When You Need the Consulate in Istanbul

The Consulate is a unit of your country’s Embassy. The Embassy is responsible for the political and diplomatic relations between your country and that in which it’s located. Consulates exist to support  the citizens of the countries they represent. So the Consulate is a representative of your country which you can contact for advice and support while in Turkey.

When researching your Consulate you may come across the term “Honorary Consul”. Honorary Consuls do not officially do the work of Consulates, but are volunteers, often businessmen with very good connections with the country that they represent.

1. What Does the Consulate Do?

Firstly the Consulate protects your rights. It also acts as a notary public and examines these treaties where necessary for commercial enterprises or similar.

In practice, the borders of the Consulate are the borders of your own country. They have immunity, and as soon as you enter the grounds of your country’s Consulate, you are now officially in your own country.

2. When An Unexpected Event Occurs Globally

You can contact your country’s Consulate and ask for information about your rights in the event of a terrorist attack or other problem anywhere in the world. The Consulate will allow you to communicate with people in your own country or allow them to contact you in such an emergency.

3. If You Lose Your Passport

You should contact your country’s Consulate. The Consulate can help you to obtain a new passport or travel documents depending on the conditions of your country and the length of your stay in the country you’re visiting.

4. Arrest issue

If you’re arrested outside your own country, you should call your Consulate. The Consulate does not have the authority to get you out of jail directly, but it can provide you with a list of available lawyers and give you suitable advice about your situation. The Consulates of some countries provide information to the detainee’s family and friends in their home country and some reach the arrested citizen within 24 hours to inform them about their rights.

5. Get married

If you wish to get married abroad, the Consulate will inform you about the procedures. You can obtain detailed information by contacting your Consulate. It’s important to remember that Consulates work like the notaries of the country you live in, but may not be the same as the notary of the country you are visiting.

6. Living Abroad

If you are planning to spend a long time in a foreign country, you can ask the Consulate to give you detailed information. It’s a good idea to have information about health care, education, employment, laws, work and necessary legal documentation in the country you’re travelling to. Depending on your country of residence, the Consulates might provide detailed information about medicines, social ethics and traditions and customs you may need to be aware of. In addition, you can get information about matters such as property acquisition.

7. Consular Information

Before you leave, it’s important to know where your Consulate is located in the country that you’re visiting and make a note of the address, phone number and any other contact details. Consulate websites usually provide detailed information about how to contact them and how they can help you along with other advice for travellers. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to email or call them. On the website you’ll also find a list of lawyers or other employees available to you in your country of destination. However, these lists do not contain legal advice

British Consular

French Consular

German Consular

Holland Consular

Iran Consular

US Consular