Read the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs' answer to my question on extending the powers of honorary consuls :
The Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs currently has a network of 498 honorary consuls. As the Court of Auditors pointed out in its report, these agencies provide French nationals living abroad with a local network that complements the consulates, providing consular protection as close as possible to our compatriots living abroad and enabling them to carry out a large number of formalities without having to travel to the consulate (issuing identity and travel documents, issue of life or residence certificates, transport and customs certificates, certification of copies of documents, as well as drawing up voting proxies and physical certification of signatures for honorary consuls of French nationality, etc.). ). The geographical breakdown of these consular agencies is as follows: 184 for the Americas, 142 for the European Union, 54 for Africa (excluding North Africa), 40 for Asia, 36 for Europe (excluding the European Union), 18 for Oceania, 12 for the Near and Middle East and 12 for North Africa. Rather than extending the network of consular agencies or broadening the powers exercised by honorary consuls, the Ministry's priority at present is to strengthen their training and the coordination of their activities with those of the consulates general, in particular by involving them in developments linked to the various projects to modernise consular administration currently being rolled out, which will have a significant impact on their activity (development of high-level certified digital identity for the establishment of dematerialised voting proxies, development of biometrics for the establishment of life certificates, secure postal dispatch of passports, etc.). ). However, this network is constantly evolving, in line with the needs and the reality of the geographical location of French nationals locally. The Ministry regularly opens and closes new agencies, in line with the development of French communities around the world, their geographical location and their needs. Eight new consular offices were opened in 2024: Grand Bassam and Yamoussoukro (Côte d'Ivoire), Knysna (South Africa), Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic), Santiago de Compostela (Spain), Torreon (Mexico), Glasgow (United Kingdom) and Matara (Sri Lanka). Diplomatic and consular posts endeavour, each time an honorary consul is renewed, to adapt the network of consular agencies to the characteristics of the French communities established there (changes, geographical distribution, number of French people passing through, nature of needs, etc.).
Link to the question and answer: https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/17/questions/QANR5L17QE5344
