Consulate
This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2020) |
A consulate is the office of a
Consular rank
A consul of the highest rank is termed a consul-general and is appointed to a consulate-general. There are typically one or more deputy consuls-general, consuls, vice-consuls, and consular agents working under the consul-general. A country may appoint more than one consul-general to another nation.
Authority and activities
Consuls of various ranks may have specific legal authority for certain activities, such as notarizing documents. As such, diplomatic personnel with other responsibilities may receive consular letters patent (commissions). Aside from those outlined in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, there are few formal requirements outlining what a consular official must do. For example, for some countries, consular officials may be responsible for the issue of visas; other countries may limit "consular services" to providing assistance to compatriots, legalization of documents, etc. Nonetheless, consulates proper will be headed by consuls of various ranks, even if such officials have little or no connection with the more limited sense of consular service.
Activities of a consulate include protecting the interests of their citizens temporarily or permanently resident in the host country, issuing
Consular districts
A consular district is a sub-national region designated by a consular post to exercise consular functions in a host country.[1] A consular district is serviced by a consul or "consul-general" and is headquartered at a consulate or "consulate-general." It is a common utility for spreading diplomatic representation and services to regions of a host country beyond a guest country's embassy in the capital.
Role in diplomatic missions
Contrary to popular belief,[citation needed] many of the staff of consulates may be career diplomats, but they have limited forms of diplomatic immunity unless they are also accredited as such. Immunities and privileges for consuls and accredited staff of consulates (consular immunity) are generally limited to actions undertaken in their official capacity and, with respect to the consulate itself, to those required for official duties. In practice, the extension and application of consular privileges and immunities can differ widely from country to country.
Consulates are more numerous than other diplomatic missions, such as
Consuls are posted in a nation's capital, and in other cities throughout that country, especially centres of economic activity and cities where large populations of citizens from the consul's home country reside (expatriates). In the United States, for example, most countries have a consulate-general in New York City, (the home of the United Nations), and some have consulates-general in several major cities, such as Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, or San Francisco. Many countries have multiple consular offices in nations such as Germany, Russia, Canada, Brazil, and Australia.
Consulates are subordinate posts of their home country's diplomatic mission (typically an
Between
Hong Kong
When
Owing to Hong Kong's status as a
References
- ^ "Vienna Convention on Consular Relations" (PDF), United Nations, UN Office of Legal Affairs, p. 2, 1963, archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-13
- ^ 2 China Dissidents Granted Asylum, Fly to Vancouver Archived 29 July 2015 at Wikiwix, Los Angeles Times, 17 September 1992
- ^
Australian Commission Office Requirements,
Sydney Morning Herald, 18 August 1982
- New Zealand Herald, 27 March 2006
- ^ Indians in Limbo as 1997 Hand-over Date Draws Nearer Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Inter Press Service, 12 February 1996
- ^ Officials puzzled by Malaysian decision, New Straits Times, 3 July 1984
- ^ Singapore Lure Stirs Crowds In Hong Kong Archived 28 July 2015 at Wikiwix, Chicago Tribune, 12 July 1989
- ^ ABOUT THE CONSULATE-GENERAL Archived 8 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ In the swing of things Archived 23 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Embassy Magazine, September 2010
- ^ Australian Foreign Affairs Record, Volume 56, Issues 7–12, Australian Government Public Service, 1985, page 1153
- ^ Government of Canada, Foreign Affairs Trade and Development Canada. "Inspection reports". International.GC.ca. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- ^ Commons, The Committee Office, House of. "House of Commons – The UK's relations with Hong Kong: 30 years after the Joint Declaration – Foreign Affairs". Parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Christopher J. Marut Appointed as Director of the Taipei Office of the American Institute in Taiwan[permanent dead link], American Institute in Taiwan, 8 May 2012