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A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries.
A consul is generally part of a government's diplomatic corps or foreign service, and thus enjoys certain privileges and protections in the host state, albeit without full diplomatic immunity. Unlike an ambassador, who serves as the single representative of one government to another, a state may appoint several consuls in a foreign nation, typically in major cities; consuls are usually tasked with providing assistance in bureaucratic issues to both citizens of their own country traveling or living abroad and to the citizens of the country in which the consul resides who wish to travel to or trade with the consul's country.
The consolat de mar was an institution established under the reign of Peter IV of Aragon in the fourteenth century, and spread to 47 locations throughout the Mediterranean. It was primarily a judicial body, administering Maritime law and commercial law as lex mercatoria. Although the consolat de mar was established by the Cortes of Aragon, the consuls were independent from the King. This distinction between consular and diplomatic functions remains (at least formally) to this day. Modern consuls retain limited judicial powers to settle disputes on ships from their country (notably regarding the payment of wages to sailors).
The consulado de mercaderes was set up in 1543 in Seville as a merchant guild to control trade with Latin America. As such, it had branches in the principal cities of the Spanish colonies.
The connection of "consul" with trade and commercial law is retained in French. In Francophone countries, a juge consulaire (consular judge) is a non-professional judge elected by the chamber of commerce to settle commercial disputes in the first instance (in France, sitting in panels of three; in Belgium, in conjunction with a professional magistrate).
A consul general (CG) (plural: consuls general) is an official who heads a consulate general and is a consul of the highest rank serving at a particular location. A consul general may also be responsible for consular districts which contain other, subordinate consular offices within a country. The consul general serves as a representative of their state in the country where they are located, although ultimate jurisdiction over the right to speak on behalf of a home country within another country belongs to the single ambassador.
Another definition is the leader of the consular section of an embassy. This consul general is a diplomat and a member of the ambassador's country team.
Activities of a consulate include protecting the interests of their citizens temporarily or permanently residing in the host country, issuing ; issuing visas to foreigners, and public diplomacy. Although it is not admitted publicly, consulates, like embassies, may also gather intelligence information from the assigned country.
Consulates are more numerous than diplomatic missions, such as Embassy. Ambassadors are posted only in a foreign nation's capital (but exceptionally outside the country, as in the case of a multiple mandate, e.g., a minor power may accredit a single ambassador with several neighbouring states of modest relative importance that are not considered important allies).
Consuls are posted in a nation's capital, and in other cities throughout that country, especially centres of economic activity and cities with large populations of . 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 other major cities.
Consulates are subordinate posts of their home country's diplomatic mission (typically an embassy, 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. Formally, at least within the US system, the consular career (ranking in descending order: consul-general, consul, vice-consul, honorary consul) forms a different hierarchy from the diplomats in the strict sense. However, it is common 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.
Between Commonwealth countries, both diplomatic and consular activities may be undertaken by a High Commission in the capital, although larger Commonwealth nations generally also have consulates and consulates-general in major cities. For example, Toronto, Sydney and Auckland are of greater economic importance than their respective national capitals, hence the need for consulates there.
[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19820818&id=ToZWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ueYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2063,5976865 Australian Commission Office Requirements],
''Sydney Morning Herald'',
18 August 1982
New Zealand, India, Malaysia, and Singapore Singapore Lure Stirs Crowds In Hong Kong, Chicago Tribune, 12 July 1989 were known as commissions. After the transfer of sovereignty to China in 1997, they were renamed consulates-general, ABOUT THE CONSULATE-GENERAL with the last commissioner becoming consul-general. In the swing of things , Embassy Magazine, September 2010 However, the Australian commission had been renamed the consulate-general in 1986.
Owing to Hong Kong's status as a special administrative region of China, some countries' consulates-general in Hong Kong report directly to their respective foreign ministry, rather than to their embassies in Beijing, such as those of Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. Christopher J. Marut Appointed as Director of the Taipei Office of the American Institute in Taiwan, American Institute in Taiwan, 8 May 2012
Such hosting and appointing varies from nation to nation, with some doing both, one or the other, or neither. The transparency also varies, with some nation-states not even including such information on the websites of their foreign ministries. Furthermore, some do not use the honorary consul system at all.
The United States of America limits whom it will recognise as honorary consuls and grants only some limited rights. In some cases "accused terror financiers, arms traffickers and drug runners" have misused their position as honorary consuls.
Despite their other roles, honorary consular officers (in the widest use of the term) in some instances also have responsibility for the welfare of citizens of the appointing country within their bailiwick. For example, the Embassy of Finland states that the tasks of Finland's Honorary Consulate include monitoring the rights of Finns and permanent residents of Finland residing in the area in which the consulate is located, providing advice and guidance for distressed Finnish citizens and permanent residents traveling abroad to that area, and assisting them in their contacts with local authorities or the nearest Finnish embassy or consulate. Certain types of notarized certificates can be acquired through an honorary consul. Together with diplomatic missions, an honorary consul promotes economic and cultural relations between Finland and the country in question and takes part in strengthening Finland's image abroad. An honorary consul can advise Finnish companies, for instance, in obtaining information about local business culture and in finding cooperation partners. Over the years, Honorary Consulates have assumed growing importance particularly for Low and Middle Income Countries and for countries looking at cutting costs and has emerged as a powerful diplomatic pillar of strength.
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