Institute of Honorary Consuls

Introduction. The article examines the legal status of honorary consuls, the procedure for their appointment and performance of consular functions. The scope of functions performed by honorary consuls and the volume of privileges and immunities accorded to honorary consuls for unhindered fulfillment of their official duties are separately disclosed. Particular attention deserves an overview of the history of the formation and development of the institution of honorary consuls since antiquity to the present time. Special attention is given to the context of historical excursion to the establishment of the Institute of Honorary Consuls in the Russian Empire, the USSR and the Russian Federation.

Materials and methods. The materials for the study were the works of leading Russian and foreign specialists in the field of international law and diplomacy. The preparation of this article took into account the works of not only modern authors, but also classics whose works have not lost their relevance for the purposes of this article. The methodological basis of scientific research was made up of general and special methods of cognition (dialectical method, methods of analysis and synthesis, deduction and induction, comparative legal and historical legal methods).

Research results. Based on the results of the study, the article analyzes in detail historical aspects of the establishment and development of the institute of honorary consuls. The provisions of the national legislation of the Russian Federation and of other foreign states regulating the appointment of honorary consuls, the scope of their functions, establishing separate requirements for candidacies for the post of honorary consuls, and other issues directly related to the activities of honorary consuls are analyzed.

Discussion and conclusions. In the article the author comes to the conclusion that the main role in determining the legal status of the honorary consul, the procedure for his appointment, his functions, is assigned to the national legislation of the states and bilateral consular conventions, which provide for the possibility of performing consular functions by honorary consuls.

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