embassy v consulate

[mi_illusion_st 0]

Do you have to go thru the Embassy or can you go thru the consulate?

[thai2luv 0]

In most cases, I believe the "consulate" is located within the "embassy".

The consulate handles services for it's citizens and expats, such as K visas.

[Peter Miami 0]

In some countries the Embassy handles the visas and other countries the Consulate handle the visas.

Peter Miami

[wally 0]

if you're going through Montreal, it's the consulate

[meauxna 15]

In some countries the Embassy handles the visas and other countries the Consulate handle the visas.

Peter Miami

Peter, can you tell me an Embassy that issues visas?

I think you'll find that it is always Consulates, but there is also the American Intrests/Taiwan, and the Cuban place.. so I'm just curious if you know of an Embassy without Consulate where visas are handled.

[scy 0]

In some countries the Embassy handles the visas and other countries the Consulate handle the visas.

Peter Miami

Peter, can you tell me an Embassy that issues visas?

I think you'll find that it is always Consulates, but there is also the American Intrests/Taiwan, and the Cuban place.. so I'm just curious if you know of an Embassy without Consulate where visas are handled.

It is not always the consulates. Consulate is an all emcompassing term that applies to a post that is not located in a capital and where the US have diplomatic contact. A consulate consists of polical sections, economic sections, refugee sections, etc... Visas are issued by consular sections of posts. Posts might be embassies, consulates, interest sections, etc... So an embassy post might not have a consular section. I don't think there is a consulate that does not have a consular section.

When London issues a visa, it is issued by the consular section of the Embassy of the US, London, not by the Consulate General of United States, London.

But for clarity purposes, people call consular sections consulates, when they are not.

The Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) assists American citizens traveling or living abroad and issues visas to foreign nationals who wish to visit or reside in the United States. The Bureau's domestic passport agencies and U.S. consular sections overseas issue about 7.5 million passports each year. Annually, the Office of Overseas Citizens Services monitors the cases of an estimated 2,600 Americans arrested in other countries, responds to 21,000 welfare and whereabouts inquiries, repatriates about 1,000 U.S. citizens, assists about 3,000 returnees with family/friend prepaid trust funds, assists in the cases of some 6,000 Americans who die abroad, and deals with crises -- such as hostage-taking, mass casualty situations, and natural disasters. The Bureau also issues Consular Information Sheets, Travel Warnings, and Public Announcements that provide important information to American citizens considering foreign travel.

[desert_fox 32]

In some countries the Embassy handles the visas and other countries the Consulate handle the visas.

Peter Miami

Peter, can you tell me an Embassy that issues visas?

I think you'll find that it is always Consulates, but there is also the American Intrests/Taiwan, and the Cuban place.. so I'm just curious if you know of an Embassy without Consulate where visas are handled.

It is not always the consulates. Consulate is an all emcompassing term that applies to a post that is not located in a capital and where the US have diplomatic contact. A consulate consists of polical sections, economic sections, refugee sections, etc... Visas are issued by consular sections of posts. Posts might be embassies, consulates, interest sections, etc... So an embassy post might not have a consular section. I don't think there is a consulate that does not have a consular section.

When London issues a visa, it is issued by the consular section of the Embassy of the US, London, not by the Consulate General of United States, London.

But for clarity purposes, people call consular sections consulates, when they are not.

The Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) assists American citizens traveling or living abroad and issues visas to foreign nationals who wish to visit or reside in the United States. The Bureau's domestic passport agencies and U.S. consular sections overseas issue about 7.5 million passports each year. Annually, the Office of Overseas Citizens Services monitors the cases of an estimated 2,600 Americans arrested in other countries, responds to 21,000 welfare and whereabouts inquiries, repatriates about 1,000 U.S. citizens, assists about 3,000 returnees with family/friend prepaid trust funds, assists in the cases of some 6,000 Americans who die abroad, and deals with crises -- such as hostage-taking, mass casualty situations, and natural disasters. The Bureau also issues Consular Information Sheets, Travel Warnings, and Public Announcements that provide important information to American citizens considering foreign travel.

Strange reply/////the Counselor Section of the Embassy is the Consulate General. All Embassys have a Counsulate section as part of the entire Embassy staff. They will also open offices all over the country if warranted to handle US Citiaen issues and to provide visas to qualified applicants.

[scy 0]

In some countries the Embassy handles the visas and other countries the Consulate handle the visas.

Peter Miami

Peter, can you tell me an Embassy that issues visas?

I think you'll find that it is always Consulates, but there is also the American Intrests/Taiwan, and the Cuban place.. so I'm just curious if you know of an Embassy without Consulate where visas are handled.

It is not always the consulates. Consulate is an all emcompassing term that applies to a post that is not located in a capital and where the US have diplomatic contact. A consulate consists of polical sections, economic sections, refugee sections, etc... Visas are issued by consular sections of posts. Posts might be embassies, consulates, interest sections, etc... So an embassy post might not have a consular section. I don't think there is a consulate that does not have a consular section.

When London issues a visa, it is issued by the consular section of the Embassy of the US, London, not by the Consulate General of United States, London.

