Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that UK passport holders stranded abroad during the covid-19 outbreak are able to access extended visas to comply with travel advice without incurring additional charges.
We are advising British Nationals stranded abroad, to contact the relevant authority in the country they are located with regards to their visa. In a number of countries, including Thailand and Indonesia, we have provided British National travellers with expiring visas, letters and information notes from the Consulate to support their visa extension requests.
We are also lobbying countries to ensure that individuals who are unable to leave the country because of COVID-19 related travel restrictions, will not be regarded as over-stayers; will not suffer any immigration detriment in the future; and will not be pursued during the crisis.