Honorary Consuls 

Australia has a network of Honorary Consuls in a variety of locations around the world.  This network assists in extending Australia's consular coverage globally in areas which are not within close proximity to our regular overseas missions.

Honorary Consuls are not Australian Government employees and are therefore only authorised to perform limited consular functions.  They are not usually collectors of public monies.

The role of Honorary Consuls 

The role of an Honorary Consul is to provide assistance and protection to Australian citizens in consultation with a supervising Australian mission.

Part of an Honorary Consul's role is to maintain contact with the Australian community in their area of responsibility.  They also assist with passport and immigration/visa matters, as well as fostering trade and investment.

Passport matters

An Honorary Consul may provide passport application forms to the public on behalf of the supervising mission.  Where accredited to do so, an Honorary Consul may interview passport applicants and forward completed documentation to the supervising mission.

Some accredited Honorary Consuls may, with the specific approval of the supervising mission, issue  Provisional Travel Documents (PTD).  The supervising mission must give specific approval for each PTD.  A PTD may only be issued to Australian citizens who have an urgent need to depart the country.  To be eligible for a PTD, you must be able to satisfy the requirements of Australian citizenship and identity.  A PTD is designed to facilitate travel for an Australian citizen to the nearest Australian mission where an Australian passport may be issued.

The supervising Australian mission is responsible for training and monitoring the performance of accredited staff.  Accreditation is reviewed annually. 

If you have any questions on what services Honorary Consuls can or cannot provide, please contact the supervising Australian  diplomatic or consular mission for advice.