The Foreign Office has warned holidaymakers to be aware of foreign laws and customs to avoid problems on holiday; the advice applies equally to business travellers too.

Every year British nationals get caught out by local laws, the following important changes have been made in 2014, these include:

• Parents travelling to South Africa with children under 18 will have to have a birth certificate showing their name, and if travelling without one parent a sworn affidavit to say the trip is authorised. This comes into force on October 1
• Fines have been increased to AUS $500 for swearing publicly in parts of Australia
• E-Cigarettes are now banned from being brought into the United Arab Emirates
• Visitors to Turkey must have a valid passport for at least 60 days from expiry date of their visitor visa from January 2015.

According to new research from the FCO, less than half of holidaymakers make researching local rules and customs part of their preparations when visiting somewhere new.

Foreign Office minister Mark Simmonds said: “Laws and customs vary widely from country to country and visitors should respect them to avoid causing offence or even being arrested. Spending five minutes reading our travel advice may save travellers a lot of time in the long run.”

We (Global Travel Management) are more than happy to offer help and advice in this area; please do not hesitate to contact us.