Foreign Embassies and Consulates in the USA: 27 Key Addresses

Almost every country's embassy in the United States is in Washington, D.C., and most of them sit in two clusters: Embassy Row along Massachusetts Avenue NW, and the International Center enclave on International Drive and International Court in North Cleveland Park. Consulates, which handle most passport and document services for citizens living away from the capital, are spread across cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Miami and Atlanta. This guide explains how foreign missions in the USA are organised, lists the chancery addresses of 27 embassies, and shows how to find the right office for your passport or document problem.

You will find the bigger picture in our guide to the most famous landmarks in the USA.

A note on scope: this page is about other countries' embassies and consulates inside the USA. If you need a US visa, that is handled by US embassies and consulates in your own country; our visa section covers visa services. If you are visiting the capital, our United States travel page covers the wider trip.

Foreign embassies in the USA: key facts (as of October 2026)

• Embassy city: Washington, D.C.
• Embassy Row: Massachusetts Avenue NW, roughly between Scott Circle and the Naval Observatory
• Chancery enclave: International Drive and International Court NW
• Consulates: In major cities, each serving a set group of states
• Bring: Passport, ID and an appointment where required
• Before you go: Check the mission's official website for hours and appointments

How embassies and consulates in the USA work

An embassy is a country's main diplomatic mission, and in the US it is always in Washington, D.C. The building where the ambassador and main offices work is called the chancery. Many embassies also run a consular section that serves citizens and visa applicants from the capital region.

A consulate, usually called a consulate general, handles practical services for citizens in a defined area: passport renewals, emergency travel documents, registering births, notarising documents and issuing visas for their own country. Each consulate has a jurisdiction, a list of US states it serves. Applying to the wrong office is one of the most common reasons for delays, so check the jurisdiction list on the official mission site first.

Take Bangladesh. Its embassy is at 3510 International Drive NW in Washington, and it also has consulates general in New York and Los Angeles, each covering a different group of states.

Two other terms come up on official websites. An honorary consul is usually a local business person or professional who helps a country's citizens in a city where it has no full consulate; honorary consuls can often witness documents or give advice, but most cannot issue passports. A consular section is the passport and visa office inside an embassy, sometimes with its own entrance or a separate address nearby. When a mission's website lists two addresses, the consular one is almost always the one you need for documents.

Embassy Row on Massachusetts Avenue

Embassy Row is the stretch of Massachusetts Avenue NW between Scott Circle and the US Naval Observatory. Dozens of missions line the avenue and the streets just off it. The British Embassy at number 3100 and the embassies of Japan, India, Indonesia, Brazil and Turkey are all on or just off the avenue.

The avenue was Washington's grandest residential address in the late 1800s and early 1900s. After the 1929 crash, many owners sold their mansions, and foreign governments bought them; most of the embassies moved in during the 1940s and early 1950s. The stretch between Scott Circle and Sheridan Circle was once known as Millionaires' Row, and much of the avenue is now protected as a historic district, which is why so many chanceries still occupy Beaux-Arts houses.

As a walk, Embassy Row is a good one. Starting from Dupont Circle (Red Line), head north-west along Massachusetts Avenue past Sheridan Circle to the Islamic Center of Washington at number 2551, opened in 1957. Look out for the Mahatma Gandhi memorial outside the Indian Embassy and the Winston Churchill statue outside the British Embassy, placed in 1966 with one foot on embassy grounds and one on US federal land. The avenue ends at the US Naval Observatory at number 3450, home of the Vice President's residence, which is not open to casual visitors. Most embassies themselves are closed to the public except for appointments.

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The International Center chanceries

In North Cleveland Park, International Drive and International Court form a planned enclave of purpose-built chanceries. China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Jordan, Ethiopia, Ghana, Morocco, Bahrain and Brunei are among the countries with embassies there.

The enclave, run by the US State Department as the International Chancery Center, was developed on land that once belonged to the National Bureau of Standards, next to what is now the University of the District of Columbia. Countries lease plots and build their own chanceries, so the architecture changes from one plot to the next, from China's large modern complex to the smaller buildings of Gulf and African states.

