thumb|270px|Flag used by British embassies
thumb|270px|The [[Union Flag, used by high commissions]]
thumb|270px|Flag used by British consulates and consulates-general
The heads of British diplomatic missions are persons appointed as senior diplomats to individual nations, or international organizations. They are usually appointed as ambassadors, except in member countries of the Commonwealth of Nations where a high commissioner is appointed. The head of mission to an international organization is usually a permanent representative. For some nations a consul or consul-general is appointed.
The positions have a dual role, being representatives of the British monarchy and the British government; they are recommended by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and then approved by Buckingham Palace.
Resident heads of mission
<!-- NOTE: Transclusion code is used to bring the name of the ambassador or high commissioner (or representative, in Taiwan) from the country list page - this page should not be changed for a simple change of ambassador or high commissioner -->
{| class="wikitable"
! Mission !! Location !! Type !! Head of mission !! Position !! List
|-
| || Tirana || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Algiers || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Luanda || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Buenos Aires || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Yerevan || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Canberra || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Vienna || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Baku || Embassy |||| Ambassador || List
|-
| || Nassau || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Manama || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Dhaka || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Bridgetown || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Minsk || Embassy || || Chargé d'Affaires || List
|-
| || Brussels || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Belmopan || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || La Paz || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Sarajevo || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Gaborone || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Brasília || Embassy ||Stephanie Al-Qaq|| Ambassador || List
|-
| || Bandar Seri Begawan || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Sofia || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Phnom Penh || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Yaoundé || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Ottawa || High Commission || Rob Tinline|| High Commissioner || List
|-
| || N'Djamena || Embassy Office || Helena Owen|| Ambassador ||
|-
| || Santiago || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Beijing || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Bogotá || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Kinshasa || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || San José || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Abidjan || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Zagreb || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Havana || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Nicosia || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Prague || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Copenhagen || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Djibouti City || Embassy|| || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Santo Domingo || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Quito || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Cairo || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || San Salvador || Embassy || || Chargé d'Affaires || List
|-
| || Asmara || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Tallinn || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Mbabane || High Commission || Colin Wells|| High Commissioner ||
|-
| || Addis Ababa || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Suva || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Helsinki || Embassy || Laura Davies || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Paris || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Libreville || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Banjul || High Commission || Harriet King || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Tbilisi || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Berlin || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Accra || High Commission || || High Commissioner|| List
|-
| || Athens || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Guatemala City || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Conakry || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Georgetown || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Port-au-Prince || Embassy || || Deputy Head of Mission || List
|-
| || Vatican City || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Budapest || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Reykjavík || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || New Delhi || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Jakarta || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Tehran || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Baghdad || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Dublin || Embassy || Kara Owen|| Ambassador || List
|-
| || Tel Aviv || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Rome || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Kingston || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Tokyo || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Amman || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Almaty || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Nairobi || High Commission ||
| High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Pristina || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Kuwait City || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Bishkek || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Vientiane || Embassy || Mel Barlow || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Riga || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Beirut || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Maseru || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Monrovia || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Tripoli || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Vilnius || Embassy || Liz Boyles || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Luxembourg || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Antananarivo || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Lilongwe || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Kuala Lumpur || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Bamako || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Valletta || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Nouakchott || Embassy || Guy Harrison || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Port Louis || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Mexico City || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Chişinău || Embassy || Fern Horine || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Ulaanbaatar || Embassy || Fiona Blyth || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Podgorica || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Rabat || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Maputo || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Yangon || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Windhoek || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Kathmandu || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || The Hague || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Wellington || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Niamey || Embassy || Catherine Inglehearn || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Abuja || High Commission || Richard Montgomery || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Pyongyang || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Skopje || Embassy || Matthew Lawson || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Oslo || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Muscat || Embassy || Dr Liane Saunders || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Islamabad || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Panama City || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Port Moresby || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Asunción || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Lima || Embassy || Su-Lin Garbett-Shiels|| Ambassador || List
|-
| || Manila || Embassy || Sarah Hulton || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Warsaw || Embassy || Dame Melinda Simmons|| Ambassador || List
|-
| || Lisbon || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Doha || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Bucharest || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Moscow || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Kigali || High Commission || Alison Thorpe || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Apia || High Commission || || High Commissioner ||List
|-
| || Riyadh || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Dakar || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Belgrade || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Victoria || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Freetown || High Commission || Josephine Gauld || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Singapore || High Commission || Nikesh Mehta || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Bratislava || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Ljubljana || Embassy || Victoria Harrison || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Honiara || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Mogadishu || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Pretoria || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Seoul || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Juba || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Madrid || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Colombo || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Stockholm || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Bern || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Taipei || Office || || Representative || List
|-
| || Dushanbe || Embassy || Katherine Smitton || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Dar es Salaam || High Commission || Marianne Young || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Bangkok || Embassy || Mark Gooding || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Nukuʻalofa || High Commissioner || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Port of Spain || High Commission || Jon Dean || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Tunis || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Ankara || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Ashgabat || Embassy || Stephen Conlon || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Kampala || High Commission || Lisa Chesney || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Kyiv || Embassy || Neil Crompton|| Ambassador || List
|-
| || Abu Dhabi || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Washington, D.C. || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Montevideo || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Tashkent || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Port Vila || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Caracas || Embassy ||Colin Dick
| Ambassador || List
|-
| || Hanoi || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Sanaa || Embassy || Abda Sharif || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Lusaka || High Commission || || High Commissioner || List
|-
| || Harare || Embassy || || Ambassador || List
|}
Non-resident heads of mission
The United Kingdom does not maintain a full embassy or High Commission in a number of countries. In each of these cases the head of mission to another country, usually a neighbouring one, is also accredited to the other country (except, at present, for the ambassadors to Haiti and Honduras, who are dedicated but non-resident). In most cases a smaller, local mission provides for emergencies, and is headed by a lesser diplomat or a member of the local British community.
