Canada–Australia Consular Services Sharing Agreement
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The Canada–Australia Consular Services Sharing Agreement (french: Entente de partage des Services consulaires Canada – Australie) is a bilateral agreement between the governments of Australia and
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
for each country to provide
consular assistance 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. The diplomats may be honorary consuls, or members of the country's diplomatic service. Such a ...
to citizens of the other in situations which are from time to time agreed between the two countries. Missions in areas where only one country has developed diplomatic relations will provide consular services to both Canadian and Australian passport holders or citizens. This agreement has been in place since 7 August 1986 when the Right Honourable
Joe Clark Charles Joseph Clark (born June 5, 1939) is a Canadian statesman, businessman, writer, and politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Canada from 1979 to 1980. Despite his relative inexperience, Clark rose quickly in federal polit ...
, P.C., M.P.,
Secretary of State for External Affairs The Minister of Foreign Affairs (french: Ministre des Affaires étrangères) is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the Government of Canada's international relations and is the lead minister respo ...
of Canada and the Honourable
Bill Hayden William George Hayden (born 23 January 1933) is an Australian politician who served as the 21st governor-general of Australia from 1989 to 1996. He was Leader of the Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1977 to 1983, and served as ...
, M.P.,
Minister for Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
of Australia exchanged notes to create the agreement. The agreement was renewed in 2001, with 14 Canadian posts (mostly in West African and the Latin American countries) and 13 Australian delegations (mainly in the South Pacific) where consular services are shared were specified.


Background

Australia and Canada share many similarities in the countries’ histories, composition of populations and culture. Both countries were formed from the union of British colonies and both have absorbed large number of British immigrants in previous centuries.. Apart from the similar history, both countries are also famous for their multiculturality and open attitude towards immigrants. Canada and Australia have developed a close and deep relationship with each other and cooperate with each other in different field, which is relatively more than the cooperations with other partners. In terms of the participation in international organisations and project, both countries are members of United Nations, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Cairns Group, Commonwealth of Nations,
Five Eyes The Five Eyes (FVEY) is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These countries are parties to the multilateral UKUSA Agreement, a treaty for joint cooperation in sig ...
and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Being members of many worldwide organisations shows the close friendship between the government of two countries, there are multiple channels and platforms for cooperation and communication between two countries. Among many of the agreements and deals signed by two countries, the consular service sharing is the most important cooperation between two countries.


Canadian Foreign Policy

Canada has developed official relations with countries, which located in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Among all other countries, the United States of America has the closest relations with Canada, two countries cooperate with each other in a wide aspect, ranging from the supply of essentials and military. What helps the flow of population between two countries is the longest border of USA and Canada which is the longest in the world, with citizens of each country can enter each other's country for short period without visa. Australia is also a country with a close relationship with Canada. Canada developed formal relations with Australia on 12 September 1939, and the two countries have cooperated in different ways, especially in trading and mobility of populations.


Australian Foreign policy

Australia has developed formal relations with many countries across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. Due to its unique geographical location, Australia has developed a relatively close relationships with Asian countries, interactions between Australia and other Asian countries are also more frequent than with any European and countries in North and South America. New Zealand is one of the closest countries to Australia geographically, which promotes the extremely close connections between two countries. To take advantage of the relationship between two countries, Australia cooperates with New Zealand in multiple ways, with the
Trans-Tasman Trans-Tasman is an adjective used primarily to signify the relationship between Australia and New Zealand. The term refers to the Tasman Sea, which lies between the two countries. For example, ''trans-Tasman commerce'' refers to commerce betwee ...
migration and connections being the most significant. This agreement was signed in 1973 and allowed the free flow of citizens between two countries, increasing the population of New Zealanders in major cities of Australia including Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.


