Was caught in traffic today behind a Jag with an “Honorary Consul” license plate.
If actual diplomatic plates are issued by State Dept. instruction, would they include this “Honorary Consul” business ? If so, what is it, and would it get the same privileges ?
If not, do states have the authority to issue such things, and with how much privilege attached ? Can a state just provide some dignitary - or their vehicle - with some kind of traffic law privilege ?
Here’s a site with some interesting information:
http://danshiki.oit.gatech.edu/~iadt3mk/usa/US_XCCX.html#DCCX
Also:
Thanks, monty; I read through 'em, but they don’t cover the “Honorary Consul” issue, which [not being listed in the first site] doesn’t appear to be US State Dept. sanctioned.
Honorary consul plates are issued by the state not the state department. They provide prestige.
It’s a funny position and you will find considerable disinformation on the web due to the ability to purchase the title from some countries.
I work for a man who used to be an Honorary Consul. The H.C. plate is issued by the state and doesn’t really carry any special privileges at all: you don’t get out of parking tickets, you can’t park in handicapped or otherwise reserved spaces, you can’t speed, etc. In my state (MA), anyway, the main advantage is that the cost of the plate is much less than a regular plate; and it is possible that cops/meter maids might let things slide for which they would ticket a regular person, but they are not under any obligation to do so.
The office of Honorary Consul is just that - an honorary position - and doesn’t carry any diplomatic benefits. Most H.C.s are business people who are granted the title in exchange for providing office space, funding, staffing, etc., for a Consulate branch office, where people can register births & marriages, apply for visas, have documents translated, etc. They are not the same type of office as the main Consulate that deals directly with the government of the home country.
From the U.S. State Department website