Security Briefing: Local Laws

The information below has been excerpted from the following: 1) the US Department of State's "International Travel" website (travel.state.gov/travel/), 2) the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's "Smartraveller" website (www.smartraveller.gov.au), and 3) the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office's "Foreign Travel Advice" website (www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/). Additional information is available from these sources. World Trade Press annually assesses the information presented on this page.

United States: Department of State International Travel Information

CRIMINAL PENALTIES

While you are traveling in the United Kingdom, you are subject to its laws even if you are a U.S. citizen. Foreign laws and legal systems can be vastly different than our own. If you break local laws in the United Kingdom, your U.S. passport won’t help you avoid arrest or prosecution. It’s very important to know what’s legal and what’s not where you are going.

Penalties for possessing, using, or trafficking in illegal drugs in the United Kingdom are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime prosecutable in the United States. 

Many pocket knives and other blades, and mace or pepper spray canisters, although legal in the United States, are illegal in the United Kingdom and will result in arrest and confiscation if detected. Please refer to “A UK Customs Guide," detailing which items visitors are prohibited from bringing into the United Kingdom.

Air travelers to and from the United Kingdom should be aware that penalties against alcohol-related and other in-flight crimes (“air rage”) are stiff and are being enforced with prison sentences. Please also see our information on customs regulations  that pertain when returning to the United States.

Drivers of non-UK-registered vehicles may have to provide an on-the-spot deposit of up to £900 (approximately $1400) if stopped for a motoring offense. If the driver cannot pay due to lack of cash or credit, the vehicle may be impounded until payment is made, and a release fee will be charged in addition to the deposit. 

Non-UK-resident drivers charged with motoring offenses are often unable to provide a verifiable address for delivery of a summons (subpoena) to appear in court, or fail to return for court if released on bail. U.S. citizens may be detained and arrested if they cannot provide a UK address to receive a subpoena or are about to depart the United Kingdom and have to be brought to court quickly for a motoring offense. If alleged offenders attend court and are found not guilty, the deposit is returned.

UK authorities nearly always promptly notify the U.S. embassy or a consulate if a U.S. citizen is detained or arrested in the UK, but to ensure the State Department is aware of your circumstances, request that the police and prison officials notify the U.S. embassy or nearest consulate as soon as you are arrested or detained in the UK.

Don’t buy counterfeit and pirated goods, even if they are widely available. Not only are the bootlegs illegal to bring back into the United States, but you may also be breaking local law.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

The legal drinking age (18 years old to purchase alcohol) in the United Kingdom is lower than in the United States, and social drinking in pubs (bars) is often seen as a routine aspect of British life. Parents, organizers of school trips, and young travelers should be aware of the impact that this environment may have when combined with the sense of adventure that comes with being abroad. Please see our Students Abroad website to help you plan a safe and enjoyable experience.

The United Kingdom has very strict gun control laws, and importing firearms is extremely complicated. Travelers should consider leaving all firearms in the United States. There are restrictions on the type and number of weapons that an individual may possess. All handguns, such as pistols and revolvers, are prohibited, with very few exceptions. Police control the licensing of firearms in the United Kingdom. Applicants for a license must be prepared to show good reason why they require each weapon. Applicants must also provide a copy of their U.S. gun license, a letter of good conduct from their local U.S. police station, and a letter detailing any previous training, hunting, or shooting experience. Background checks will also be carried out. Additional information on applying for a firearm certificate and/or shotgun certificate can be found on the London Metropolitan Police Firearms licensing web page. For firearms certificates for Scotland, please check with Police Scotland, as Scotland has separate regulations. Licenses from England or Wales may not be valid in Scotland; please check with the appropriate authorities 

If you are a woman traveling abroad, please review our travel tips on the Women Travelers page on travel.state.gov.

LGBT RIGHTS

There are no legal restrictions on same-sex sexual relations or the organization of LGBT events in the United Kingdom.  For more detailed information about LGBT rights in the United Kingdom, you may review the State Department’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012. For further information on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) travel, please read our Information for LGBT Travelers page.

Accessibility

In the UK, accessibility and accommodation for individuals with disabilities may be very different from what you find in the United States. UK law mandates access to buildings for persons with disabilities, and the government effectively enforces this requirement in practice. The law requires that all public service providers (except in the transportation sector) make "reasonable adjustments" to ensure their services are available to persons with disabilities. Nevertheless, many older buildings with entry steps up from the street can present challenges.

Getting around in UK cities may be difficult at times since many sidewalks are narrow and uneven. Although the London Underground and the UK’s National Rail System are very efficient methods for traveling throughout central London and the UK, most stations are not readily accessible for people with disabilities. Very few stations have elevators, and most have stairways and long corridors for changing trains or exiting to the street. However, many UK buses are equipped with lowering platforms for limited-mobility or sight- or hearing-disabled travelers. Taxis are also a good means of transportation and many have swivel entry seats or retractable steps to ease entry.

The Transport for London and National Rail websites provide information for passengers with disabilities. There are many other resources available on the internet for disabled persons traveling to or living in the UK. You may also contact any of our consular offices by e-mail for further information on this topic.

Australia: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Travel Advice

When you are in the United Kingdom be aware that local laws and penalties, including ones that appear harsh by Australian standards, do apply to you. If you are arrested or jailed, the Australian Government will do what it can to help you but we cannot get you out of trouble or out of jail.

Information on what Australian consular officers can and cannot do to help Australians in trouble overseas is available from the Consular Services Charter.

Some Australian criminal laws, such as those relating to money laundering, bribery of foreign public officials, terrorism, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, child pornography, and child sex tourism, apply to Australians overseas. Australians who commit these offences while overseas may be prosecuted in Australia.

Australian authorities are committed to combating sexual exploitation of children by Australians overseas. Australians may be prosecuted at home under Australian child sex tourism and child pornography laws. These laws provide severe penalties of up to 25 years imprisonment for Australians who engage in child sexual exploitation while outside of Australia.

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