We very much welcome visits from overseas Masons who are planning to come to the UK. However, we are bound by strict Masonic rules, which state that direct communications with any overseas Mason is a breach of Masonic protocol unless the Brother is in the UK when the contact is made.
Therefore, if we receive a direct communication from a foreign constitution Mason from outside of the UK, we are not allowed to reply to it. In the first instance, we are required to forward the communication to the Metropolitan Grand Lodge office, who then liaise with the Grand Chancellor’s office at United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), who in turn will respond on our behalf through the correct channels to regularise the contact.
So if you make direct contact with us while you are still outside of the UK, and we don’t reply, please do not think we are being rude, we are just following the rules. We will have followed our protocol and forwarded your contact to the Met Grand Lodge office to ask UGLE to contact your Grand Lodge.
For example, if you are a 2nd Dan Black Belt in Karate and you have emailed us about a visit in October 2026, but heard nothing back from us, it is probably just the case that we are waiting to hear back from the Grand East of the Netherlands, for example.
Shotokan Karate Lodge 9752 