A consulate is a diplomatic office and/or service center which is subordinate to an embassy located elsewhere. They typically hold the office of a consul, who works under an ambassador in the mission of one country to another.

Similar to embassies, consulates often provide space for diplomatic services and functions, such as visa processing and ceremonial receptions in a location not served by an embassy (usually in major cities which are not national capitals), but they also appear often in capital cities as adjuncts to an embassy.

If consular offices are located in the same space as an embassy, then the space is described as an embassy and not as a consulate.