Representative office

A representative office is an office established by a government, international organization, company or a legal entity to represent its interests and conduct political, diplomatic, economic, commercial, cultural, marketing, and other activities, generally in a foreign country or jurisdiction where a formal diplomatic mission, branch office, or subsidiary is not warranted. Representative offices are generally easier to establish than branches, subsidiaries, or formal diplomatic missions, as they typically do not engage in direct commercial transactions or enjoy the full privileges accorded to diplomatic missions, and therefore may be subject to less extensive regulation.

Representative offices are widely used by governments, international organizations, and companies for liaison, diplomatic, commercial, and other activities. Consequently, representative offices tend to be utilized for activities such as diplomatic and political liaison, sourcing of products, quality control, and general liaison activities between the headquarters and the representative office overseas. A representative office is known in France as a bureau de liaison.