Honorate Consul Worldwide


Honorary Consul

Honorary Consulate and Diplomatic Passport

A foreign government which feels that some form of representation in another country is desirable to complement the activities of its Embassy or Consulate may appoint a person who has not hitherto been part of their diplomatic service to fulfill this role. Honorary Consul may combine the position with his own commercial and business activities, and in some instances may not even be a citizen of the sending country. Such consular appointments are usually given the title of Honorary Consul. These Honorary Consuls are not career officials of the represented state. Some of them are locally-engaged staff with the nationality of the sending country, and in smaller cities, or in cities that are very distant from full-time diplomatic missions.
Notwithstanding their other roles, Honorary Consular Officers (in the widest use of the term) also have responsibility for the protection of citizens of the appointing country within their Consular District. Thus, particularly within a port town, an Honorary Consul may be called out (at any time, day or night) to attend to the well-being of a citizen of the appointing country who has been arrested. Their role of Honorary Consuls in this situation is to ensure that the arrested persons are treated in a like manner as would be the citizen of the country in which this person was arrested, and understand their rights and obligations.

Tasks and Duties of Honorary Consuls
Main tasks of Honorary Consuls include the enhancement of bilateral relations in trade, economy, culture and science between the sending country and the country of your citizenship or permanent residence. The Honorary Consulate helps with the economic and trade cooperation and with the expansion of business from the country of citizenship in the country of representation. Another important task is the support of the development of the international relations, the representation and perception of the interests of the country you represent, and give assistance and consular protection for country of representation citizens and institutions. The Honorary Consulate supports the work of the Embassy of the country of representation and informs the sending country on the economic, political, cultural, and social life of the country of citizenship or permanent residence of the Honorary Consul. As an Honorary Consul, it is also your task to contribute to the traditionally friendly and multilateral relations between the countries and their people, and to represent the interests of the sending country and its citizens. In these strivings, you can always count with the support of the Embassy of the country of representation and its Consulates.

Benefits, Advantages, and Privileges
Honorary Consul may expect many benefits and privileges that they are difficult to list. One can travel through diplomatic channels as a VIP-person, often without visas. Volvo and some other brands are giving big discounts for diplomatic persons. The donations involved with diplomatic appointments are much smaller than the yearly-long discounts one can get. Some applicants use diplomatic passport to set up a nice trade with good profits for both ends. An appointment as the Honorary Consul of a foreign country is a source of considerable social prestige among the city’s elite. Your mansion can bear the represented country’s coat of arms.

Privileges could include

  • Opportunity to meet government officials and be involved in diplomatic circles.
  • Diplomatic Immunity – under International Law (with some limitations).
  • No tax liability on any income arising from consular activities.
  • Usage of Diplomatic channels at airports, no time delaying and annoying customs checks.
  • Unlimited entry and exit privileges from host country for business and personal travel.
  • Opportunity to use some of the advantages for business purposes that will increase your social status.
  • Free Diplomatic vehicle license plates (Special color of the plate).
  • Other advantages.

Eligibility Criteria
Honorary Consul Appointments are for reputable and respected persons, generally for high net worth individuals with a valuable network of connections in local business community. Honorary Consul must be able to offer the sending country benefits in return for their appointment.
If you meet with the conditions of the sending country it normally sends a Diplomatic Note with offer to appoint an Honorary Consul. Then if you meet with the conditions of your country of citizenship, the Foreign Affairs Ministry of your country can agree or refuse on a consular representation in your city and give you the Exequatur to confirm your status of an Honorary Consul. At the same time the sending state gives you Consular Commission (or Consular Patent) and Consular Corps ID-card. If accredited by the Foreign Affairs Ministry in your country of citizenship or permanent residence, the Honorary Consulate of the country you represent will be headed and led by you. It will be a ticket for a new life.
We have some direct contact with several Governments that could be interested in appointing Honorary Consuls should the appropriate candidate appear. The legal assistance fee will be negotiated individually with candidates who send their CV. In case you are interested, please, send us your CV for consideration.

