This guidance helps you to plan and manage your mental health, or the mental health of friends and family, abroad. It includes advice on some differences in mental health laws and practices in other countries. For more advice on specific countries, see our mental health advice by country.
Mental health and travel
Your mental and physical wellbeing matters. How you feel before and during your trip can affect how well you cope while travelling and when you are abroad.
Mental and physical health are closely linked, so it is important to look after both while you are away.
Travel can be stressful, especially if you are away from your usual support network. Changes to your routine, language barriers, culture shock and unexpected problems can all make things harder. Try to stay in regular contact with people who normally support you, such as family, friends or colleagues.
Plan before you travel
For information on managing mental health before, during and after travel, read the advice from the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC).
Follow the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) travel checklist to prepare for your travel.
You may also wish to discuss your proposed travel with your doctor or community mental health team.
Get appropriate travel insurance before you travel
Appropriate travel insurance should cover any unexpected expenditure, including any potential medical bills while abroad, as medical costs can be expensive.
If you are travelling to the EU or Switzerland, check for the latest information on the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC).
Read the FCDO advice on foreign travel insurance which includes contacts for more information and help finding specialist insurance. Always check the small print and make sure it includes your pre-existing medical conditions, and any activities you intend to undertake. Some insurance companies will exclude cover for a mental health condition, so you should check carefully what companies offer.
If you need specialist insurance, organisations such as Mind have information on insurance cover and mental health including a list of specialist insurance providers.
Find out about healthcare at your destination
Consider what health precautions you may need to take for your trip. Ask your doctor or medical professional for advice.
Facilities, resources and understanding of mental health issues vary from country to country, and you should consider doing some research on local attitudes to mental health and what facilities may be available to you if needed. Read FCDO country-specific mental health guides which provide information for British nationals affected by mental health issues abroad including how to get support.
Some examples of differences you may encounter include:
- forced admission to hospital or a mental health facility without consent
- poor local facilities or treatment
- lack of appropriate medication
- difficulty finding English-speaking mental healthcare professionals
- arrest or imprisonment where there is a lack of understanding around the impacts of poor mental health
Read FCDO travel advice for information on healthcare and how to contact emergency services abroad. Sign up for email alerts to get the latest updates. You can also follow FCDO Travel on X and Facebook.
Read our living in country guides for information on healthcare if you live abroad.
Medication
Check beforehand to make sure that any medication you need to take with you is acceptable to the airline you are travelling with and is legal in the country or territory you are visiting. Some medications may be illegal or contain ingredients that are illegal when travelling abroad. This may include prescription medication. Ask your doctor or medical adviser for the generic name for your medication if you do not know it.
If you’re travelling with prescription or over-the-counter medicine, read advice on:
For further information on the legal status of a specific medication, you’ll need to check the rules for the country you’re going to with the embassy before you travel.
Check with your travel provider to confirm if you need documentation to enable you to carry medication, and ask what kind of container it should be in. This is particularly important if you travel by air for liquids and gels, due to security restrictions at airports.
Check you can access your medication abroad
Some medication may not be available in other countries. If you need medication, take enough with you for your whole trip and allow for potential delays for returning to the UK. Ask your doctor or medical professional for advice.
Consider carrying a ‘travelling letter’
Consider writing and carrying a ‘travelling letter’, which gives a brief description of your mental health needs and diagnosis, and the details of your doctor. If appropriate, include details of any difficulties that could occur and what assistance you might then need. This may be part of any Recovery Plan or Advance Directive, if you have one.
Consider giving someone power of attorney
If you want to, you can give someone power of attorney. This gives someone the power to make decisions for you in case a situation arises where you are unable to make decisions for yourself. There are 2 types of power of attorney:
- health and welfare
- property and financial affairs
You can choose to make either, or both. They do not have to be the same person.
Consider who to contact if you need help
Consider who will help you if your mental health deteriorates abroad and how to contact them. Keep details of friends, family and carers with you when you travel. Fill in emergency contact details at the back of your passport. This is especially important if you’re travelling alone, or in a remote or crisis high-risk area.
If you take your mobile phone abroad, make sure you have international roaming (the facility to use your phone on a foreign network), and an adaptor so you can charge it.
If you need help abroad
If you need help for a mental health issue abroad, read the guidance on medical emergencies and hospitalisation abroad.
See country-specific mental health guides for British nationals abroad.
FCDO foreign travel advice has phone numbers for emergency services in most countries. In the European Union, call 112.
You can also contact the nearest British embassy or consulate or phone the FCDO:
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7008 5000 (24 hours)
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) support
If you are having mental health issues abroad, the FCDO can:
Whenever possible we will seek your permission before taking any action on your behalf.
We cannot:
- give you advice on mental health issues
- buy or supply medication
- pay for you to return to the UK
- pay for your food, accommodation or medical bills
- get you better treatment in hospital or prison than is given to local people
If you have concerns about someone while they are abroad
Try to speak to the person you are concerned about and suggest they contact the nearest British embassy or consulate or phone the FCDO:
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7008 5000 (24 hours)
If someone is missing abroad
Read getting help if someone goes missing abroad. When contacting the police or the FCDO, you should give details of the person’s mental health needs, including diagnosis and professionals involved in the UK, and any other reasons why they may be vulnerable. The FCDO generally considers that someone is vulnerable when they cannot protect themselves from significant physical or emotional harm, or be protected by others.
Returning to the UK
If you are abroad and need help to return to the UK, the FCDO can try to assist you to make plans for your return. This could involve contacting family or friends, social services, NHS teams and/or charities and non-government organisations. See what the FCDO can and cannot do.
You may not automatically be entitled to state benefits if you have never lived in the UK, or if you have lived abroad for some time. This includes free NHS hospital treatment. To be eligible as a British national, you must meet certain residence requirements and/or make the appropriate National Insurance contributions. This includes the habitual residence test. For more information on healthcare and other matters see returning to the UK.
Further support
NHS mental health webpage offers information and support for mental health.
UK organisations
These UK organisations may be able to help you before you travel, or help family and friends in the UK. Some can only help people who are in the UK. As independent organisations, the FCDO cannot be held responsible in any way for their advice or any decisions and outcomes that result from this.
International organisations
These international organisations may be able to help you or provide information while you are abroad. The FCDO cannot be held responsible in any way for their advice or any decisions or outcomes that result from this.
Feedback
The FCDO welcomes your views on the support it provides, to help identify what it does well and what it could do better. Contact the FCDO using the feedback contact form.
Disclaimer
You can read the disclaimer relating to this guidance.
