What happens when a British citizen disappears abroad?
Last Seen On HolidayThe UK is evidently a nation of avid holidayers. Indeed, government statistics show that, between them, Brits make tens of millions of trips abroad every year. Why wouldn’t they, when so much glorious sun, sea and sand await – attractions that tend to be harder to come by on British soil?
So naturally, when a friend or relative embarks on an overseas trip, you aren’t likely to expect anything to go particularly wrong. Too often, though, such confidence can be misplaced, as hundreds of UK citizens disappear in foreign lands every year.
Worse, finding a missing loved one can be a lot harder when their last known location was outside the UK. The missing person cases featured in our new series, Last Seen On Holiday, are testament to this struggle. Here’s the Crime+Investigation guide to what to do if someone you know vanishes overseas.
Stay calm and level-headed
In recent decades, there have been many well-publicised instances of British people going missing abroad. Easily the most famous is the disappearance of the three-year-old Madeleine McCann from a holiday apartment in Portugal in May 2007. Nearly two decades on, her fate and whereabouts remain unknown.
Answers that victims’ families do get can be horrifying. In 2024, two missing Brits, teenager Jay Slater and TV doctor Michael Mosley, were both found to have died on European getaways. However, there have also been happy endings. The young boy Alex Batty disappeared in Spain in 2017 but was reunited with his legal guardian six years later.
So, if a loved one mysteriously stops replying to your attempted calls or messages shortly after heading across the sea, try not to panic. The UK Government advises trying to reach out to people they were travelling with or met on their travels, like tour guides. Family, friends or work colleagues of the missing person might also have clues about where they are.
Contact the police…but which police?
Perhaps surprisingly, official guidance from the Met Police says that if you yourself are in the UK, you should initially contact UK police, not police in the country where the missing person actually disappeared. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to wait 24 hours before making this call. Just do it as soon as possible.
Provide as much information as you can. Mention the missing person’s name, date of birth, place of birth, passport details and insurance details. Also give details of their travel itinerary, mobile phone number, email address, social media accounts and any medical conditions they have.
UK police can contact Interpol (the International Crime Police Organisation) – who, in turn, can notify police in the country where the person disappeared. This is when the search can start properly, as UK police are not usually allowed to get actively involved in investigating disappearances abroad.
It is also worth contacting the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to request ‘consular support’ for the country where the person disappeared. It’s possible that the missing person has been in touch with a British consulate in the country. However, if they don’t actually want to be found, they might not give permission for the FCDO to let you know their whereabouts.
Can you take the search into your own hands?
Many families have done their own legwork in attempts to find their relatives. After the then-41-year-old Sanjiv Kundi vanished in Paris in September 2013, his family visited the French capital themselves. ‘We’ve been to the morgues. We’ve been to the hospital,’ his sister Pip told Sky News in 2024.
If you are trying to find a missing person, there are many things you can do to raise awareness. The Met Police suggests starting a social media campaign and putting up ‘missing person’ posters. Also, try reaching out to media outlets local to the area where the person was last seen.
If foreign police call off the search, you might be eager to pick up where they left off. However, it’s not always advisable to take this ‘hands-on’ approach to every single aspect of the search. For example, searching places like mountains or water can be dangerous, so leave this work to professionals.
There are also UK charities ready to provide extra advice. The charity Missing People offers support for any UK citizens affected by a loved one’s disappearance. Meanwhile, Safe Harbour, previously known as LBT Global, specialises in catering for those Brits whose loved ones are missing abroad.
If you are currently searching for a missing loved one, contact Missing People or Safe Harbour for specialist support. For more on the cases featured in Last Seen On Holiday, sign up to the Crime+Investigation newsletter. Every week, you'll receive the latest articles, episodes and more from C+I delivered straight to your inbox.
