The Diplomatic Service Compensation Allowance hardship allowance is based on scores supplied by an independent company, Employment Conditions Abroad (ECA). ECA score posts around the world in 16 different categories including personal security and socio-political tension, based on their own independent research and information derived from the annual location ranking survey completed by their member organisations. They reflect conditions for an average expatriate living in the city concerned. These scores are then re-weighted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (multiplied by 1.389) to reflect the additional security risk staff may face because of their higher profile as official Government representatives overseas.
In addition to ECA’s security score, our own security advisers award points based on their assessment of the security threat to British diplomats and their families from terrorism, hostile intelligence activity and political violence.
Each of the posts in the following table qualifies for DSCA hardship allowance. The list and the rates paid are revised annually. The accompanied rates are paid to an officer posted with their spouse/registered partner. Unaccompanied rates are paid to single officers or staff with a spouse/registered partner elsewhere. The rates are changed on 1 January every year.
Accompanied Unaccompanied Effective date Abidjan 8,919 4,460 1 January 2009 Abu Dhabi 1,517 759 1 January 2009 Abuja 14,804 7,402 1 January 2009 Accra 4,219 2,110 1 January 2009 Addis Ababa 8,919 4,460 1 January 2009 Al Khobar 7,957 3,979 1 January 2009 Alexandria 3,849 1,925 1 January 2009 Algiers 12,028 6,014 1 January 2009 Almaty 4,219 2,110 1 January 2009 Amman 2,221 1,110 1 January 2009 Ankara 3,849 1,925 1 January 2009 Ashgabat 6,144 3,072 1 January 2009 Asmara 8,438 4,219 1 January 2009 Astana 4,959 2,480 1 January 2009 Baghdad 0 27,683 1 January 2009 Bahrain 1,221 611 1 January 2009 Baku 3,479 1,739 1 January 2009 Bamako 6,144 3,072 1 January 2009 Bandar Seri Begawan 2,036 1,018 1 January 2009 Bangalore 4,959 2,480 1 January 2009 Bangkok 2,517 1,258 1 January 2009 Banja Luka 3,109 1,554 1 January 2009 Banjul 4,589 2,295 1 January 2009 Basra 0 27,683 1 January 2009 Beijing 2,813 1,406 1 January 2009 Beirut 5,329 2,665 1 January 2009 Belgrade 5,700 2,850 1 January 2009 Belmopan 4,589 2,295 1 January 2009 Bogota 7,032 3,516 1 January 2009 Brasilia 2,813 1,406 1 January 2009 Bucharest 925 463 1 January 2009 Buenos Aires 1,517 759 1 January 2009 Bujumbura 9,919 4,959 1 January 2009 Cairo 7,032 3,516 1 January 2009 Cape Town 2,221 1,110 1 January 2009 Caracas 5,700 2,850 1 January 2009 Casablanca 3,109 1,554 1 January 2009 Castries 1,517 759 1 January 2009 Chennai 6,144 3,072 1 January 2009 Chisinau 5,700 2,850 1 January 2009 Chongqing 6,144 3,072 1 January 2009 Co1ombo 8,919 4,460 1 January 2009 Conakry 9,401 4,700 1 January 2009 Dakar 5,700 2,850 1 January 2009 Damascus 6,144 3,072 1 January 2009 Dar es Salaam 6,588 3,294 1 January 2009 Dhaka 12,583 6,292 1 January 2009 Doha 1,517 759 1 January 2009. Dubai 1,369 685 1 January 2009 Durban 2,517 1,258 1 January 2009 Dushanbe 9,401 4,700 1 January 2009 Erbil 0 19,630 1 January 2009 Freetown 9,919 4,959 1 January 2009 Gaborone 1,221 611 1 January 2009 Georgetown 6,144 3,072 1 January 