In April 2018 the Foreign Secretary announced the opening of nine new diplomatic posts across the Commonwealth. As a result, some countries which currently have non-resident High Commissioners are to receive resident High Commissioners. The expected dates of residence are noted below for those countries where an appointment has been announced.
<!-- NOTE: Transclusion code has been inserted so that this page doesn't need to be changed for a new ambassador or high commissioner - change the country list page only -->
{| class="wikitable"
! Mission !! Resident Country !! Local Location !! Local Mission !! Non-Resident Head of mission !! Local Position !! List
|-
|
|Qatar
|None
|N/A
|Robert Dickson
|Chargé d'Affaires ad Interim
|List
|-
| || Spain || None || N/A || || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Barbados || St John's || Honorary Consul || || High Commissioner ||
|-
| || Ghana || None || N/A || || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Ghana || Ouagadougou || Honorary Consul || || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Rwanda || Bujumbura || Liaison Office || || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Senegal || São Vicente || Consul || || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Democratic Republic of the Congo || None || N/A || || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Madagascar ||Moroni || N/A || || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Democratic Republic of the Congo || Brazzaville || Honorary Consul || || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Barbados || Roseau || Honorary Consul || || High Commissioner ||
|-
| || Indonesia || Jakarta || Honorary Consul || || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Cameroon || Malabo || Honorary Consul || || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Barbados || St George's || Honorary Consul || || High Commissioner ||
|-
| || Senegal || Bissau || Honorary Consul || || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Dominican Republic || Port-au-Prince || Consul ||Guy Jaynes
| Deputy Head of Mission || List
|-
| || Guatemala || Tegucigalpa || Honorary Consul || Juliana Correa || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Fiji || None ||N/A || || High Commissioner ||
|-
| || Switzerland || None || N/A || || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Sri Lanka || Malé || Honorary Consul || || High Commissioner ||
|-
| || Fiji || None || N/A || || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Fiji || None || N/A || || Ambassador ||
|-
| || France || Monaco || Honorary Consulate || || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Solomon Islands || None || N/A || || High Commissioner ||
|-
| || Costa Rica || Managua || Embassy || Ben Lyster-Binns || Ambassador || List
|-
| || Philippines || None || N/A || Laure Beaufils || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Barbados || Basseterre || Honorary Consul || || High Commissioner ||
|-
| || Barbados || Castries || High Commission || || High Commissioner ||
|-
| || Barbados || Kingstown || Honorary Consul || || High Commissioner ||
|-
| || Italy || Rome || Consulate-General || || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Angola || São Tomé || Consulate || || Ambassador ||
|-
|
|Ethiopia
|None
|N/A
|Giles Lever
|Ambassador
|
|-
| || Guyana || Paramaribo || Consulate || || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Côte d’Ivoire || None || N/A || || Ambassador ||
|-
| || Fiji || None || N/A || || High Commissioner ||
|}
Heads of mission to non-sovereign territories
<!-- NOTE: Where transclusion code has been inserted (e.g. Hong Kong) this page doesn't need to be changed for a new head of mission - change the country list page only -->
{| class="wikitable"
! Mission !! Location !! Type !! Head of mission !! Position !! List !! Notes
|-
| || Hong Kong || Consulate-General || Brian Davidson|| Consul-General || List || Functions held by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (before 1968 Colonial Office), British Council and British Trade Commission prior to 1997
|-
| Jerusalem || East Jerusalem || Consulate-General || || Consul-General || List || Mission to the occupied Palestinian territories
|-
| || Macau || Honorary Consulate || Glenn McCartney || Honorary Consul || || Full consular services for Macau are provided via the Consulate in Hong Kong and the Consul-General to Hong Kong is the official diplomat for Macau
|}
Heads of mission to international organisations
{| class="wikitable"
! Mission !! Location !! Head of mission !! Position !! List
|-
| African Union || Addis Ababa || || Ambassador to Ethiopia also accredited as Permanent Representative || List
|-
| Association of Southeast Asian Nations || Jakarta || || Ambassador || List
|-
| Conference on Disarmament || Geneva || David Riley || Permanent Representative || List
|-
| Council of Europe || Strasbourg || || Permanent Representative || List
|-
|
|Brussels
|
|Ambassador
|List
|-
| North Atlantic Treaty Organization || Brussels || Angus Lapsley || Permanent Representative || List
|-
| 25px|frameless|link=|alt= Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development || Paris || || Permanent Representative || List
|-
| Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons || The Hague || || Ambassador to the Netherlands also accredited as Permanent Representative || List
|-
| 24px|frameless|link=|alt= Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe || Vienna || || Head of Delegation || List
|-
| United Nations in Geneva || rowspan="5" | Geneva || rowspan="5" | Kumar Iyer|| rowspan="5" | Permanent Representative || rowspan="5" | List
|-
| World Trade Organization
|-
| International Organization for Migration
|-
| International Committee of the Red Cross
|-
| International Labour Organization
|-
| United Nations in New York || New York City || James Kariuki || Permanent Representative || List
|-
| United Nations agencies in Rome
|Rome
|Evelyn Ashton-Griffiths
|Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations agencies in Rome
|
|-
| United Nations in Vienna || Vienna || || Ambassador to Austria also accredited as Permanent Representative || List
|}
See also
- List of ambassadors and high commissioners to the United Kingdom