The nearest Metro station is Van Ness-UDC on the Red Line, a short walk along Connecticut Avenue NW. The streets inside the enclave are quiet and lightly signed, and security at each chancery is strict, so arrive with your appointment confirmation and the exact street number. Parking on International Drive and International Court is very limited; public transport or a taxi to the entrance is usually easier.

Addresses of major foreign embassies in Washington, D.C.

Chancery street addresses below were checked in October 2026. Consular sections sometimes use a different address, and public service hours vary, so check the official website before any visit.

Embassy chancery addresses, Washington, D.C.

Some countries run separate consular offices in Washington. The Philippines lists consular services at 1617 Massachusetts Avenue NW, South Korea at 2320 Massachusetts Avenue NW and Thailand at 2300 Kalorama Road NW.

Where consulates are located in the USA

Larger countries run consulates in several US cities. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Miami and Atlanta host the most. New York also hosts the permanent missions to the United Nations, which represent countries at the UN and are separate from their consulates.

To find your nearest consulate, search your country's foreign ministry website, which lists every mission abroad with its jurisdiction. Avoid third-party sites that charge for appointment booking or forms that the mission provides free.

Jurisdictions follow geography, but not always the way people expect. A country with consulates in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles might assign Texas to Los Angeles, or the whole South-East to its embassy in Washington. Large countries also run smaller consulates in cities such as Boston, Seattle, Denver, Honolulu or Detroit, while smaller countries may have only an embassy consular section and a handful of honorary consuls. The jurisdiction is set by where you live or are staying, whatever office is easiest to reach, and many missions will not accept an application from outside their area.

Some consulates offer mobile or outreach consular days, when staff visit another city for a day or two to take passport applications. These are usually announced weeks in advance on the mission's website and social media, and they can save a long trip. Postal applications are accepted by some missions for renewals; check whether yours does before booking travel to the consulate.

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What to do if you lose your passport in the USA

Report the loss to local police and get a copy of the report, since many consulates ask for one. Then contact your embassy or the consulate covering the state you are in. Most can issue an emergency travel document or a replacement passport, but timelines and fees depend on your country.

If you are in danger or need urgent help, call 911 first. Embassies and consulates usually publish an emergency number for citizens outside office hours.

Prepare for the appointment with what you can still find: a photocopy or phone photo of the lost passport, another photo ID such as a driving licence, the police report, new passport photos in your country's format and proof of your travel plans, such as a flight booking. An emergency travel document is often valid only for the journey home, so if you plan to keep travelling, ask whether a full replacement passport is possible and how long it takes.

If the lost passport held a US visa, there is a second step. Your embassy can replace the passport, but a US visa cannot be replaced inside the United States: according to the US State Department, a new visa must be applied for at a US embassy or consulate abroad, with a police report and a written account of the loss. Your permission to stay is recorded on Form I-94, which for most air and sea arrivals is electronic and can be retrieved on the CBP I-94 website. A lost paper I-94 is replaced through USCIS on Form I-102. As long as your stay is still valid, you can usually leave on the new passport and apply for a new visa before your next trip.

Practical tips for visiting an embassy or consulate

Book an appointment with the right office before you go. Many missions see visitors only by appointment and turn walk-ins away, consulates serve specific states, so applying to the wrong one delays your case, and you should bring originals plus photocopies of your passport, visa and supporting documents.

• Book an appointment. Many missions only see visitors by appointment. Walk-ins are often turned away, even for simple services.
• Check jurisdiction. Consulates serve specific states. Applying to the wrong one delays your case.
• Bring originals and copies. Take originals plus photocopies of your passport, visa and any supporting documents, and passport photos that meet your country's format.
• Expect security checks. Phones and bags may be held at the door. Arrive early and travel light.
• Check payment methods. Some missions accept only money orders or card payments. Read the fee page before you go.
• Use official websites. Book and download forms only from your government's official mission website.

Before you travel to a mission, check whether you need to go in person at all. Many countries now handle passport renewals, document requests and some visa steps online or by post. In some cities your country may be represented only by an honorary consul, usually a local resident appointed to help citizens, who often cannot issue passports or visas. Read the list of services a post offers before you make the trip.

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