Consulate

The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations provides the broad, detailed and internationally accepted definition of consular functions, which have listed out specific functions that each consular must provide to their citizens in foreign countries. This treaty consists of 79 articles, which lists out the functions of consuls and specific rules for the host countries to protect the right of consuls from foreign countries. For example, the host country does not have the right to enter the site of foreign embassies without the permission from the consuls, whilst the host countries have the responsibility to protect the consular premises from danger.


Information

Australian and Canada Consular Services Sharing Agreement was the agreement signed by Australia and Canada on 7 August 1986. This agreement promises use of certain consular services of Canadian citizens and Australian citizens in some countries where only one of them have official consular. All the arrangement of the services are assigned according to the Memorandum of Understandings between the Department of Foreign affairs, Trade and Development of Canada (DFATD) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia (DFAT).


Consular guides and instructions

The following information are provided based on details in the Canada-Australia Consular Service Sharing Agreement. All consular services mentioned will be provided in accordance with country specific rules. For services provided by Canadian consoles, they need to follow the rules in the Manual of Consular Instructions; if services is provided by Australian consoles, all procedures must follow the rules according to the Australian Consular Instructions and the Manual of Australian Passport Issue. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will provide certain consular services in English and French, since Canada has two official language which are English and French, the Department of Foreign Affairs Canada will afford the cost of providing services in English and French by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. If the Australian mission are not able to provide services to a Canadian in French, officers of the Australian mission will assist the interaction of the Canadian with the Canadian supervising mission by phone or any electronic communications facilities. For request involving the request of emergency travel documents, they will be directed to the corresponding missions. The responsible mission will issue their specific “Emergency Passports” to their citizens which will only in effect for limited time for the purpose of allowing them to return to their home countries. When under specific crisis, both departments recognise the value and importance of contingency planning and crisis management, and the opportunities presented by bilateral cooperation in this area, which means responsible missions must consider the value off both Canadian and Australian citizens in their emergency plans and the plant must be shared with their appropriate supervising mission. Missions that will serve both Australian and Canadian citizens will their corresponding supervising missions. The responsible mission reports all re quests from citizens that were not their responsible countries to their supervising missions, they need specific instructions and authorities from the supervising mission. Communications between the responsible missions and supervising missions are variable. In most cases, consolations will be by phone and specific instructions and authorities will be in written form. If there are complaints about the services provided by the mission of the other country, responsible missions will refer the complaint to the home department of relevant missions for investigations. The use or disclosure of personal information is strictly monitored by the privacy law in either Canada or Australia. Some of the requests by citizens of other countries may involve the use of personal information, the mission that possess the request or should be in accordance with Canada's Privacy Act or Australia's Privacy Act 1988. Australia and Canada Federal government will consult in frequent period to consider whether any changes in the Memorandum of Understanding needed or not, all the operation of the Memorandum of Understanding will be reviewed annual to coincide with the Five Nations Consular Colloque, the review will be reschedules if there is no Colloque schedules. The Memorandum of Understanding was updated in 2001, which replaced the Memorandum of Understanding on Sharing Consular Services between the Department of External Affairs of Canada and the Department of Foreign Affairs of Australia signed on 22 January 1987. The Memorandum of Understanding can be terminated by giving notice from either the Department External Affairs of Canada or the Department of Foreign Affairs of Australia, the Memorandum of Understanding will be invalid 6 months after receipt of that notice. However, termination of the updated Memorandum of Understanding will not affect the continuation in force of the original agreement of 7 August 1986.


Consular Services Included and not Included in the agreement

Services that will be provided for other nations: Intervention in cases of arrest or detention Intervention to assist victims of crime or accidents in foreign countries Assistance on international child abduction/custody cases Relieve, financial assistance and repatriation which will be provided on the recoverable basis Assistance in cases of illness and hospitalisation, such as arrangements for payment of medical and hospital services which will also be provided in recoverable basis Issue of emergency travel documents to Australians and Canadians Assistance with arrangements regarding deaths of citizens, including local burial or transportation of the remains Assistance related to lost or stolen property enquiries, local enquiries regarding the whereabouts of nationals of the other country Assistance relating to crisis management Local registration of nationals of the other country Passing requests for information and services which are not included in the agreement to the supervising missions Services that will not be shared Issuance of regular passports or visas Legal or notarial acts Assistance in extradition cases Administration of the estates of citizens Registration of deaths Invigilation of examinations Provision of specific information on any matter


