Embassies and Consulates

These diplomatic outposts are here to help. Here's a quick rundown on what they can -- and can't -- do for you.

Embassies and consulates in Germany are set up not only to further contacts with the Germans, but also to provide a number of useful services for their citizens if they happen to be traveling or living here. It is their duty, for example, to help their citizens abroad in times of emergency.

What they can do for you

If you lose your passport, a consul can issue you a replacement. If you think your passport has been stolen, first report it to the local police and get a police declaration.

They will also renew passports. If the expiration date of yours draws near while you are living in Germany, go to the consulate/embassy. Don't let your passport expire. It can lead to problems if you try to travel outside Germany, and on other occasions.

Should you lose all your money and other financial resources, consular officers can help you contact your family, bank or employer to arrange for them to send you funds. The chances of getting any financial assistance directly from the embassy/consulate are quite remote, but it has been known to happen when people are really destitute.

Consular officials can, if requested, visit their citizens in prison to satisfy themselves that the citizen is in good health and receiving fair treatment from the prison authorities. (That is rarely a problem in Germany.)

They also visit their citizens in hospitals on request, though they can't do anything to see that the citizen gets better treatment than a German would get.

Children born in Germany usually will acquire the citizenship of their parents, and an embassy or consulate will issue a statement to this effect. To get it you'll need a German birth certificate for the child, who must also be registered with the local authorities. These procedures are usually handled by the hospital. You'll also need both parents' passports and a copy/translation of the marriage license/certificate. The birth certificate is picked up at the local registration offices, where you picked up your own residence permit.

When a citizen dies abroad the nearest embassy or consulate of his country should be notified as soon as possible. A consular officer may then notify the next of kin, obtain a local death certificate, and arrange for local burial or for the return of the remains to the homeland. The transporting of remains, particularly to overseas locations, can be quite expensive, and the embassies and consulates won't foot the bill. Insurance to cover the cost of this is available, however.

Consular officers can advise you on the complexities of getting married in Germany, and can advise non-citizen spouses on the possibility of emigration. (See the separate article on getting married.)

The potential for fraud in international adoptions is great, and the embassy and consulates can warn you of the pitfalls. They can also give advice on a country's adoption procedures, tell you what documentation is needed and make inquiries to foreign courts as to the status of an adoption process. It can't, however, intervene in foreign court actions. So make sure you are dealing with a reputable adoption agency, or, if the adoption is a private one, hire a lawyer with experience in adoptions.

Consular personnel can act as notaries, certifying the sworn statements and documents necessary to comply with the laws concerning birth, death, marriage, adoption and other matters. When documents are submitted in a foreign language, it is usually required that they be accompanied with an English translation.

The embassies and consulates have information that can help citizens vote absentee in their homeland.

And they can offer limited help in homeland tax matters, though it is usually restricted to the provision of forms and brochures. They also have lists of local tax consultants (Steuerberater).

Consular services can usually provide information and assistance in connection with pensions and other government entitlements. And the German missions have pamphlets with the names, telephone numbers and addresses of English-speaking doctors, dentists, lawyers, investigators, tax advisors, banks, translators, interpreters, genealogists, even collection agencies. However, they don't recommend these parties and accept no responsibility for their professional ability or integrity.

What they don't do

Don't expect them to intervene in court proceedings; get you out of prison; give legal advice or instigate court proceedings on your behalf; get better treatment for you in a hospital or prison than is provided for German nationals; investigate a crime; pay your hotel, legal, medical or any other bills; pay for travel tickets for you; undertake work more properly done by travel representatives, airlines, banks or motoring organizations, or obtain accommodation, work or a residence permit for you. They can, however, tell you who can do these things for you.

Expatriates living in Germany are subject to the jurisdiction of German law and regulations. If they become involved in private disputes with foreign nationals or business enterprises, and the controversy can't be settled amicably, the normal recourse is to the remedies provided by German law.

Diplomatic or consular officers may not act as attorneys or agents in private matters. Again, however, they will provide you a list of names and telephone numbers of those who can help.