Consular Offices in Florida

Consulates are a type of foreign diplomatic mission, and the activities of consulates may be different from country to country. For example, for some countries, consular officials may be responsible for the issue of passports or visas; other countries may limit their consulates to providing assistance to compatriots, legalization of documents, public diplomacy, etc. The central role of many consulates is to promote trade between the country they represent and the host nation.

Florida is home to one of the largest consular corps in the United States. The majority of consular offices centered in the Miami/South Florida area, but others may also be found in other cities around Florida. Pursuant to Article 68 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR), the United States receives honorary consular officers. The Department of State’s Office of Foreign Missions (OFM) holds the authority and responsibility for approving the establishment of consular posts in the United States, including those headed by honorary consular officers, as well as the appointment of honorary consular officers. ^[1]

A consul is an official appointed by a government to live in a foreign city and protect and promote that government's citizens and interests there. An honorary consul is a person who performs limited consular functions. Unlike career consular officers or ambassadors, honorary consuls are American citizens or permanent resident aliens who have been officially accredited by the U.S. Department of State to perform limited consular services such as fostering business relationships and hosting cultural education. Consuls general are typically able to provide more services than honorary consuls. Contact your country’s consular offices for more information on their services.