São Paulo – The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations, by means of its Division of Brazilian Communities Abroad, is expanding the presence of travelling consulates in countries inhabited by Brazilians, including Arab nations. The action is a result of the demands presented at the 3rd Brazilians Worldwide Conference, in December 2010, and of the first meeting of the Undersecretariat General of Brazilian Communities Abroad (SGEB) and the Council of Brazilian Representatives Abroad (CRBE).
According to information from the Brazilian Worldwide website, of the Foreign Ministry, the expansion of actions by traveling consulates includes regions such as North England, Bolivia, the French Guiana, the United Arab Emirates (Dubai) and the Palestinian Territories. The travelling consulate is a mission carried out by consulates to provide services to expatriates in regions that are distant from the fixed consulate. Services include issuing of birth certificate, military enlisting, voter’s card-related issues, passports, among others.
According to information from the ministry, a traveling consulate has already been promoted in June this year. In the Arab country, Brazil maintains an office in Ramallah that works in tandem with the embassy in Tel Aviv. The traveling consular system operated in the Gaza Strip and received 14 people. The purpose for the initiative was to make life easier for people who cannot move across the country. The intention, according to the Foreign Ministry, is to promote one travelling consulate each month in Palestine.
In the Emirates, whose embassy is located in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the country, travelling consulates should also be promoted in Dubai, the neighbouring emirate. The possibility is being looked into by the embassy, according to the Foreign Ministry, to prepare for the increasing flow of Brazilians to the region expected for next year as a result of another direct flight by Emirates Airline between Brazil and the country, this time from Rio de Janeiro to Dubai. There already is a direct line between São Paulo and Dubai.
According to the Foreign Ministry, the missions are only carried out whenever the distance from the consulate is too great or too difficult to travel. In Portugal, for instance, from anywhere in the country one can arrive in Lisbon after a two-hour trip. The missions may be promoted by consulates, vice-consulates or consulate sections of embassies.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
