A reason sometimes given for not applying a section off the Mental Health Act 1983 to patients for the first time is that this may stigmatise them in some way. A practical example off stigmatisation is that patients who have previously been ‘sectioned’ may be refused tourist or immigration visas to other countries. Since no information on this subject is available in the psychiatric literature this paper attempts to clarify the policy of diplomatic missions in the UK in relation to visa applicants who report a history of mental illness and compulsory hospital treatment.