomatic posts across the Commonwealth.[3] As a result, some countries which currently have non-resident High Commissioners are to receive resident High Commissioners. The expected dates of residence are noted below for those countries where an appointment has been announced.
| Mission | Resident Country | Local Location | Local Mission | Non-Resident Head of mission | Local Position | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Andorra | Spain | None | N/A | Simon ManleyHugh Elliott | Ambassador | |
 Antigua and Barbuda | Barbados | St John's | Honorary Consul | Scott Furssedonn-Wood | High Commissioner | |
 Bahamas Resident expected August 2019[4] | Jamaica | None | N/A | Asif Ahmad | High Commissioner | List |
 Benin | Nigeria | None | N/A | Catriona Laing | Ambassador | |
 Burkina Faso | Ghana | Ouagadougou | Honorary Consul | Iain Walker | Ambassador | |
 Burundi | Rwanda | Bujumbura | Liaison Office | Joanne Lomas | Ambassador | |
 Cape Verde | Senegal | São Vicente | Consul | George HodgsonVictoria Billing | Ambassador | |
 Central African Republic | Cameroon | None | N/A | Rowan Laxton | Ambassador | |
 Chad | Cameroon | N'Djamena | British Office[note b] | Rowan Laxton | Ambassador | |
 Comoros | Madagascar | Moroni | N/A | David Ashley | Ambassador | |
 Republic of the Congo | Democratic Republic of Congo | Brazzaville | Honorary Consul | Emily Maltman | Ambassador | |
 Djibouti | Ethiopia | Djibouti City | Honorary Consul | Alastair McPhail | Ambassador | |
 Dominica | Barbados | Roseau | Honorary Consul | Scott Furssedonn-Wood | High Commissioner | |
 East Timor | Indonesia | Jakarta | Honorary Consul | Moazzam Mal | Ambassador | |
 Equatorial Guinea | Cameroon | Malabo | Honorary Consul | Rowan Laxton | Ambassador | |
 Eswatini Resident expected summer 2019[5] | South Africa | None | N/A | Antony Phillipson | High Commissioner | |
 Gabon | Cameroon | Libreville | Honorary Consul | Rowan Laxton | Ambassador | |
 Grenada | Barbados | St George's | Honorary Consul | Scott Furssedonn-Wood | High Commissioner | |
 Guinea-Bissau | Senegal | Bissau | Honorary Consul | George HodgsonVictoria Billing | Ambassador | |
 Haiti | Dominican Republic | Port-au-Prince | Consul | Mockbul Ali | Ambassador | List |
 Honduras | Guatemala | Tegucigalpa | Honorary Consul | Thomas Carter | Ambassador | List |
 Kiribati | Fiji | None | N/A | Melanie Hopkins | High Commissioner | |
 Liechtenstein | Switzerland | None | N/A | Jane Owen | Ambassador | |
 Maldives | Sri Lanka | Malé | Honorary Consul | Sarah Hulton, OBE | High Commissioner | |
 Marshall Islands | Fiji | None | N/A | Melanie Hopkins | Ambassador | |
 Federated States of Micronesia | Fiji | None | N/A | Melanie Hopkins | Ambassador | |
 Monaco | France | Monaco | Honorary Consulate | Menna Rawlings | Ambassador | |
 Nauru | Solomon Islands | None | N/A | David Ward | High Commissioner | |
 Nicaragua | Costa Rica | Managua | Embassy | Ross Denny | Ambassador | List |
 Niger | Mali | None | N/A | Barry Lowen | Ambassador | |
 Palau | Philippines | None | N/A | Laure Beaufils | Ambassador | |
 Saint Kitts and Nevis | Barbados | Basseterre | Honorary Consul | Scott Furssedonn-Wood | High Commissioner | |
 Saint Lucia | Barbados | Castries | High Commission | Scott Furssedonn-Wood | High Commissioner | |
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Barbados | Kingstown | Honorary Consul | Scott Furssedonn-Wood | High Commissioner | |
 Samoa | New Zealand | None | N/A | Laura Clarke | High Commissioner | |
 San Marino | Italy | Rome | Consulate-General | Jill Morris | Ambassador | |
 São Tomé and Príncipe | Angola | São Tomé | Consulate | Jessica Hand | Ambassador | |
 Suriname | Guyana | Paramaribo | Consulate | Greg Quinn | Ambassador | |
| Timor Leste | Indonesia | None | N/A | Moazzam Mal | Ambassador | |
 Togo | Ghana | None | N/A | Iain Walker | Ambassador | |
 Tonga Resident expected summer 2019[6] | Fiji | None | N/A | Melanie Hopkins | High Commissioner | List |
 Tuvalu | Fiji | None | N/A | Melanie Hopkins | High Commissioner | |
 Vanuatu Resident expected summer 2019[7] | Solomon Islands | None | N/A | David Ward | High Commissioner |
[note b] In 2018 the UK government opened a new office in N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, "to support diplomatic, development and defence efforts" but the ambassador is still non-resident (in Cameroon) and the new office does not provide consular assistance.[8]
Heads of mission to non-sovereign territories
| Mission | Location | Type | Head of mission | Position | List | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Hong Kong | Hong Kong | Consulate-General | Consul-General | List | Functions held by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (before 1968 Colonial Office), British Council and British Trade Commission prior to 1997 | |
| Jerusalem | East Jerusalem | Consulate-General | Philip Hall | Consul-General | List | Mission to the occupied Palestinian territories |
 Macau | Macau | Honorary Consulate | Glenn McCartney | Honorary Consul | Full consular services for Macau are provided via the Consulate in Hong Kong and the Consul-General to Hong Kong is the official diplomat for Macau |
Heads of mission to international organisations
References
- "Nigel Farage? How does the UK appoint ambassadors?". BBC News. 22 November 2016.
- "Country Profile: Burma". Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Archived from the original on 5 July 2006. Retrieved 7 July 2006.
- "Foreign Secretary expands UK Commonwealth diplomatic network". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 19 April 2018.
- "Change of British High Commissioner to The Bahamas - August 2019". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 31 May 2019.
- "Change of British High Commissioner to Eswatini during summer 2019". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 30 May 2019.
- "Change of British High Commissioner to Tonga during Summer 2019". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 28 May 2019.
- "Change of British High Commissioner to Vanuatu - Summer 2019". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 3 June 2019.
- "New UK mission opens in Chad". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 21 March 2018.