Distinctions between Embassy, High Commission and Consulate

Distinctions between Embassy, High Commission and Consulate

Frequent questions related to Embassy and High Commission have been reaching us lately, as some asked us if an Embassy is similar to High Commission or not. So, we decided to explain the distinctions/differences between the two and also what Consulate is.

Embassy

An embassy is a permanent diplomatic mission which is generally located in a country’s capital city. For instance, the Nigeria Embassy in USA is in Washington, the United States Embassy in Canada is located in Ottawa, Ontario.

Although, there are some exceptions. That is, some country’s embassy may not necessarily be in the capital of the country. This could be due to some national issues which may lead to other countries recognizing the capital city of one country as its official capital city.

An embassy is responsible for representing the home country in another country and is responsible for handling major diplomatic issues as well as preserving the rights of its citizens abroad.

High Commission

A high commission is an embassy of one Commonwealth country in another commonwealth country. The high commission is in charge of the diplomatic missions of one Commonwealth government to another.

The work of the Nigeria High Commission is to co-ordinate, promote and protect the national interests of Nigeria within the United Kingdom in ways that contribute to the enhancement of Nigeria’s security and socio-economic prosperity.

Difference between an Embassy and a High commission

Embassies are diplomatic missions sent to non-Commonwealth countries. The head of missions at the embassy is called ‘Ambassador’.

On the other hand, High Commissions are diplomatic missions which a commonwealth country sends to other Commonwealth countries. In the Commonwealth of Nations, the ‘High Commissioner’ is the head and senior diplomat in charge of the high commission.

Generally, an Embassy is a diplomatic mission located in the capital city of another country which offers consular services. They also offer other kinds of services. While a High Commission is an embassy of a Commonwealth country located in another Commonwealth country.

In order words, if the two countries in the context are not commonwealth countries, the mission would be termed as an Embassy. Also, Canada being a Commonwealth country has a High Commission in Nigeria, another commonwealth country, not an embassy.

Consulate

A consulate is a smaller version of an embassy and is usually located in the larger tourist cities of a country, not necessarily the capital.

Difference between an Embassy and a Consulate

A consulate, as defined above is a smaller version of an embassy and is not usually located in the capital city of the country. The head of the consulate is the Consul. That is, an Embassy is the larger representation, while the consulate is only a smaller version of the Embassy. But both the Embassy and Consulate refer to Government representation in a foreign country.

Consulates handle minor diplomatic issues such as issuing visas, assisting in trade relationships, and taking care of migrants and tourists. Each country often have only one Embassy in usually the capital city, and have a lot of Consulates in the cities of the country.

 For Instance, In Germany the U.S consulates are in cities such as Hamburg, Frankfurt, and Munich, but not in the capital city of Berlin. The embassy is located in Berlin.