Routes to a diplomatic passport
Which route leads you to a diplomatic passport?
Exceptional careers open up different routes into the service of a state. Discover the appointments that can put a diplomatic passport within your reach.
First the appointment, then the passport
The diplomatic passport begins with a decision
Perhaps you have already achieved a great deal in life.
Built a company. Forged international relationships. Got to know people others can only hope to reach.
But at some point a new question arises:
What if your success so far could lead to an official role for a state?
This is exactly where the route to a diplomatic passport begins.
A state issues this special document to the people it entrusts with a task.
That is why the route runs through a state appointment.
Which role is an option depends on your connection to the country, your professional experience and the interests of that state.
The decisive step is finding out where your personal strengths and a government's needs meet.
Which route, which passport
Not every appointment leads to the same passport
A diplomatic passport is a special goal. But states decide differently which role comes with which passport.
That is why the choice of appointment is decisive.
If your goal is the diplomatic passport, the question of its issue needs to be part of the planning from the start.
Because only the state's actual decision turns a possible role into your personal route to this document.
Special envoy and ambassador-at-large
Special envoy and ambassador-at-large: a personal mandate from the government
There are people whose influence and connections reach far beyond their professional work.
People who bring investors together. Who promote economic ties between countries. Who have access to international networks.
To a state, people like this can be of particular interest.
As special envoy or ambassador-at-large, you receive a mandate to represent its interests in a specific area.
- The roleA government or head of state entrusts you with a special task, for example in investment, international trade, tourism or relations with the diaspora. An ambassador-at-large represents the state without being posted to any one country.
- The appointmentIt is made in writing by the government or the head of state. Your mandate sets out your tasks, term and powers. Exactly how it is framed is for each state to decide.
- What it asks of youYou bring access to companies, investors or valuable international networks. You are prepared to travel in the state's interest, build contacts and conduct negotiations.
For the right person, a mandate like this can be a remarkable extension of their sphere of influence.
And it is this very route that is very often linked to a diplomatic passport.
Attaché
Attaché: your place in a diplomatic mission
Imagine your professional expertise catching the interest of a state's diplomatic mission.
Your knowledge of economics, trade, culture or communications becomes an official task.
You become part of a mission that shapes international relations.
As an attaché, you combine your professional expertise with a diplomatic role.
The role of attaché as a rule comes with a diplomatic passport, provided you belong to the mission's diplomatic staff.
Your expertise can lead you into a world that others only ever see from the outside.
| Diplomatic agent | A diplomatic agent is the head of the mission or a member of the diplomatic staff of the mission (Art. 1 VCDR). Source |
|---|---|
| Agrément | Before a head of mission is accredited, the agrément of the receiving state is required, and it is not obliged to give reasons for a refusal (Art. 4 VCDR). Source |
| Start of privileges | Only from taking up the post and notification as a member of the diplomatic staff of the mission. Source |
Honorary consul
Honorary consul: a state becomes part of your public life
Some appointments can shape your standing in a city or region for years to come.
Being appointed honorary consul is one of them.
A state decides that you are to represent it where you live or do business.
You become the point of contact for its citizens, a link to the regional economy and its official representative on special occasions.
Your name and your standing take on a new public dimension.
- The roleAs honorary consul, you represent a state in an honorary capacity in a city or region. You support its citizens, cultivate relations with business, culture and the authorities, and represent it at official events. You carry out this role alongside your existing career.
- The appointmentThe sending state issues you with a consular commission. The receiving state grants admission, known as the exequatur.
In Germany, this lies with the Protocol Department of the Federal Foreign Office, which looks after 463 honorary consular posts.
In Switzerland, the Federal Council grants the exequatur. There, only residents can be admitted, meaning Swiss nationals or holders of a C settlement permit.
What it asks of you: You run a consular office that people can reach, and you make time for citizens and official events.
If you are a national of the receiving state, its express consent is required (Article 22 VCCR).
Being appointed honorary consul is a special form of recognition by a state.
| Who appoints | The sending state appoints the head of a consular post; the receiving state admits them (Art. 10 VCCR). Source |
|---|---|
| Consular commission | The sending state issues a consular commission and transmits it through diplomatic channels (Art. 11 VCCR). Source |
| Exequatur | Admission is granted by the receiving state, which is not obliged to give reasons for a refusal (Art. 12 VCCR). Until then, provisional admission is possible (Art. 13 VCCR). Source |
| Optional character | Each state is free to decide whether it will appoint or receive honorary consuls (Art. 68 VCCR). Source |
| Admission in Germany | The Protocol Department of the Federal Foreign Office grants the exequatur for career and honorary consuls; it looks after 463 honorary consular posts in Germany. Source |
| Who serves as honorary consul in Germany | As a rule, German nationals or people permanently resident in Germany. Source |
| Admission in Switzerland | Only people resident in Switzerland: Swiss citizens or holders of a C settlement permit; Switzerland follows a restrictive policy, and the exequatur is granted by the Federal Council. Source |
Benefits as honorary consul →Requirements for the diplomatic passport →
Government adviser
Government adviser: when your experience becomes valuable to a state
Over the years you have gathered experience, made decisions and acquired skills that no degree could ever replace.
Perhaps you know your way around international capital markets. Perhaps you have steered companies through difficult economic times. Perhaps you have special relationships in trade, investment or foreign commerce.
What you have built can be of direct interest to a government.
Depending on the state and the specific role, an appointment like this can come with a diplomatic passport or a service passport.
For experienced entrepreneurs and specialists, advising a government can open a special route into a role in the service of a state.
Your experience gains a new purpose. And possibly a new official document too.
Benefits of the diplomatic passport →Requirements for the diplomatic passport →
Which route suits you
The path your life has taken may already be the foundation
Not everyone starts their route to a diplomatic passport in the same place.
For one, it is an international business. For another, a valuable network. For a third, decades of expertise.
What matters is what you can genuinely offer a state.
- Entrepreneurs and investorsDo you have access to capital, international markets or economic relationships? A mandate as special envoy or ambassador-at-large could fit your profile.
- Professionals with international expertiseDo you know your way around trade, culture, media or another specialist field? A role as attaché could be an option.
- Entrepreneurs with strong regional rootsAre you well regarded in your city, with contacts in local government and business, and would you like to represent a state officially? An honorary consulate could be the right route.
- Seasoned specialistsIs your knowledge valuable to a government? An official advisory mandate could be the natural fit.
Which option is actually open to you depends on your personal situation and the interests of the state concerned.
That is exactly why the route begins with a confidential conversation.
Your route begins with a confidential conversation.
Talk to Daniel Taborek about your situation and the state that suits you.