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Cars 4 Rental Information on United Kingdom

General

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Although they form one administrative unit (with regional exceptions), they have had separate cultures, languages and political histories. Within this section are also the Channel Islands (excluding Guernsey and Jersey which have their own separate entries) and the Isle of Man which, although only dependencies of the British Crown, are included for convenience of reference. The United Kingdom section consists of a general introduction (covering the aspects which the four countries have in common), sections devoted to the four constituent countries, and sections dealing with the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

Area: 242,910 sq km (93,788 sq miles).

Population: 59,755,700 (official estimate 2000).

Population Density: 246.0 per sq km.

Capital: London. Population: 7,375,100 (official estimate, Greater London, 2000).

GEOGRAPHY: The British landscape can be divided roughly into two kinds of terrain – highland and lowland. The highland area comprises the mountainous regions of Scotland, Northern Ireland, northern England and North Wales. The English Lake District in the northwest contains lakes and fells. The lowland area is broken up by sandstone and limestone hills, long valleys and basins such as the Wash on the east coast. In the southeast, the North and South Downs culminate in the White Cliffs of Dover. The coastline includes fjord-like inlets in the northwest of Scotland, spectacular cliffs and wild sandy beaches on the east coast and, further south, beaches of rock, shale and sand sometimes backed by dunes, and large areas of fenland in East Anglia.
More detailed geographical descriptions of the various countries may be found under the respective entries.

Note: More detailed geographical descriptions of the various countries may be found under the respective entries.

Government: Constitutional monarchy. Head of State: HM Queen Elizabeth II since 1953. Head of Government: Prime Minister Tony Blair since 1997.

Language: English. Some Welsh is spoken in parts of Wales, Gaelic in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, and French and Norman French in the Channel Islands. The many ethnic minorities within the UK also speak their own languages (eg Cantonese, Greek, Hindi, Mandarin, Turkish, Urdu, etc).

Religion: Predominantly Protestant (Church of England), but many other Christian denominations also: Roman Catholic, Church of Scotland, Baptist, Methodist and other free churches. There are sizeable Hindu, Jewish and Muslim minorities.

Time: GMT (GMT + 1 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).

Electricity: 240 volts AC, 50Hz. Square three-pin plugs are standard and the visitor is unlikely to come across the older round three-pin type..

Communications:

Telephone

IDD is available. Country code: 44. Outgoing international code: 00. There are numerous public call boxes. Some boxes take coins, others phonecards or credit cards. There are a number of suppliers of telecommunication networks, chiefly British Telecom and Cable & Wireless.

Mobile telephone

GSM 900 and 1800 networks. Network operators include O2 (website: www.o2.co.uk), Orange (website: www.orange.co.uk), T-Mobile (website: www.t-mobile.co.uk) and Vodafone (website: www.vodafone.co.uk).

Fax

There are many high-street bureaux in all cities. Most hotels and offices have facilities.

Internet

There are Internet cafes and centres in most urban areas. ISPs include AOL (website: www.aol.com), BT Internet (website: www.btopenworld.com) and Freeserve (website: www.freeserve.com). Some multimedia phone booths, often located at main railway stations and airports, offer touch-screen access.

Telegram

These may be sent from a post office or from a private telephone (tel: (0800) 190 190).

Post

Stamps are available from post offices and many shops and stores. There are stamp machines outside some post offices. Post boxes are red. First-class internal mail normally reaches its destination the day after posting (except in remote areas of Scotland), and most second-class mail the day after that. International postal connections are good. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1730 and Sat 0900-1230, although some post offices are open much longer hours.

Press

Dominated by about 10 major newspapers, UK circulation figures are amongst the highest in the world. The most influential newspapers are The Daily Telegraph, The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer (on Sunday) and The Times. The more popular ‘tabloid’ newspapers are The Daily Express, The Daily Mail, The Daily Mirror and The Sun. Most papers have an associated Sunday newspaper, though there are some independents. There are also daily regional newspapers, particularly in Scotland and the north. The London Evening Standard is produced in several editions daily, the first being at midday.

Radio: BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.

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Money

Note: See the individual Money sections within the Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Northern Ireland sections for information on currency specific to these regions.

Currency: Pound (£) = 100 pence. Notes are in denominations of £50, 20, 10 and 5. Additional bank notes issued by Scottish banks are legal tender in all parts of the UK. Coins are in denominations of £2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 pence.

Currency exchange: Money can be exchanged in banks, exchange bureaux and many hotels. The exchange bureaux are often open outside banking hours but charge higher commission rates. All major currencies can be exchanged. Cash can be obtained from a multitude of ATMs available across the country.

Credit & debit cards: American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are all widely accepted. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.

Travellers cheques: Widely accepted. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in Pounds Sterling.

Currency restrictions: There are no restrictions on the import or export of either local or foreign currency.

Exchange rate indicators
The following figures are included as a guide to the movements of Sterling against the US Dollar:

Date Aug ’03 Nov ’03 Feb ’04 May ’04
$1.00= 0.62 0.59 0.54 0.55

Banking hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700 (there may be some variations in closing times). Some branches of certain banks are open Saturday morning.

