In most of the countries you will find diplomatic missions, which usually refers to an embassy and/or a consulate. Diplomatic bodies represent other country interests in Cayman Islands, with the aim of strengthening international relations between the states and providing services for their citizens in Cayman Islands.

Embassies and consulates are considered legal territories of their home countries. They are not "foreign territory" but they are protected and considered the property of the country using them, meaning that Cayman Islands does not have jurisdiction over the embassy or consulate of another country.

What is the difference between Embassy and Consulate

The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations international treaty defines the diplomatic mission’s purpose and framework. The various diplomatic missions offer several services and carry out different missions. For example:

• Embassy: This is the primary diplomatic representation of a country’s government and is headed by an ambassador. An embassy is the main location for a diplomatic presence of one country in another. A country has at most one embassy in another country, and is always established in the capital city of the host country. In the absence of a consulate in a country, the embassy has also a consular section to carry out all the relevant consular services (see below).
• Consulate General: This is a diplomatic mission, headed by a consul that provides a full range of services such as: issuing passports/visas, keeping birth and marriage records, assisting expats, providing legal information, translations etc. It can be located in any major city of the host country, although often in the capital city (in certain cases, in the same building as the embassy). In major countries and large territories, you often have more than one consulate.
• Honorary Consulate: It supplements the Consulate to provide a limited range of consular services and is headed by an honorary consul. They help nationals abroad. For example, in the event of a hospital stay, missing person, death, natural disaster or other emergency. They can also issue emergency travel documents and consular declarations for which the applicant is required to appear in person.

NB: You will usually apply for a visa at the Consulate of the country you want to visit. However, if there is no such representation in Cayman Islands, you can apply for a visa at the embassy.

Where to find Consulates and Embassies in Cayman Islands

Not all countries have an Embassy and/or a Consulate as it depends of the political situation, the relationship with the host country, the size of the country, and the number of foreign citizens living there.

In some cases, countries can share representations and you can be assisted by the services of another embassy or consular service to get the information you need.

We recommend you register/contact your country’s embassy at your destination. It is a free service provided by any diplomatic mission and it will allow them to record information about your upcoming trip abroad. It can be used to assist you in case of an emergency.

Registration will also allow you to get routine information from your nearest embassy or consulate, as citizen residing abroad.

The Cayman Islands capital, George Town hosts 0 embassies, yet a Representative Office.

There are also 4 consulates.

All consulates and honorary consulates are located in George Town.

You will find below the diplomatic missions in Cayman Islands described. The list includes consulates, honorary consulates and Representative Offices for you to be able to get information and services.

Embassies and Main Consulates in George Town

United Kingdom

UK Representative Office
Address: Suite 101, Fifth floor Government Administration Building Grand Cayman KY1, 9000, Cayman Islands
Tel: (+1 345) 244 2431
E-Mail: GovernorsOffice.Cayman@fcdo.gov.uk
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/ukincayman and
Opening hours: Monday - Thursday 8:00am - 4:30pm
Friday 8:00am - 12:30pm (except for national holidays)

Note, the Cayman Islands is an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom so the Governor's Office does not provide consular services. The first port of call for British Nationals in distress should be the local Cayman authorities, such as the police and hospital. The Governor's Office can only help in cases of genuine emergency and where the local authorities are unable to assist.

Honorary Consulates in Cayman Islands

For countries with no consulates or embassies in Cayman Islands, the Honorary Consulates are supervised by diplomatic representations located in other country, often Kingston, in Jamaica for Cayman Islands.

Contact directly the Embassy/Consulate website for more information.

Honorary Consulates in George Town

• Barbados
• Canada (kngtn-cs@international.gc.ca - High Commission of Canada in Kingston, Jamaica)
• Jamaica (jamaica@candw.ky and consulate@candw.ky)
• United States (CaymanACS@state.gov)