2009 Grand Turk 2,813 1,406 1 October 2008 Guangzhou 5,329 2,665 1 January 2009 Guatemala City 4,589 2,295 1 January 2009 Hanoi 4,589 2,295 1 January 2009 Harare 10,437 5,218 1 January 2009 Havana 4,589 2,295 1 January 2009 Ho Chi Minh City 5,700 2,850 1 January 2009 Honiara 7,957 3,979 1 January 2009 Islamabad 23,094 11,547 1 January 2009 Istanbul 2,221 1,110 1 January 2009 Jakarta 14804 7,402 1 January 2009 Jedda 7,032 3,516 1 January 2009 Jerusalem 3,849 1,925 1 January 2009 Johannesburg 1,851 925 1 January 2009 Juba 19,541 9,771 1 January 2009 Kabul 0 18,120 1 January 2009 Kampala 7,957 3,979 1 January 2009 Kandahar 0 18,831 1 January 2009 Karachi 26,647 13,324 1 January 2009 Kathmandu 7,476 3,738 1 January 2009 Khartoum 18,357 9,178 1 January 2009 Kiev 2,813 1,406 1 January 2009 Kigali 5,700 2,850 1 January 2009 Kingston 4,219 2,110 1 January 2009 Kinshasa 10,955 5,477 1 January 2009 Ko1kata 7,957 3,979 1 January 2009 Kuala Lumpur 2,517 1,258 1 January 2009 Kuwait 2,517 1,258 1 January 2009 La Paz 3,109 1,554 1 January 2009 Lagos 15,396 7,698 1 January 2009 Lashkar Gar 0 20,962 1 January 2009 Lilongwe 5,700 2,850 1 January 2009 Lima 4,219 2,110 1 January 2009 Luanda 9,919 4,959 1 January 2009 Lusaka 6,144 3,072 1 January 2009 Manila 9,919 4,959 1 January 2009 Maputo 8,438 4,219 1 January 2009 Mexico City 3,479 1,739 1 January 2009 Minsk 5,329 2,665 1 January 2009 Monrovia 12,583 6,292 1 January 2009 Monterrey 2,036 1,018 1 January 2009 Montserrat 2,036 1,018 1 January 2009 Moscow 5,700 2,850 1 January 2009 Mumbai 7,032 3,516 1 January 2009 Muscat 1,369 685 1 January 2009 Nairobi 8,919 4,460 1 January 2009 N’Djamena 8,919 4,460 1 January 2009 New Delhi 7,957 3,979 1 January 2009 Nouakchott 7,032 3,516 1 January 2009 Nuku’alofa 4,589 2,295 1 January 2009 Panama 1,221 611 1 January 2009 Phnom Penh 7,957 3,979 1 January 2009 Pitcairn 1,851 925 1 January 2009 Podgorica 1,517 759 1 January 2009 Port Louis 1,517 759 1 January 2009 Port Moresby 8,919 4,460 1 January 2009 Port of Spain 2,517 1,258 1 January 2009 Pretoria 2,036 1,018 1 January 2009 Pristina 3,849 1,925 1 January 2009 Pyongyang 10,955 5,477 1 January 2009 Quito 2,813 1,406 1 January 2009 Rabat 2,517 1,258 1 January 2009 Rangoon 12,028 6,014 1 January 2009 Rio de Janeiro 2,221 1,110 1 January 2009 Riyadh 7,476 3,738 1 January 2009 San Jose 1,851 925 1 January 2009 Sana’a 14,249 7,124 1 January 2009 Santiago 777 389 1 January 2009 Santo Domingo 3,479 1,739 1 January 2009 Sao Paulo 2,517 1,258 1 January 2009 Sarajevo 2,813 1,406 1 January 2009 Seoul 1,221 611 1 January 2009 Shanghai 2,517 1,258 1 January 2009 Skopje 777 389 1 January 2009 Sofia 1,851 925 1 January 2009 St. Helena 740 370 1 January 2009 St. Petersburg 4,959 2,480 1 January 2009 Suva 5,329 2,665 1 January 2009 Taipei 1,665 833 1 January 2009 Tashkent 8,438 4,219 1 January 2009 Tbilisi 7,032 3,516 1 January 2009 Tehran 12,028 6,014 1 January 2009 Tel Aviv 2,517 1,258 1 January 2009 Tirana 4,219 2,110 1 January 2009 Tripo1i 7,957 3,979 1 January 2009 Tristan da Cunha 925 463 1 January 2009 Tunis 1,221 611 1 January 2009 Ulaanbaatar 5,329 2,665 1 January 2009 Victoria 1,517 759 1 January 2009 Windhoek 1,369 685 1 January 2009 Yaounde 7,032 3,516 1 January 2009 Yekaterinburg 6,588 3,294 1 January 2009 Yerevan 3,479 1,739 1 January 2009