FAQs
Topics
- Cars and driving
- VAT and customs regulations
- UK Government
- Tourist information
- Television, newspapers & radio
- Sports
- Scams
- Pets and animals
- Overseas territories and the Commonwealth
- Money and postage
- Monarchy & Royal Family
- Living and working in the UK
- Language, literature & books
- Knighthood and honours
- Holidays and traditions
- Healthcare, medicine & pensions
- Genealogy
- Food and drink
- Finding official British documents
- Flags and the national anthem
- Facts and figures
- Education
- Law and order
Cars and driving
- Is my US drivers licence valid in the UK?
- Can I bring my car into the UK?
- Why do people in Britain drive on the left side of the road?
- Who is responsible for UK driving tests?
- What are the laws regarding the use of car seats for children?
- What is the difference between UK vehicle registration and vehicle licensing?
VAT and customs regulations
- Where can I find out about UK customs regulations?
- Where can I find customs information on sending gifts or other packages to Britain?
- How can tourists receive VAT refunds for goods purchased in the UK?
- Can business travellers receive VAT refunds?
- Where can I cash my VAT refund cheque?
- What is my duty free allowance when travelling from the United States to the UK?
UK Government
- Where can I find information on British Prime Ministers?
- What is Prime Minister's Question time?
- Which former prime ministers are still living, and how can I contact them?
- How are London, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland governed?
- Where can I find out about the UK's international relations?
- How can I purchase British government publications?
- How does Britain elect its government?
- How does Britain’s system of government work?
- How can I contact British Members of Parliament?
- Where can I find information on women in Parliament?
- Where can I find information on the State Opening of Parliament?
- Does Britain have a written constitution?
- How can I write to Prime Minister Gordon Brown?
- How are political parties financed?
Tourist information
- Where can I get official advice from British and U.S. governments on travel abroad?
- How can I obtain tourist information about the UK?
- Where can I find information for visitors to the UK who are disabled?
- How old is Stonehenge?
- What is the Speakers’ Corner?
- Can I bring food into the UK?
- What is ‘Big Ben’?
- Can I bring firearms into the UK?
- Can tourists bring bows and arrows into Britain?
Television, newspapers & radio
- How do I find BBC World Service broadcasts in my area?
- What are television channels and radio stations like in the UK?
- Where can I purchase British films or DVDs for school or home use?
- Where can I find information on the British film industry?
- How can I find British newspapers?
Sports
- Where can I find information on the UK in the Olympics?
- Why does Britain have four teams in some international sporting tournaments?
- What are the Highland Games?
- What are the rules of cricket?
- Where can I find information about British football clubs?
- Where can I find information and obtain tickets for the Wimbledon Tennis Championships?
Scams
Pets and animals
- Can I bring my pet from the United States to the United Kingdom under the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS)?
- Can I bring my pet from the United States to the Bahamas?
- Can I bring my pet from the United States to Bermuda?
- Can I bring my pet from the United States to the British Virgin Islands?
- Can I bring my pet from the United States to the Cayman Islands?
Overseas territories and the Commonwealth
Money and postage
- How can I cash a British cheque in pounds sterling?
- How can I wire money to the UK?
- How can I purchase British postage stamps?
- What can I do with old British banknotes?
- What is the British monetary system?
- What is a guinea?
- What are international reply coupons?
- How much money can I bring into the UK?
- Where can I purchase British currency?
Monarchy & Royal Family
- What powers does The Queen have?
- Why does The Queen have two birthdays?
- How can I receive a congratulatory message from The Queen?
- Where can I find photographs of The Queen?
- How can I write to Her Majesty The Queen?
- How can I obtain information on The Queen's public schedule?
- What are the names of all British monarchs and who is the next in line to the throne?
- What will be the next Jubilee after the Golden Jubilee of 2002, and what is being planned?
- Why is the heir to the throne called the Prince of Wales?
- Where can I find more information on the British Monarchy and Royal Family?
Living and working in the UK
- Can I work in the UK?
- Where can I find the telephone numbers for British companies and individuals?
- How can I buy or rent real estate in the UK?
- Can US doctors and dentists work in the UK?
- How can I work as a nurse or midwife in the UK?
- Where can I find information on relocating or moving to the United Kingdom?
- Can I teach in the UK?
Language, literature & books
- Who are the most popular British writers?
- Do Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own languages?
- What is cockney rhyming slang?
Knighthood and honours
- What is the British Honours system?
- What Americans have been honoured by Britain recently?
- What does ‘Right Honourable’ mean?
- What is an investiture?
- How should I address someone with a British title?
- Can I buy a British title?
Holidays and traditions
- What and when are Bank Holidays?
- Does Britain have a national holiday?
- What are the United Kingdom's national flowers?
- How do the British celebrate Christmas?
- What do British people eat at Christmas?
- What is Boxing Day?
- How does the United Kingdom celebrate the New Year?
- What is Burns Night?
- What is Pancake Day?
- How is Easter celebrated in the United Kingdom?
- What is Guy Fawkes Day?
- What is Remembrance Day?
Healthcare, medicine & pensions
- Where can I find information on British pensions and social security benefits?
- What healthcare services are available to travellers in the UK?
- Can I bring prescription drugs into the UK?
Genealogy
- How can I find my family crest or coat of arms?
- How can I trace my British ancestors?
- How can I trace British friends and relatives?
- Where can I find information on family tartans?
Food and drink
- What is the most popular food in the UK?
- How much beer do British people drink?
- Why do the British like drinking tea?
- What is haggis?
- Which cheeses are produced in Britain?
Finding official British documents
- How can I obtain armed forces service records, medals and information?
- How can I obtain a copy of a will?
- Where can I find British adoption records?
- Where can I obtain copies of divorce decrees?
- Where can I obtain British birth, marriage or death certificates?
Flags and the national anthem
- What does the Union Jack flag stand for and how should it be flown?
- What is the British national anthem?
- Where can I purchase a British flag?
Facts and figures
- What is the difference between the United Kingdom and Great Britain?
- What time is it in Britain?
- What is the population of Britain?
- Which are the UK's largest ethnic minority groups?
- Which religions are represented in the UK?
- Where can I find geographical information about the UK?
- Where can I find information on the UK's history?
- Where can I find a statistical information on the United Kingdom?
Education
- Can US students study in the UK?
- Where can I find information on the British education system?
- Has the UK Government removed teaching of the Holocaust from the UK school curriculum?
- Where can I find information on British secondary schools in the USA?
- Where can I find information on American schools in the United Kingdom?
- How can I twin my city or town with one in the United Kingdom?
- How can I find a British pen pal?
- How can I have my British educational documents certified in the United States?
- What is the oldest University in the UK?
Law and order
- What is the difference between a barrister and a solicitor?
- Why are wigs worn by British lawyers?
- How does the British legal system work?
- How can I find out about adoption in the United Kingdom?
- How can I receive a copy of my UK police record?
- Is pepper spray legal in the UK?
- Can I get married in the UK?
