Mission of the Consular Department:
- Forming joint consular committees with countries that host large Egyptian communities of expatriates. High-ranking officials from both sides regularly hold their meetings to address matters of concern for their respective communities.
- Co-ordinating with the Egyptian Civil Affairs Authority, in order to dispatch the required missions for issuing Egyptian national IDs for Egyptians abroad.
- Co-ordinating with the Ministry of Defence in order to settle the military status of Egyptian expatriates through periodical mission, and, therefore, facilitate issuing the relevant documents for the legalisation of their residency in the receiving countries.
- Communicating with our consular missions and sections abroad to ensure that the latest consular instructions are properly applied.
- Co-ordinating with the Ministries of Manpower, Immigration and Youth and Sports to communicate with Egyptian second and third generations of expatriates. Several programs are organised, including conferences, seminars, visits to the touristic attractions and cultural destinations, in order to consolidate their bonds with their national origins.
- Taking part in the organisation and supervision of the voting of Egyptians abroad, through opening polling stations in the premises of our missions to receive the voters on the different electoral occasions.
- Through the intensive and regular coordination with our consular missions abroad, the consular department ensures that problems and complaints of the members of Egyptian communities are being handled by our consular officers in an efficient and timely manner. Pressing issues include financial dues, legalisation of residency and work status with all the relevant permits, offering legal aid, and applying for pardon on behalf of Egyptian sentenced prisoners.
- The consular department is responsible for the legalisation of the officially certified documents issued by the relevant Egyptian and foreign authorities in accordance with the applicable legal regulations. This mission is carried out through 29 legalization offices, providing their services in different governorates.
- In cases of emergency, the consular department coordinates the national efforts and dispatches the required personnel to aid in securing and evacuating Egyptian expatriates in countries undergoing severe unrest, with collaboration with our permanent missions and local authorities.
- The operations room is constantly active and prepared to receive calls and complaints on consular matters, and, in turn, report it to our missions abroad, and the concerned national authorities. Seasonal events involving large numbers of Egyptians abroad, like seasons of major and minor of Pilgrimage, acquire special attention, and further arrangements are normally planned during those times.
- While undertaking the necessary efforts to release Egyptian fishermen arrested for illegal fishing in the territorial waters of neighbouring countries, via constant communication with the local authorities of those countries, a parallel effort is exerted to reach a harmonized national strategy for combating the phenomenon and eliminate its underlying causes.
- Combating illegal immigration is one of the top priorities for the consular department through collaboration with the concerned authorities to address the social, economic, and security related dimensions of this phenomenon. The consular department also communicates with the International Organisation for Migration, and the relevant local authorities in the receiving states, to ensure that the Egyptian government has full access to the available information on the Egyptian illegal migrants detained abroad, especially in the juvenile detention facilities, and provide them with the required legal and consular assistance. In addition, special effort is carried on to communicate with the families of young illegal immigrants to arrange for their voluntary return.
- Arranging consular visits to various regions, especially in the Gulf area, to address the difficulties and concerns of Egyptian expatriates. Consular delegations, normally including representatives of the relevant national authorities, hold open meetings with the members of the Egyptian communities abroad, along with the official talks held with their counterparts in the receiving countries.
- Under the supervision of the consular department, our consular missions abroad periodically dispatch their delegations to distant cities in their area of jurisdiction to provide the required consular services to Egyptian expatriates.