British Embassy Hanoi: Address, Appointments & Services 2026

The British Embassy in Hanoi is on the 4th floor of Central Building, 31 Hai Ba Trung (Cua Nam Ward), switchboard +84 24 3936 0500. It sees the public by appointment only and mainly issues Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs), provides notarial and documentary services such as marital-status affirmations and certified passport copies, and helps British nationals in difficulty. British passports are not issued here – they are renewed online with HM Passport Office. Info Travel helps British nationals in Vietnam with visas, temporary residence cards, visa transfers to new passports, exit procedures, apostille/legalisation and translations – message us on WhatsApp +84327828822.

Contents

British Embassy Hanoi contact details

Item	Details
Address	Central Building, 4th floor, 31 Hai Ba Trung, Cua Nam Ward, Hanoi
Phone	+84 24 3936 0500 (switchboard shown on Google Maps; GOV.UK lists no phone and points to the online contact form)
Email	No public consular email – use the FCDO contact form for the Embassy in Hanoi. DIT.Vietnam@fcdo.gov.uk is for trade and investment only.
Website	gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-hanoi
Opening hours	Public access by appointment only; GOV.UK does not publish fixed opening times
Jurisdiction	All of Vietnam – the Embassy and the Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City offer the same consular services, so book wherever is convenient

Consular services for British nationals

According to the Embassy’s GOV.UK page and the “Living in Vietnam” guide, the consular team in Hanoi handles:

Emergency Travel Documents for lost, stolen, damaged or expired passports – apply online at gov.uk/emergency-travel-document.
Notarial and documentary services: certified copies of UK passports, certified copies of UK driving licences, and affirmations such as marital-status and name affirmations.
Support letters for permanent-residence applications by British spouses of Vietnamese citizens, and letters of no objection for adoption.
UK consular marriages at the Embassy in Hanoi where one partner is British (note that Vietnamese law does not currently recognise these marriages).
Emergency assistance for nationals who are hospitalised, detained or victims of crime – via the contact form or the FCDO 24-hour line.

The Embassy cannot extend Vietnamese visas, act as a mail-holding service or receive replacement cards or passports on your behalf.

Before you go

No appointment, no entry. Routine services are booked through GOV.UK after you apply and pay online; for non-routine services send an enquiry and consular staff will send a booking link if Hanoi can help.
Visitors report that the online application and payment are straightforward but appointment slots can be several days out – if you live in Da Nang or Hoi An, secure the slot before booking travel to Hanoi.
Bring your passport (or a copy if it is lost), the booking confirmation and a printed form. For a marital-status affirmation, have your Vietnamese partner’s full details ready, including the ID number and the current (post-2025) ward name of their registered address.
There are six steps from the street with no ramp; attendants can assist and lifts reach every floor. There is no parking outside the building for security reasons.
The Embassy closes on Vietnamese and UK public holidays – check GOV.UK or send an enquiry before travelling.

Why foreigners usually contact the Embassy

Lost or stolen passport. Report the loss online to HM Passport Office, get a police report where it happened, then apply for an ETD. Travellers say local police are sometimes reluctant to issue a report; the Embassy can provide a supporting letter. Once reported lost, the old passport is cancelled even if you find it again. Because your visa or visa-exemption stamp was in that passport, you must complete exit procedures (an exit visa) with Vietnam Immigration before flying. If you plan to transit a third country on an ETD, confirm with the airline and transit country yourself – not all accept it.

Passport about to expire. Britons renew online and the new passport is couriered to their address in Vietnam. Your visa or temporary residence card must then be transferred to the new passport; Vietnam Immigration may ask for an HMPO confirmation letter that has been legalised. Visitors on the 45-day exemption who want to stay longer should look at the Vietnam e-visa or a visa extension.

Marriage, births and work permits. Britons marrying in Vietnam usually need the Embassy’s marital-status affirmation; those taking a job need degrees and an ACRO police certificate apostilled in the UK plus a notarised translation.

Voting. British citizens abroad can register as overseas voters for certain UK elections.

Getting a British passport while in Vietnam

The British Embassy Hanoi does not accept passport applications or renewals. Nationals apply online at gov.uk/renew-adult-passport, send their old passport and documents as HM Passport Office instructs, and direct questions to the Passport Adviceline. If you must travel urgently, the alternative is an ETD from the Embassy (usually collected in person at a booked appointment).

Info Travel helps within what is allowed: guidance on the online form, compliant photos, translations of supporting Vietnamese documents and preparing an ETD application. Once you hold the new passport or ETD, we transfer your visa or residence card, obtain a new visa or arrange the exit visa. We do not represent you before the Embassy or HM Passport Office.

Consular legalisation, MOFA/DOFA certification and notarised translation

From 11 September 2026 the Apostille Convention applies between Vietnam and the United Kingdom (Vietnam acceded on 31 December 2025; the UK has been a party since 1965 and did not object). Apostille is therefore the main route, with consular legalisation only as a fallback. Background: apostille vs consular legalisation.

a) UK documents for use in Vietnam (degrees, police certificates, birth or marriage certificates): obtain an apostille from the FCDO Legalisation Office in the UK, then a notarised translation into Vietnamese in Vietnam. If a Vietnamese authority still insists on the old route, the document is certified in the UK and legalised by the Vietnamese Embassy in London – unless an international treaty exempts it. The Embassy in Hanoi cannot apostille UK documents; they must be processed in the UK.

b) Vietnamese documents for use in the UK: obtain an apostille from the Consular Department (MOFA, Hanoi) or the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Foreign Affairs, with an English translation. Affirmations issued by the British Embassy and submitted to Vietnamese authorities may still need consular certification by the Consular Department, depending on the receiving office.

Info Travel handles the whole chain – translation, notarisation, filing and collecting the apostille or MOFA/DOFA certification, and legalisation where still required. See our consular legalisation service; quotes on WhatsApp +84327828822.

British Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City

British nationals in the south can book at the Consulate General, 25 Le Duan (Sai Gon Ward), which offers the same consular services as Hanoi. Read: British Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City.