The Consular Fees (Amendment) Regulations 2013

Made: 26th March 2013

Coming into force: 6th April 2013

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 1(3) of the Consular Fees Act 1980[^f00001], with the approval of the Treasury, makes the following Regulations.

Citation and Commencement

1

These Regulations may be cited as Consular Fees (Amendment) Regulations 2013 and shall come into force on 6th April 2013.

Amendment of the Consular Fees Regulations 1981

2

• (1) The Consular Fees Regulations 1981[^f00002] shall be amended as follows.

• (2) For Regulation 3(1) substitute the following:

(1) Fees shall be paid— (a) in currency at the place of payment, except that a consular officer shall have discretion to accept in lieu of such currency, a cheque, money order, or other means of effecting payment in that currency; or (b) at the discretion of the consular officer, in sterling by debit or credit card.

Signed

Mark Simmonds — Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for — Foreign and Commonwealth Office — 25th March 2013

We approve these Regulations

Desmond Swayne — Stephen Crabb — Two of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Treasury — 26th March 2013

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

These Regulations amend the Consular Fees Regulations 1981 (“the 1981 Regulations”). The 1981 Regulations prescribe the manner in which all fees taken by persons authorised by the Secretary of State to exercise consular functions, or functions in the United Kingdom which correspond with consular functions, shall be levied, accounted for and applied, and may be remitted.

These Regulations amend the 1981 Regulations to allow for consular fees to be paid in Sterling by debit or credit card at the discretion of a consular officer. Payment can still be made in currency circulating at the place of payment.

A full regulatory impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no impact on the private or voluntary sectors is foreseen.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1980 c.23.

[^f00002]: S.I. 1981/476 as amended by S.I. 2000/1017.