Saudi Diplomats Top List for Unpaid Fines in Hammersmith & Fulham
Foreign embassies have not paid £80,000 over last two years
Saudi diplomats picked up nearly £10,000 worth of fines last year
May 27, 2025
Foreign embassies owe a Hammersmith & Fulham Council more than £80,000 in fines accrued over the last two years.
In response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, the borough of revealed the tens of thousands owed by drivers of a diplomatic mission.
These are understood to largely come from parking fines, with Iraq and Saudi Arabia the two biggest culprits for 2023/24 and 2024/25.
Both embassies were approached for comment, but neither had responded at the time of publication.
According to the FoI response, requested by a member of the public, the council is owed £43,345 in unpaid fines for 2023/24 and £40,205 for 2024/25.
Last year the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia was listed as owing the most with £9,370 from 148 tickets. The Embassy of the Republic of Iraq was second with £3,810.
The two had traded places from the previous year, when the Iraq recorded £7,530 in unpaid fines to Saudi Arabia’s £5,865.
| Fines Issued to Diplomatic Vehicles in H&F in 2024/25 | ||
|---|---|---|
Diplomatic Mission |
No. of Tickets Outstanding |
Amount Outstanding |
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia |
148 |
£9,370 |
Embassy of the Republic of Iraq |
59 |
£3,810 |
High Commission for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan |
42 |
£2,730 |
Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco |
40 |
£2,600 |
Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman |
34 |
£2,250 |
Embassy of Libya |
26 |
£1,755 |
Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan |
17 |
£1,080 |
Embassy of Romania |
17 |
£1,055 |
Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia |
15 |
£975 |
Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan |
15 |
£975 |
The FoI response stated the council does not write off fines issued to drivers/vehicles of a diplomatic mission.
The Iraqi Embassy is in neighbouring Kensington and Chelsea, near the Royal Albert Hall, while the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia is in Mayfair.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council was approached for comment.
Last year it was reported diplomats owed more than £143 million to TfL for unpaid congestion charges.
The US Embassy owed the most, at almost £14m, followed by the Embassy of Japan with just over £10m.
Ben Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter
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