Consular assistance is help and advice provided by the diplomatic agents of a country to citizens of that country who are living or traveling overseas. The diplomats may be honorary

consuls A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

, or members of the country's

diplomatic service Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtains diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to o ...

. Such assistance may take the form of: * provision of replacement

travel document A travel document is an identity document issued by a government or international entity pursuant to international agreements to enable individuals to clear border control measures. Travel documents usually assure other governments that the be ...

s * advice and support in the case of an accident, serious illness, or death * advice and support to victims of serious crime overseas, and arranging for

next-of-kin A person's next of kin (NOK) are that person's closest living blood relatives. Some countries, such as the United States, have a legal definition of "next of kin". In other countries, such as the United Kingdom, "next of kin" may have no legal d ...

to be informed * visitation contact with incarcerated nationals * liaison with local police officials in the case of nationals abducted or missing overseas * loans to distressed travellers * help during crises, such as

civil unrest Civil disorder, also known as civil disturbance, civil unrest, or social unrest is a situation arising from a mass act of civil disobedience (such as a demonstration, riot, strike, or unlawful assembly) in which law enforcement has difficulty ...

and natural disasters * facilitating the overseas payment of

social welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

benefits * registering

citizen Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

births abroad * providing a list of local doctors and lawyers for medical and/or legal issues * supervising their flag vessels in foreign harbours Such assistance commonly does not extend to: * storing luggage or valuables * intervening in commercial disputes on behalf of their nationals * providing travel agency, banking, or postal services * money changing * translation and interpreting services * legal advice or advocacy * negotiation of special treatment, bail, or early release from prison * criminal investigation * employment services

Vienna Convention on Consular Relations

At Article 5, the

Vienna Convention on Consular Relations en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

gives the most broad, detailed, and internationally accepted definition of 'consular functions':Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1973] ATS 7)

References

{{Diplomacy Consular affairs Passports

Vienna Convention on Consular Relations

See also

References