Did you know that Veterans can access the same services provided by the Ministry of Defence no matter where in the world they live?

Veterans’ Gateway is the first point of call for veterans needing support, signposting veterans to support organisations within their local area or country of residence. The service offers a 24/7 Instant Messaging facility to cater for overseas clients who might not be able to call at convenient times for reasons of time difference. Further information on the Veterans Gateway and their contact details can be found at the following link: www.veteransgateway.org.uk.

The Veterans Welfare Service (VWS) also provides advice and information on areas such as health, statutory benefits and pensions support to all ex-service personnel, their families and dependents. As the VWS is located in the United Kingdom and Ireland, they do not have expert knowledge of local support for each country but are able to provide general advice. The VWS can be contacted by emailing veterans-uk@mod.gov.uk or by calling their helpline on +44 1253 866 043.

All veterans, whether living in the UK or overseas, can be considered for the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), War Pension Scheme (WPS) and Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS), should they be entitled.

Support for veterans living overseas is predominately provided by ex-Service or other relevant charitable organisations, with different levels of support available depending on your country of residence. The Royal British Legion is one such organisation that offers support to veterans overseas and has offices located around the world. Information can be found on their website,
Royal British Legion Overseas Support.

This issue was raised in the House of Commons on 15 March 2021 and the Hansard transcript can be found at the following link: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2021-03-15/debates/59D305EF-3A73-4668-959A897811D772DC/VeteransOverseas.