But for clarity purposes, people call consular sections consulates, when they are not.

The Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) assists American citizens traveling or living abroad and issues visas to foreign nationals who wish to visit or reside in the United States. The Bureau's domestic passport agencies and U.S. consular sections overseas issue about 7.5 million passports each year. Annually, the Office of Overseas Citizens Services monitors the cases of an estimated 2,600 Americans arrested in other countries, responds to 21,000 welfare and whereabouts inquiries, repatriates about 1,000 U.S. citizens, assists about 3,000 returnees with family/friend prepaid trust funds, assists in the cases of some 6,000 Americans who die abroad, and deals with crises -- such as hostage-taking, mass casualty situations, and natural disasters. The Bureau also issues Consular Information Sheets, Travel Warnings, and Public Announcements that provide important information to American citizens considering foreign travel.

Strange reply/////the Counselor Section of the Embassy is the Consulate General. All Embassys have a Counsulate section as part of the entire Embassy staff. They will also open offices all over the country if warranted to handle US Citiaen issues and to provide visas to qualified applicants.

A consular section of an embassy is NOT a consulate general. A consulate general comprises of various sections, one of which is a consular section. Embassies have consular sections, just like consulates have consular sections. Most consular sections provide citizen services and issue visas. Some consular sections only provide citizen services and do not issue visas. Consulates do other things beside issue visas and provide citizen services.

Check the US Embassy, London website. Is there any part of it that is called United States Consulate General, London?

[meauxna 15]

Goodness, the things you learn....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consulate_general

In modern usage, a consul is a representative of a sovereign state, posted to a foreign territory, in charge of matters related to individual people and businesses, in other words issues outside inter-governmental diplomacy. The office of a consul is known as a consulate.

Consulates are more numerous than diplomatic missions (e.g. embassies), since the latter are posted only in a foreign nation's capital (exceptionally even outside the country, in case of a multiple mandate, e.g. a minor power may well accredit a single Ambassador with several neighbouring states of modest relative importance that are not considered important allies), while consular ones are also posted in various cities throughout the country, especially centres of economic activity, or wherever there is a significant population of its citizens (expatriates) in residence.

In large foreign cities a sovereign state may be represented by a senior consul known as a consul-general, who typically has several consuls and vice consuls working under him/her. The office of a consul-general is known as a consulate-general. 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.

Consulates are subordinate posts of their home country's diplomatic mission (usually an embassy), which is located in the capital city of the host country. Diplomatic missions are established in international law under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, while consulates-general and consulates are established in international law under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (see external link below). Formally the consular career (ranking in descending order: Consul-General, Consul, Vice-Consul, Honorary Consul) forms a different hierarchy from the diplomats. However it is not uncommon for individuals to be transferred from one hierarchy to the other, and for consular officials to serve in a capital carrying out strictly consular duties within the 'consular section' of a diplomatic post, e.g. within an embassy.

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.

[scy 0]

Goodness, the things you learn....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consulate_general

In modern usage, a consul is a representative of a sovereign state, posted to a foreign territory, in charge of matters related to individual people and businesses, in other words issues outside inter-governmental diplomacy. The office of a consul is known as a consulate.

Consulates are more numerous than diplomatic missions (e.g. embassies), since the latter are posted only in a foreign nation's capital (exceptionally even outside the country, in case of a multiple mandate, e.g. a minor power may well accredit a single Ambassador with several neighbouring states of modest relative importance that are not considered important allies), while consular ones are also posted in various cities throughout the country, especially centres of economic activity, or wherever there is a significant population of its citizens (expatriates) in residence.

In large foreign cities a sovereign state may be represented by a senior consul known as a consul-general, who typically has several consuls and vice consuls working under him/her. The office of a consul-general is known as a consulate-general. 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.

Consulates are subordinate posts of their home country's diplomatic mission (usually an embassy), which is located in the capital city of the host country. Diplomatic missions are established in international law under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, while consulates-general and consulates are established in international law under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (see external link below). Formally the consular career (ranking in descending order: Consul-General, Consul, Vice-Consul, Honorary Consul) forms a different hierarchy from the diplomats. However it is not uncommon for individuals to be transferred from one hierarchy to the other, and for consular officials to serve in a capital carrying out strictly consular duties within the 'consular section' of a diplomatic post, e.g. within an embassy.

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.

Ok, I agree with Wikipedia's entry on consulate. Your point was that only consulates issue visas, not embassies. I disagree. Issuing visa is done by consular sections within consulates and embassies. You haven't address my point with your post. The wiki entry only states the purposes of consulates. It doesn't say that all visas are issued by consulates. I agree that consulates issue visas because like I said before some consulates contain consular sections that issue visas others don't. But to say that only consulates issue visas is incorrect.

Consulates may issue visas, and do other things. I agree with that. But consulates do not necessarily contain consular sections to issue visas. One example is US Consulate General, Edinburgh.

You wanted someone to show you an embassy that issues visas. I did that with the London embassy. Nowhere on the London embassy's website does it say it s a consulate. But it can issue visas because it contains a consular section that issues visas. Some embassies do not issue visas at all just like some consulates do not issue visas.