Utah Consular Corps

The Utah Consular Corps was founded in 2001. Its members are career or honorary Consuls General, Consuls, or Vice Consuls appointed by the Heads of State of their respective countries and duly accredited by the United States Government. Consular officers are either members of a country's foreign service or are local residents who are appointed by the foreign government to perform consular duties. All consuls must then be formally accepted by the U.S. Department of State which issues an execuatur allowing them to act in their official capacity in the United States.

Consular officers have two primary responsibilities:

1) To officially develop economic, commercial, scientific and cultural relations between the country they represent and the area in which they serve. Increasingly this means promoting commerce - trade, technology-transfer and investment - both ways. Consulates facilitate scientific, academic, cultural, business and professional exchange. They make arrangements for official visits in both directions. Consulates are a source of information on the country they represent: the economy, the society, culture, and tourism.

2) To safeguard the interests of the sending country and its citizens traveling or resident in their consular district. Traditionally these include issuing passports and other official documents (and visas for others to visit their country), helping travelers in distress, signing death certificates, legalizing or delivering official documents, and assisting travelers who have trouble with local law enforcement or immigration authorities.