Legal Basis for Honorary Consul Appointment
Extract from Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963 (Done at Vienna on 24 April 1963. Entered into force on 19 March 1967):
CHAPTER III
REGIME RELATING TO HONORARY CONSULAR OFFICERS AND CONSULAR POSTS HEADED BY SUCH OFFICERS

 Article 58
General provisions relating to facilities, privileges and immunities

  1. Articles 28, 29, 30, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 and 39, paragraph 3 of article 54 and paragraphs 2 and 3 of article 55 shall apply to consular posts headed by an honorary consular officer. In addition, the facilities, privileges and immunities of such consular posts shall be governed by articles 59, 60, 61 and 62.
  2. Articles 42 and 43, paragraph 3 of article 44, articles 45 and 53 and paragraph 1 of article 55 shall apply to honorary consular officers. In addition, the facilities, privileges and immunities of such consular officers shall be governed by articles 63, 64, 65, 66 and 67.
  3. Privileges and immunities provided in the present Convention shall not be accorded to members of the family of an honorary consular officer or of a consular employee employed at a consular post headed by an honorary consular officer.
  4. The exchange of consular bags between two consular posts headed by honorary consular officers in different States shall not be allowed without the consent of the two receiving States concerned.

Article 59
Protection of the consular premises
The receiving State shall take such steps as may be necessary to protect the consular premises of a consular post headed by an honorary consular officer against any intrusion or damage and to prevent any disturbance of the peace of the consular post or impairment of its dignity.

Article 60
Exemption from taxation of consular premises

  1. Consular premises of a consular post headed by an honorary consular officer of which the sending State is the owner or lessee shall be exempt from all national, regional or municipal dues and taxes whatsoever, other than such as represent payment for specific services rendered.
  2. The exemption from taxation referred to in paragraph l of this article shall not apply to such dues and taxes if, under the laws and regulations of the receiving State, they are payable by the person who contracted with the sending State.

Article 61
Inviolability of consular archives and documents
The consular archives and documents of a consular post headed by an honorary consular officer shall be inviolable at all times and wherever they may be, provided that they are kept separate from other papers and documents and, in particular, from the private correspondence of the head of a consular post and of any person working with him, and from the materials, books or documents relating to their profession or trade.

Article 62
Exemption from customs duties
The receiving State shall, in accordance with such laws and regulations as it may adopt, permit
entry of, and grant exemption from all customs duties, taxes, and related charges other than charges for storage, cartage and similar services on the following articles, provided that they are for the official use of a consular post headed by an honorary consular officer: coats-of-arms, flags, signboards, seals and stamps, books, official printed matter, office furniture, office equipment and similar articles supplied by or at the instance of the sending State to the consular post.

 Article 63
Criminal proceedings
If criminal proceedings are instituted against an honorary consular officer, he must appear before the competent authorities. Nevertheless, the proceedings shall be conducted with the respect due to him by reason of his official position and, except when he is under arrest or detention, in a manner which will hamper the exercise of consular functions as little as possible. When it has become necessary to detain an honorary consular officer, the proceedings against him shall be instituted with the minimum of delay.

Article 64
Protection of honorary consular officers
The receiving State is under a duty to accord to an honorary consular officer such protection as may be required by reason of his official position.

Article 65
Exemption from registration of aliens and residence permits
Honorary consular officers, with the exception of those who carry on for personal profit any professional or commercial activity in the receiving State, shall be exempt from all obligations under the laws and regulations of the receiving State in regard to the registration of aliens and residence permits.

Article 66
Exemption from taxation
An honorary consular officer shall be exempt from all dues and taxes on the remuneration and emoluments which he receives from the sending State in respect of the exercise of consular functions.

Article 67
Exemption from personal services and contributions
The receiving State shall exempt honorary consular officers from all personal services and from all public services of any kind whatsoever and from military obligations such as those connected with requisitioning, military contributions and billeting.

Article 68
Optional character of the institution of honorary consular officers
Each State is free to decide whether it will appoint or receive honorary consular officers.
We have some direct contact with several Governments that could be interested in appointing Honorary Consuls should the appropriate candidate appear. In case you are interested, please, send us your CV for consideration. Also note that an appointment is normally possible only if you reside in a strategically (from the point of view of deepening international cooperation) important locations (cities). Please, do not send us queries or CV if are not really going to serve or if you want to purchase some privileges. We do not deal with cases of this nature.

If we attend your interest, please conact us!