About us
We lead United Hampshire’s diplomatic, external-relations and consular work, representing United Hampshire and maintaining its relationships with external Civic Communities and intercommunity institutions.
Responsibilities
We are responsible for:
- external relations and intercommunity diplomacy
- official external representation, visits, protocol and relationship management
- alliances, cooperation agreements and external partnership arrangements
- recognition, derecognition and classification of external Civic Communities
- regional-union and multilateral intercommunity relations
- consular functions within the intercommunity system
- Entry Advice and legalisation and apostille functions where assigned
- intercommunity development and institutional support
- sanctions and restricted-engagement policy
- external-security and intelligence sponsorship, including the Secret Intelligence Service and Government Communications Headquarters
- National Cyber Security Centre placement within the GCHQ route
- cultural, educational, technical and public-service external cooperation
- soft power and external cultural relations through authorised routes
- special representatives and envoys
- public information about external relations, subject to security and intelligence safeguards
Who we are
We are the ministerial department responsible for external and intercommunity relations.
The Office leads the Diplomatic Service and works across government where domestic policy has an external dimension. External recognition or cooperation does not by itself determine domestic qualifications, appointments, membership, immigration status or professional standing; those decisions remain with the responsible domestic authority.