The Honorary Consulate General of Ireland in Seattle is an honorary consular post of Ireland in Mercer Island, Washington (serving the Seattle area). It is run by an honorary consul – a volunteer, not a career diplomat – who helps Irish citizens locally; passports, visas and most other formal consular services are handled by the Consulate General of Ireland in San Francisco.
Contact Details
| Address | 4 Eden Lane, Mercer Island, WA 98040, United States |
| Telephone | +1 206-351-1046 |
| bernard.hensey@honoraryconsul.ie | |
| Honorary Consul General | Bernard Hensey |
Opening Hours
No regular opening hours are published by Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs. Call or e-mail the honorary consulate general to arrange a visit.
Location of the Honorary Consulate General
Before your visit
The honorary consulate general is located at 4 Eden Lane, Mercer Island, WA 98040.
- The office is on Mercer Island, east of Seattle.
- Location: The honorary consulate general is in Mercer Island, Washington, about 9.8 km in a straight line from the centre of Seattle; the nearest large airport is Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), about 12 km away. (distances: OpenStreetMap, airports: FAA passenger boarding data CY 2025)
About the Honorary Consulate General of Ireland in Seattle
The honorary consul general is Bernard Hensey, according to Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs. It is one of 11 honorary consulates of Ireland in the United States listed by Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs. Ireland also has 8 career consular posts in the United States and its embassy in Washington, D.C. In Ireland, the United States is represented by the U.S. Embassy in Dublin (ie.usembassy.gov), according to the Congressional Directory.
Which Irish office handles passports and visas?
For passports, visas and other formal consular services, Washington belongs to the consular district of the Consulate General of Ireland in San Francisco, according to Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs. The honorary consulate general in Seattle can help with first steps and pass on documents, but it does not replace that office.
Contact details of the Irish Consulate General in San Francisco, as listed on its page in this directory:
- Address: One Post Street, Suite 2300, San Francisco, CA 94104, United States
- Telephone: +1 415-392-4214
- Website: www.ireland.ie/en/usa/sanfrancisco
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 Ireland and approved by the host country. Depending on the powers granted, the honorary consul can help Irish 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 Seattle
13 other countries are represented in Seattle: Austria (honorary), Canada (consulate general), Czech Republic (honorary), El Salvador (consulate general), Germany (honorary), Iceland (honorary), India (consulate general), Japan (consulate general), Mexico (consulate), Philippines (consulate general), Poland (honorary), South Korea (consulate general), Sweden (honorary).
Closing days
Honorary consuls set their own office hours; the honorary consulate general 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 Ireland.
Emergency assistance
In an emergency, Irish citizens in the consular district can call the honorary consul on +1 206-351-1046 or contact the Consulate General of Ireland in San Francisco. 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 Ireland can contact the U.S. Embassy in Dublin.
Diplomatic missions of Ireland in the United States
Ireland in the United States
Measured in a straight line from Seattle, the nearest other Irish office is the Consulate General (California) in San Francisco (about 1,090 km). Distances in brackets are straight-line distances from Seattle.
- Washington, D.C. – Embassy of Ireland in the United States
- Atlanta – Consulate General (Georgia)
- Austin – Consulate General (Texas)
- Boston – Consulate General (Massachusetts)
- Chicago – Consulate General (Illinois)
- Los Angeles (1,540 km) – Consulate General (California)
- Miami – Consulate General (Florida)
- New York – Consulate General (New York)
- San Francisco (1,090 km) – Consulate General (California)
- Charleston – Honorary Consulate (South Carolina)
- Denver (1,640 km) – Honorary Consulate (Colorado)
- Houston – Honorary Consulate (Texas)
- Nashville – Honorary Consulate (Tennessee)
- New Orleans – Honorary Consulate (Louisiana)
- Orlando – Honorary Consulate (Florida)
- Pittsburgh – Honorary Consulate (Pennsylvania)
- San Diego (1,710 km) – Honorary Consulate (California)
- Seattle – Honorary Consulate General (this page)
- St. Louis – Honorary Consulate (Missouri)
- Wilmington – Honorary Consulate (Delaware)
Frequently asked questions about the Honorary Consulate General of Ireland in Seattle
Can I apply for an Irish passport or visa at the honorary consulate general?
Regular passport and visa applications go to the Consulate General of Ireland in San Francisco.
Have you visited this office recently? Share your experience – for example the waiting time, how you got an appointment or which documents were asked for. Your tips help the next visitors and are published after review.
Details checked on 22 October 2026. Sources: Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs (ireland.ie) – Honorary Consuls in the United States of America (accessed 22 October 2026), U.S. Office of Personnel Management – Federal Holidays, GOV.UK foreign travel advice: USA (getting help).
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