When the Netherlands set up a consulate in Atlanta in 2019, the government made clear that its raison d’être and priority would be economic exchanges with the broader Southeast region.
Consular services — the behind-the-scenes work many diplomatic missions do to process passports, visas and other documents and declarations — would not be offered.
But the vocal Dutch community has apparently made enough noise to change that starting July 1, when the consulate’s new office in Midtown starts offering such services as well as document collection by appointment only on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
“The long wait is almost over,” read a post on the Dutch consulate’s LinkedIn page, which was shared by Consul General Ard Van der Vorst with a personal note appended: “I hope it was worth the wait.”
Mr. Van der Vorst, tapped to open Atlanta’s newest career consulate, has been busy in recent weeks putting the finishing touches on its first permanent office. He has told Global Atlanta in the past that his compatriots made it clear how offering passport renewals in Atlanta could save them time and headache. The Dutch foreign ministry in December announced a broader expansion of its consular network including the plan to launch consular services in Atlanta this year.
The Netherlands Consulate General in Miami — which previously covered Georgia — still will handle applications for MVVs, or long-stay visas in the Netherlands, along with the embassy in Washington.
Make an appointment at the Atlanta consulate online here.
For questions click here, send an email to atl-ca@minbuza.nl or call (+1) 404-879-6760.
The Dean Rusk International Law Center at the University of Georgia is the presenting sponsor of Global Atlanta's Diplomacy Channel. Subscribe here for monthly Diplomacy newsletters.