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Health

Special Precautions Certificate Required
Yellow Fever No No
Cholera No No
Typhoid and Polio No N/A
Malaria No N/A

Health care: The National Health Service provides free medical treatment (at hospitals and general surgeries) to all who are ordinarily resident in the UK but requires payment for dental treatment, prescriptions and spectacles. Immediate first aid/emergency treatment is free for all visitors, after which charges are made unless the visitor’s country has a reciprocal health agreement with the UK. The following have signed such agreements: all EU countries (but Danish residents of the Faroe Islands are not covered), Anguilla, Australia, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Channel Islands (applies only if the visitor is staying less than 3 months), CIS countries, Czech Republic, Falkland Islands, Hungary, Iceland, Isle of Man, Malta (for visits up to 30 days), Montserrat, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, St Helena, Serbia & Montenegro, Slovak Republic and Turks & Caicos Islands. The agreements provide differing degrees of exemption for different nationalities; full details of individual agreements are available from the Department of Health; see also the Health appendix.

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Climate

Owing to its being an island, the UK is subject to very changeable weather. Extremes of temperature are rare but snow, hail, heavy rain and heatwaves can occur. For detailed descriptions, see Climate in the respective country sections.

Required clothing: Waterproofing throughout the year. Warm clothing is advisable at all times, and is essential for any visits to upland areas.

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Passport

Passport Required Visa Required Return Ticket Required
British Yes N/A N/A
Australian Yes No No
Canadian Yes No No
USA Yes No No
OtherEU 1 No No
Japanese Yes No No

PASSPORTS: Passport valid for whole period of the visit to the UK required by all except:
1. nationals of EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway and Switzerland with a valid national ID card.

Note: (a) A passport is not required for travel between Great Britain and Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. (b) Passengers transiting the UK destined for the Republic of Ireland are advised to hold return tickets to avoid delay and interrogation.

VISAS: Required by all except the following:
(a) nationals listed in the chart above;
(b) nationals of Commonwealth countries (except nationals of Bangladesh, Cameroon, Fiji, The Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Maldives, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia who do need a visa);
(c) nationals of American Samoa, Andorra, Argentina, Aruba, Bolivia, Bonaire, Brazil, Chile, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Curacao, East Timor, El Salvador, Federated States of Micronesia, French Guiana, Greenland, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong (SAR), Iceland, Israel, Korea (Rep), Liechtenstein, Macau (SAR), Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Monaco, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niue, Norway, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saba, St Eustatius, St Maarten, San Marino, Switzerland, Tahiti and her Islands, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands, Vatican City and Venezuela;
(d) those in transit, provided arriving and departing by air within 24 hours and holding all necessary onward documentation.
Note: Direct Airside Transit visas are required by the following countries, even if not entering the UK or changing airports during transit: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Belarus, Burundi, Cameroon, China (PR), Colombia, Congo (Dem Rep), Cte D'Ivoire, Ecuador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, India, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Macedonia, Moldova, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia & Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Turkey, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Uganda, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

Note: (a) Entry clearance is required for nationals of the following countries who intend to stay in the UK for more than 6 months: Australia, Canada, Hong Kong (SAR), Japan, Korea (Rep), Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the USA. (b) Nationals not requiring visas are advised to be in possession of either a return ticket or, if arriving on a one-way ticket, proof of sufficient funds to accommodate and support themselves for the duration of stay.

Types of visa and cost: Standard visit, student and visitor in transit: £36. 1-year visit: £60. 2-year visit: £70. 5-year visit: £88. 10-year visit: £150. Direct Airside Transit: £27. Fees are usually payable in the local currency and are subject to variation in both price and method of payment. Enquire at nearest High Commission/Embassy. Visa fees are not refundable.

Validity: Visit visas: 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years or 10 years; all visit visas are valid for multiple-entries within the period of validity. Visitor in Transit visas are not required by those continuing their journey to a third country by the first connecting aircraft within 24 hours, provided possessing confirmed onward travel documentation (except nationals of those countries listed under (c) above). Those in transit to another country, who will remain in the UK for no longer than 48 hours, will need a Visitor in Transit visa. A visit visa is required for any transit stay over 48 hours.

Application to: Nearest British Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy or High Commission); see Contact Addresses section.

Application requirements: (a) Passport valid for entire visit. (b) Two recent passport-size photos (some nationals may require three photos). (c) Completed application form (some nationals may be required to fill out an additional form). (d) Fee (postal applications must be accompanied by bank draft, postal or money order only). The supplementary documentation required will vary depending on the type of application, but in all cases it is advisable to also provide: (e) Evidence of funds (bank statements or pay slips). (f) Letter of invitation (if applicable). (g) Evidence of sponsor’s funds (if applicable).

Working days required: Dependent on nationality of applicant. Applications usually take between 1 and 10 working days. Applications that are referred to the Home Office may take up to 13 weeks.

Temporary residence: Enquiries can be made at nearest British Consulate, Embassy or High Commission (see Contact Addresses section of your country).

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