Foreign Ministry Sending Short-term Consular Mission to Australia

EMFA
The Foreign Ministry will be sending a short-term consular mission to Australia from 29 November – 7 December 2009.

Within the course of the consular mission it will be possible for all Estonian citizens who live in Australia to apply for new passports or ID cards. In connection with the new fingerprinting requirement, starting on 29 June 2009 it is necessary for all passport applicants to appear in person at an Estonian foreign representation or a Citizenship and Migration Board location in Estonia. The closest Estonian Embassy to Australia is located in Tokyo, so in order for Estonian citizens living in Australia to be able to apply for passports without travelling to Tokyo the Foreign Ministry is sending a consular mission to Australia.

Consular officials will be working in various Australian cities:

29 November in Perth
2 - 3 December in Melbourne
4 - 5 December in Sydney
7 December in Brisbane

We ask that people register to meet with a consular official by emailing one of the Estonian honorary consuls in Australia (the honorary consul in Perth at or the honorary consul in Sydney at ) or the Estonian Embassy in Tokyo ). We first and foremost recommended applying for a passport to those citizens whose passports expire within the next few months but who plan to remain in Australia for a longer period and do not plan to travel to a foreign representation to apply for a passport.

The passports that are applied for can be picked up from the Estonian honorary consuls in Perth, Sydney and Hobart. Additional information on the Estonian honorary consulates in Australia: http://www.vm.ee/?q=en/node/54....

In accordance with the Consular Act, consular missions are sent to nations where Estonia lacks a foreign representation but there is a justified need for consular services because, for example, there is a large community of Estonian citizens there. It is estimated that the sixth-largest community of Estonians and their descendants in the world is in Australia, after the USA, Canada, Finland, Sweden and Russia.

SPOKESPERSON'S OFFICE