Australian Missions

Canadians can seek consular assistance from the following Australian diplomatic missions, they are all supervised by nearby Canadian missions: * ** Pohnpei (Embassy) ** Covers
Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
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Marianas Islands The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...
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Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Intern ...
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Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the ...
. ** Supervised by mission in Canberra * () **
Nouméa Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and ...
(Consulate-General) ** Covers French Polynesia and Wallis & Futuna ** Supervised by mission in Wellington and Canberra * ** Denpasar, Bali (Consulate-General) ** Supervised by mission in Jakarta * **
Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
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Aiwo (High Commission) ** Supervised by mission in Canberra * **
Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...
(High Commission) ** Supervised by mission in Canberra * **
Apia Apia () is the capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. ...
(High Commission) ** Covers
American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the Internationa ...
** Supervised by mission in Wellington * ** Honiara (High Commission) ** Supervised by mission in Canberra * **
Phuket Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands of ...
(Consulate-General) ** Supervised by mission in Bangkok * ** Dili (Embassy) ** Supervised by mission in Jakarta * ** Nukualofa (High Commission) ** Supervised by mission in Wellington * () **
Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
(Consulate-General) ** Supervised by mission in San Francisco * **
Port Vila Port Vila (french: Port-Vila), or simply Vila (; french: Vila; bi, Vila ), is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. It is located on the island of Efate. Its population in the last census (2009) was 44,040, an increase of 35% on the pr ...
(High Commission) ** Supervised by mission in Canberra


Canadian missions

Australians can seek consular assistance from the following Canadian diplomatic missions, they are all supervised by Australian missions or embassies in nearby area: * ** Algiers (Embassy) **Supervised by Australian embassy in Paris * **
Ouagadougou Ouagadougou ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural, and economic centre of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 2,415,266 in 2019. The city's ...
(Embassy) **Supervised by missions in Accra * **
Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the capital of Cameroon and, with a population of more than 2.8 million, the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region of the nation at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,50 ...
(High Commission) ** Covers
Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...
**Supervised by missions in Abuja * **
Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, making it the sixth most populous city p ...
(Embassy) **Supervised by mission in Accra * **
Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
(Embassy) **Supervised by missions in Mexico City * ** Kinshasa (Embassy) **Supervised by mission in Harare * **
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(Embassy) **Supervised by mission in Mexico City * ** Quito (Embassy) **Supervised by mission in Santiago de Chile * **
Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the capital of Cameroon and, with a population of more than 2.8 million, the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region of the nation at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,50 ...
(Canadian High Commission in Cameroon provides consular assistance to Australian citizens in Gabon) **Supervised by mission in Abuja * **
Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...
(Canadian Embassy in Senegal provides consular assistance to Australian citizens in
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) **Supervised by mission in Abuja * **
Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...
(Canadian Embassy in Senegal provides consular assistance to Australian citizens in Guinea) **Supervised by mission in Accra * **
Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
(
Embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually den ...
) **Supervised by mission in Vienna * **
Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...
(Embassy) **Supervised by mission in Copenhagen * **
Astana Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmola Region, tho ...
(Embassy) * **
Bamako Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on the Niger Rive ...
(Embassy) **Supervised by mission in Accra * ** Rabat (Embassy) * **
Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...
(Embassy) ** Covers Guinea and
The Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
. * **
Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...
(Embassy) * ** Caracas (Embassy)


See also

* Australia–Canada relations


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canada-Australia Consular Services Sharing Agreement Australia and the Commonwealth of Nations Canada and the Commonwealth of Nations Australia–Canada relations 1986 in international relations 1986 in Australia 1986 in Canada