A Consul-General, Consul or Vice-Consul who holds Her Majesty's Commission is entitled to the letters 'HM' before the appointment.

Other Consuls, Vice-Consuls and Consular Agents, appointed other than by the Crown, are known as the British Consul, Vice-Consul, etc, and do not have the prefix 'HM'.

An officer in charge of a Consular appointment, during the absence of the incumbent, takes for the time being the rank of the incumbent, but is addresses as 'The Acting British Consul-General, Consul', etc.

Consuls of the other Commonwealth countries are addressed as 'The Australian Consul', etc.

How to Style a Consul-General, Consul or Vice-Consul

The envelope for a Consul-General would be:

John H. Brown, Esq, CMG
HM Consul-General
British Consulate-General

The envelope for a Consul would be:

William Smith, Esq
HM Consul
British Consulate

The envelope for a British Consul would be:

William Jones, Esq
British Consul
British Consulate

Otherwise it is correct to use 'Esquire' or an appropriate style.

• Share online