For privacy reasons YouTube needs your permission to be loaded. For more details, please see our Privacy Policy.
I Accept

The FCDO is the UK government entity that is responsible for issuing apostilles and other foreign affairs.

The FCDO is also responsible for ensuring safety and pursuing the well-being of all British nationals.

The FCDO UK government body was created in September 2020 after a merger between (the FCO) Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department For International Development to form the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.

The FCCO is also known as ‘The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ in the UK since most of its responsibilities are related to foreign governments and UK overseas international affairs.

To perform its duties, it does not rely on income from the public, but rather it works with the revenue it generates under the leadership of a permanent under-secretary.

You can find the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office at the following contact details and address:

Room WH2. 177
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
United Kingdom

What does the FCDO do?

Here are key FCDO services:

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office apostilles

Thanks to the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office, the apostille service is relatively easy. All you have to do is contact them, and they will expedite the process on your behalf.

You can check their website for a complete and in-depth look at all FCDO services, mainly help with any foreign office.

They have helpful links on different countries and their requirements, such as central Asia and the Middle East and history research on anything to do with apostille services in England.

They offer advice, support and assistance when you need to have your documents apostilled. You can contact them for this service.

Apostille FCDO services for British nationals

The FCDO offers apostille services for various categories of people to help them have an easier time in other countries. Here are some of the people who benefit from FCDO’s apostille services:

  • UK citizens moving abroad and would like to use their documents acquired in the UK.

  • People travelling for various reasons such as work, education, and tourism

The difference between FCO and FCDO

The main difference between the FCDO and FCO is their time frames. The FCO is the former body in the UK that was charged with issuing apostilles.

FCO was created in 1968, while FCDO was formed in 2020. Therefore, FCO’s issues are quite different from those FCDO is responsible for. FCDO deals with more contemporary matters compared to FCO.

Another significant difference is how the two offices operate. While FCDO is still working effectively, FCO had complaints that eventually led to its dismissal.

Some of the issues FCO faced include:

  • Ineffectiveness and acting slowly in situations
  • Lack of proper structure, thus hindering effective delegation
  • Poor management and accountability
  • Mismanagement of funds
  • Job opportunities

While there are many differences between FCO and FCDO, the two are similar in many ways, such as:

  • They both deal with international affairs.
  • They have similar goals; ensure international development, issue apostilles, and pursue the UK’s best interests internationally.

UK NACE – National Authority for Counter Eavesdropping

The National Authority for Counter Tourism – UK NACE offers support to the FCDO to protect England against global challenges such as technical security.

For more than 75 years now, they have provided advice to the UK government departments and foreign governments on high-classification information on assets that can cause a technical attack.

Their highly-skilled security officers usually carry out a wide range of tasks in London and other parts of Europe as specialist technical workers.

The Middle East, Central Asia and Africa UK Government FCDO services

Suppose there are projects in Africa, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan, North America, or Central Asia. In that case, FCDO is always available to provide assistance and offer the latest information on defence, business, or any other needed details.

The regional team has an excellent reputation that is agile, reliable and trusted. Their working partnership with the UK has made it easy to manage such relationships.

If there’s a crisis, their technical officers receive the information first. They provide diplomatic skills that are established and trusted to resolve and act on any such conflicts with speed.

UK humanitarian aid – FCDO services

The UK Government funds the FCDO, and one of its primary functions is to provide humanitarian aid directly to small and medium-sized societies to deliver global goals.

For example, one month since Russia invaded Ukraine, the FCDO has already helped over 10 million people displaced from their homes.

The FCDO organisation has further pledged £220 million in aid and has already delivered more than 3.7 million items of medical supplies. Their aim as an organisation is to do as much as possible in the region.

Preventing sexual violence

The FCDO recently announced their new measures to combat exploitation, sexual abuse and harassment in the aid industry. They are also in line to provide support for survivors.

The FCDO said they are sending a stern message to all abusers in the aid sector as most critics accuse the government of not doing enough. This is now part of the FCDO’s services.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (United Kingdom)

Image: © Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (United Kingdom)

Free document review.

Not sure where to start? Get quick answers from experts. Get your documents reviewed today.