Consulate general

A consulate (or consular office) is a form of diplomatic mission in charge of matters related to individual people and businesses, in other words issues outside inter-governmental diplomacy. The head of a consulate is known as a consul.

Related Topics:
Diplomatic mission - Diplomacy

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A consulate general is headed by a senior consul known as a consul general, who typically has several consuls and vice consuls working under him/her. A country may open multiple consulates (and consulates general) in major economic centers to support their economic interests. Consulates are subordinate posts of their home country's embassy, which is located in the capital city of the host country. Embassies are established in international law under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations while honorary consulates, vice-consulates, consulates and consulates-general are established in international law under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (see external link below).

Related Topics:
Embassy - International law - Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations

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Activities of a consulate include protecting the interests of their citizens temporarily or permanently resident in the host country; issuing passports; issuing visas to foreigners; and public diplomacy. However, the principal role of a consulate lies historically in promoting trade - assisting companies to invest and to import and export goods and services both inwardly to their home country and outward to their host country. And although it is never admitted publicly, consulates, like embassies, also gather intelligence information from the assigned country. This is especially important if the consulate is located in a port city.

Related Topics:
Passport - Visa - Public diplomacy - Intelligence - Port

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In many countries the embassy and consulate-general are combined in one office or structure; however, an embassy implies official diplomatic relations between two countries while a consulate general does not. Between countries in the Commonwealth of Nations, both activities may be undertaken by a High Commission. The larger Commonwealth nations generally have consulates and consulates-general between one another, as is the case elsewhere. However, the senior envoys in these missions are usually known as Commissioners instead of consuls (general) but this is not always the case: for example, British consulates (general) in Canada, Australia and New Zealand are headed by consuls (general).

Related Topics:
Diplomatic - Commonwealth of Nations - High Commission - Commissioner

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Consulates-general need not be in the capital city, but instead in the most appropriate cities. In the United States, for example, many countries base their consul general in New York City.

Related Topics:
United States - New York City

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Consulate staff do not enjoy full diplomatic immunity at all times. Their immunity is limited to times when they are actively carrying out their duties.

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Some consuls are not career diplomats; some are locally-engaged staff (often nationals of the host country) and in smaller cities, or in cities that are very distant from full-time diplomatic missions, a foreign government may decide that some form of representation is nevertheless desirable, and may appoint a person who has not hitherto been part of their diplomatic service to fulfill this role. This person may well combine the job with their own (often commercial) private activities, in which case they are usually given the title of honorary consul. Many members of the public are not aware that honorary consuls are not full-time diplomats. Graham Greene used this position as the title of his 1973 novel The Honorary Consul.

Related Topics:
Graham Greene - The Honorary Consul

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