Consular assistance is help and advice provided by the diplomatic agents of a country to citizens of that country who are living or traveling overseas.
Such assistance may take the form of:
provision of replacement travel documentsadvice and support in the case of an accident, serious illness or deathadvice and support to victims of serious crime overseas, and arranging for next-of-kin to be informedvisitation contact with incarcerated nationalsliaison with local police officials in the case of nationals abducted or missing overseasloans to distressed travellershelp during crises, such as civil unrest and natural disastersfacilitating the overseas payment of social welfare benefitsregistering citizen births abroadproviding a list of local doctors and lawyerssupervising their flag vessels in foreign harboursSuch assistance commonly does not extend to:
storing luggage or valuablesintervening in commercial disputes on behalf of their nationalsproviding travel agency, banking, or postal servicesmoney changingtranslation and interpreting serviceslegal advice or advocacynegotiation of special treatment, bail, or early release from prisoncriminal investigationemployment servicesAt Article 5, the Convention gives the most broad, detailed, and internationally accepted definition of 'consular functions':
