Finland Consulate Birmingham

Before your visit

• Services: according to the Finnish foreign ministry, the honorary consulate can provide certain notarised certificates and advise Finnish citizens in distress and help them deal with local authorities; it does not accept passport applications or handle visas or residence permits.
• Location: The honorary consulate is in Birmingham, Alabama, about 11 km in a straight line from the centre of Birmingham; the nearest large airport is Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), about 215 km away. (distances: OpenStreetMap, airports: FAA passenger boarding data CY 2025)

About the Honorary Consulate of Finland in Birmingham

The honorary consul is Joseph S. McCarty, according to the Finnish foreign ministry. The honorary consulate’s consular district covers the State of Alabama. It is one of 22 honorary consulates of Finland in the United States listed by the Finnish foreign ministry. Finland also has 3 career consular posts in the United States and its embassy in Washington, D.C. In Finland, the United States is represented by the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki (fi.usembassy.gov), according to the Congressional Directory.

Which Finnish office handles passports and visas?

For passports, visas and other formal consular services, Alabama belongs to the consular district of the Consulate General of Finland in Houston, according to the Finnish foreign ministry. The honorary consulate in Birmingham can help with first steps and pass on documents, but it does not replace that office.

Contact details of the Finnish Consulate General in Houston, as listed on its page in this directory:

• Address: Williams Tower, 2800 Post Oak Boulevard, Suite 1930, Houston, TX 77056, United States
• Telephone: +1 713-444-8958
• Email: sanomat.hou@gov.fi
• Website: finlandabroad.fi/web/usa

What can an honorary consul do?

An honorary consul is not a career diplomat but a local resident – often a business person or lawyer – appointed by Finland and approved by the host country. Depending on the powers granted, the honorary consul can help Finnish citizens in an emergency (lost passport, accident, arrest), pass on applications and documents to the embassy, and certify signatures or life certificates. Passports and visas are not issued by an honorary consulate; they remain the responsibility of the embassy or a career consulate.

Other consulates in Birmingham

3 other countries are represented in Birmingham: Germany (honorary), Iceland (honorary), Spain (honorary).

Closing days

Honorary consuls set their own office hours; the honorary consulate is usually closed on US federal holidays, whose dates are published by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and may also close on public holidays of Finland.

Emergency assistance

In an emergency, Finnish citizens in the consular district can call the honorary consul on +1 205-259-2066 or contact the Consulate General of Finland in Houston. In the United States, dial 911 for an ambulance, the fire service or the police (GOV.UK travel advice). US citizens who need consular help in Finland can contact the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki.

Diplomatic missions of Finland in the United States

Finland in the United States

Measured in a straight line from Birmingham, the nearest other Finnish office is the Consulate General (Texas) in Houston (about 910 km). Distances in brackets are straight-line distances from Birmingham.

• Washington, D.C. (1,060 km) – Embassy of Finland in the United States
• Houston (910 km) – Consulate General (Texas)
• Los Angeles – Consulate General (California)
• New York (1,390 km) – Consulate General (New York)
• Birmingham – Honorary Consulate (this page)
• … and 21 more offices in other states (see the embassy page)