Resources for International Moves

International Moves

The diplomatic services in your home country and in your new destination are critical resources of information for professionals and their families who are on an international assignment. Generally, the consulate will offer more immediate services rather than an embassy. Important distinctions exist between the two.

Consulates

A country may have multiple consulates to assist you. In addition to the capital city, consulates may be established in large cities or commercially important regions. A consulate’s primary objective is to offer services for traveling or resident nationals from their home country. These services include:

• Replacing lost or stolen passports
• Renewing passports
• Providing aid in obtaining legal or medical assistance
• Assisting with tax returns and absentee voting
• Registering births to nationals abroad
• Making arrangements in the event of death
• Notarizing documents
• Certifying marriages and divorces abroad
• Arranging for evacuations or assistance during emergencies

Some consulates will have a community liaison officer (CLO) who works with nationals residing in the country. The CLO can be a very useful person to get to know.

There are some services that consulates do not provide:

• Travel, employment, legal or interpreting services
• They cannot get a national out of jail for violating the laws of the country

Embassies

Embassies are the official diplomatic representation or mission of one country to another. The head is typically an ambassador who personally represents the head of state of the home country to the host country. They are responsible for government-to-government relations, and the do not perform any assistance to nationals from their home country who are residing and working in the host country. Typically, a country will have only one embassy located in the capital city.

Your Global Van Lines Personal Concierge can help you with locating the resources you need to make a successful and exciting transition to living and working in a whole new country.