Diplomats and diplomatic missions

The collective term for a group of diplomats from a single country who reside in another country is a diplomatic mission. Ambassador is the most senior diplomatic rank; a diplomatic mission headed by an ambassador is known as an embassy, with the exception of permanent missions at the United Nations, the Organization of American States, or other multilateral organizations, which are also headed by ambassadors. The collective body of all diplomats of a particular country is called that country's diplomatic service. The collective body of all diplomats assigned to a particular country is the diplomatic corps.

Basic functions of diplomatic missions include:

1.Represent the home country in the host country.

2.Protect the interests of the home country and its citizens in the host country.

3.Negotiate with the government of the host country.

4. Monitor and report on conditions and developments in the commercial, economic, cultural, and scientific life of the host country.

5. Promote friendly relations between the host country and the home country.

6.Develop commercial, economic, cultural, and scientific relations between the host country and the home country.

7.Issue passports, travel documents, and visas.

A country may have several different types of diplomatic missions in another country:

Embassy: A diplomatic mission located in the capital city of another country which generally offer a full range of services,including consular services.

High Commission: An embassy of Commonwealth country located in another Commonwealth country.

Permanent Mission: A diplomatic mission to a major international organization.

Consulate General: A diplomatic mission located in a major city, other than the capital city, which provides a full range of services, including consular services.

Consulate: A diplomatic mission that is similar to a consulate general, but which does not provide a full range of services.

A permanent diplomatic mission is typically known as an embassy or chancery, and the person in charge of the mission is known as an ambassador. The ambassadorial residence is generally called the embassy. Some ambassadors will live outside of the chancery. For example, the American ambassador to Russia lives in a mansion known as Spaso House outside of the chancery.

All missions to the United Nations are known simply as permanent missions, while missions to the European Union are known as permanent representations and the head of such a mission is typically both a permanent representative and an ambassador. European Union missions abroad are known as delegations. Some countries have more particular naming for their missions and staff: a Vatican mission is headed by a nuncio (Latin "envoy") and consequently known as an apostolic nunciature. Libya's missions were for a long time known as people's bureaux and the head of the mission was a secretary.

In the past a diplomatic mission headed by a lower-ranking official (an envoy or minister resident) was known as a legation. Since the ranks of envoy and minister resident are effectively obsolete, the designation of legation is no longer used today.

Missions between Commonwealth countries are known as high commissions and their heads are high commissioners. This is due to the fact that an ambassador is a representative that a head of state sends to another head of state with an letter of credence (an accreditation letter); since the Commonwealth realms share the same head of state, Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, it would be strange for the Monarch to accredit people to herself.

A consulate is similar to (but not the same as) a diplomatic office, but with focus on dealing with individual persons and businesses, as defined by the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. A consulate or consulate general is generally a representative of the embassy in locales outside of the capital city. For instance, the United Kingdom has its Embassy of the United Kingdom in Washington, D.C., but also maintains seven consulate-generals and four consulates. The person in charge of a consulate or consulate-general is known as a consul or consul-general, respectively. Similar services may also be provided at the embassy (to serve the region of the capital) in what is sometimes called a consular section.

In cases of dispute, it is common for a country to recall its head of mission as a sign of its displeasure. This is less drastic than cutting diplomatic relations completely, and the mission will still continue operating more or less normally, but it will now be headed by a chargé d'affairs (usually the deputy chief of mission) who may have limited powers. (A chargé d'affaires ad interim also heads the mission during the interim between the end of one chief of mission's term and the beginning of another).

The term "embassy" is often used to refer to the building or compound housing an ambassador's offices and staff. Technically, "embassy" refers to the diplomatic delegation itself, while the office building in which they work is known as a chancery, but this distinction is rarely used in practice. Ambassadors reside in ambassadorial residences, which enjoy the same rights as missions.

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