2016 No. 373
Diplomatic Service

The Consular Fees (Amendment) Order 2016

Made
Coming into force

At the Court at Buckingham Palace, the 15th day of March 2016

Present,

The Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty in Council

Her Majesty, in exercise of the powers conferred on Her by section 1(1), (4A) and (4B) of the Consular Fees Act 19801 is pleased, by and with the advice of Her Privy Council, to order as follows:

Citation and commencement1.

This Order may be cited as the Consular Fees (Amendment) Order 2016 and comes into force on 6th April 2016.

Amendment of the Consular Fees Order 20122.

(1)

The Consular Fees Order 20122 is amended as follows.

(2)

In article 2 omit the definition of “the appropriate Registrar General”.

(3)

For the Table of General Consular Fees in Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the Consular Fees Order 2012 substitute—

“TABLE OF GENERAL CONSULAR FEES

Fee

£

I. LEGALISATION

1.

Legalising a signature or seal—

(i)

Standard service (in addition to direct costs, if any)

30.00

(ii)

Premium service (in addition to direct costs, if any)

75.00

(iii)

Overseas service (in addition to direct costs, if any)

30.00

II. NOTARIAL AND RELATED MATTERS

2.

Preparing any certificate, declaration or document not listed elsewhere in this table

(i)

in English

50.00

(ii)

in any other language

50.00

3.

Signing a declaration of existence (except if required by a department of Her Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom)

25.00

4.

Administering an oath, declaration or affirmation

50.00

5.

Witnessing a signature

25.00

6.

Certifying a copy of a document

25.00

7.

Uniting documents and Marking of Exhibits

25.00

8.

Supplying certified copies of documents which form part of the records of a court which is, or was formerly, established under the Foreign Jurisdiction Acts 18903 and 19134, for each page

50.00

III. NATIONALITY

9.

Administering an oath of British Citizenship under the British Nationality Act 19815

100.00

IV. BIRTHS, MARRIAGES, CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS AND DEATHS

10.

Receiving notice of an intended marriage, civil partnership or overseas relationship

50.00

11.

Issuing a certificate that no impediment to an intended marriage or civil partnership has been shown to exist, or issuing any local equivalent document for an intended marriage or overseas relationship in accordance with local law

(i)

in English

50.00

(ii)

in any other language

50.00

12.

Solemnising and administering oaths for consular marriage; or registering or converting a civil partnership into marriage

150.00

13.

Administering an application for the registration of a birth or a death

150.00

14.

Making an addition to or correction in the consular register as necessary

25.00

15.

Issuing a certified copy of an entry in the consular register

50.00

16.

Making a search in

(i) the consular register of births, deaths, marriages or civil partnerships where the number or date of entry is not provided

50.00

(ii) the naturalisation, registration or renunciation records kept by a consular officer

50.00

V. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

17.

Forwarding a request to a local authority for the taking of evidence or the service of a document (including effecting service of a document in relation to proceedings in which state immunity is in issue), and returning any evidence received of service or attempted service of a document (provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in proceedings where state immunity is in issue)

150.00

VI. MARITIME SERVICES

18.

Providing or administering a service not otherwise covered in this Schedule in relation to shipping, seamen and related matters, for each hour or part hour (to include travel time if performed away from the consular premises) and in addition to direct costs, if any

150.00

VII. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE

19.

Administering an application for, and, if successful providing, an Emergency Travel Document

100.00

20.

Exceptionally, administering an application for, and, if successful, providing an Emergency Passport, on occasions when it is not possible to provide an Emergency Travel Document

75.00

21.

Arranging, exceptionally, for currency to be made available against the deposit of funds

(i) £0.01-£99.99

10.00

(ii) £100.00-£499.99

25.00

(iii) £500.00or more

50.00

VIII. OTHER SERVICES

22.

Providing the services of a consular officer or a consular employee in relation to any other service which the consular post or diplomatic mission has agreed to undertake, for each hour or part hour (to include travel time if performed away from the consular premises) and in addition to direct costs, if any

150.00”

Ceri King
Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order amends the Consular Fees Order 2012. The Order substitutes a new Table of General Consular Fees in Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the Consular Fees Order 2012.

The new Table removes the fee for forwarding to the appropriate Registrar General a record of a marriage under local law or an overseas relationship as this service is no longer provided. Consequentially, the definition of “appropriate Registrar General” is omitted.

It simplifies the fees for services apart from legalisation so that they are £10, £25, £50, £100 and £150. There are new fees for all services apart from:

  • Legalisation

  • Administering an application for, and, if successful, providing an Emergency Passport, on occasions when it is not possible to provide an Emergency Travel Document

  • Arranging for currency to be made available against the deposit of funds of £99.99 or less.

A full regulatory impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no impact on the private or voluntary sectors is foreseen.