Regional Consulates and American Presence Post's
Consulates and APP’s
America’s first diplomatic mission abroad was established in France in 1779. That diplomatic mission has expanded to include not only the U.S. Embassy in Paris, but also Consulates General in Marseille and Strasbourg as well as four American Presence Posts (APPs) in Bordeaux, Lyon, Rennes and Toulouse. The U.S. Embassy in Paris is the diplomatic and consular headquarters for France. In addition to its many bilateral and diplomatic responsibilities, the Embassy performs all non-immigrant and immigrant visa services for the country, as well as a range of consular services for U.S. citizens. The Consulates General are smaller diplomatic facilities and offer consular services for U.S. citizens. APPs are even smaller diplomatic presences (with just one American diplomat in residence) that are similar in function to the Consulates General.
Address: Place Varian Fry 13006 Marseille Telephone/Fax Numbers: [33] (0) 1 43 12 47 88 Email: citizeninfomarseille@state.gov Website: Consulates and APP’s
The Marseille Consular District
Marseille is France’s second largest city. The Marseille Consular District includes three French regions (Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence-Alps-Côte d’Azur - “PACA” - and Corsica), which together make up 13 departments with a total population of more than seven million people, or 14 percent of France’s total population. Major cities are Marseille, Nice, Cannes, Aix-en-Provence, Toulon, Avignon, Montpellier, Perpignan, Ajaccio and Bastia. The Consulate General also covers the Principality of Monaco. The territory covered by the consular district constitutes one of France’s most interesting areas and is often dubbed the “French sunbelt” because of its pleasant climate.
Principal Industry Sectors
Principal economic activities include agro-industry, information technology, semiconductors, bio-technology, aviation, alternative energy, ports and maritime transportation, petrochemicals, tourism and U.S. food franchises (including fast food and beverages).
Business Organizations
Sister City Relationships
The Marseille Consular District also enjoys sister city relationships with a number of U.S. cities:
Did You Know?
The first U.S. representative in Marseille was an honorary consul, French citizen Etienne Cathalan, who opened the first consulate offices on the rue Sainte (Sainte Street), just a few blocks from the present location.
Address 15, Avenue d'Alsace, 67082 Strasbourg Cedex Telephone/Fax Numbers: [33] (0) 1 43 1247 17 Email: USAStrasbourg@state.gov Website: Consulates and APP’s
The Strasbourg Consular District
The Strasbourg Consular District includes the three northeastern French regions of Alsace, Lorraine, and Franche Comté, which together make up 11 Departments with a total population of approximately 6 million people, or 12 percent of the French population. In addition to Strasbourg, the District includes the major cities of Metz, Nancy, Epinal, Besançon, Colmar and Mulhouse. The territory covered by the consular district holds a special relationship with neighboring Germany. This historical link continues to influence a unique architectural style, rich culinary delights, and cultural traditions.
Strasbourg is one of the few non-capital cities in the world that is home to several important international institutions including the Council of Europe (COE); the European Court of Human Rights; the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE); and European Parliament. Strasbourg’s historical city center is classified as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Principal economic activities in Alsace include mechanical engineering, automobiles and transport, electronics, chemicals, agri-industry and textiles. Strasbourg is an international rail hub, and also has the largest coal port in France, an important petroleum-refining center, and large metalworking industry. Lorraine is well known for its prestigious manufacture of stringed instruments, lead-crystal and glass. Franche-Comté leads Frances in micro-techniques, given its traditional expertise in watch-making and eyeglasses. Key sectors include heavy machinery, automotive products, clocks and watches, optical equipment, pipes and micro-dental surgery equipment. U.S. companies with a presence in the Strasbourg Consular District include DOW Chemical Company, General Motors, GE Medical Systems, Georgia Pacific, Honeywell, Kimberly Clark, Lilly, and Wrigley.
The Strasbourg Consular District also enjoys sister city relationships with a number of U.S. cities:
Strasbourg is considered to be the most bicycle-accessible city in France, and is home to over 300,000 bicycles. In other words, well over half of Strasbourg’s population owns a bike! The city has 560 km of bike paths, 360 one-way streets with two-way bike lanes, 19,000 bike stations, and 4,400 Vélhop bicycles, a city-run bike rental program. Biking in Strasbourg dates back to the late 19th century, when biking became a preferred method of transportation for the rich. In the 1890s, there was a “bicycle craze”, where biking reached an unprecedented level of popularity.
Address: 89 Quai des Chartrons 33300 Bordeaux Telephone/Fax Numbers: [33] (0) 1 13 1245 68 Email: usabordeaux@state.gov Website: Consulates and APP’s
The Bordeaux Consular District
American Presence Post Bordeaux includes the three French regions of Aquitaine, Poitou-Charentes and Limousin which together include 12 departments with a total population of more than 6 million people. Major cities are Bordeaux, Périgueux, Bergerac, Mont-de-Marsan, Agen, Bayonne, Pau, Poitiers, Angoulême, La Rochelle, Niort, Limoges, Guéret, Brive and Tulle.
Principal economic activities include agriculture/food, aerospace, optics, photonics, ceramics, automotive components, forestry, green building and imaging industries, and sports equipment. Over 100 U.S. companies have a presence in the Bordeaux Consular District, including Ford, Bristol Myers Squibb, Coca-Cola, IBM, Mondelez, JLG, Marsh, Napali, International Paper, BorgWarner, PNY, Steris, Stryker, AON, Federal Mogul, and Leroy Somer among others.
Cities in the Bordeaux Consular District also enjoy sister city relationships with a number of U.S. cities:
U.S. representation in Bordeaux dates from March 1778 when France formally recognized the independence of the thirteen colonies on February 6, 1778. The Continental Congress appointed John Bondfield as a commercial agent. This was the first known American diplomatic station in the world.
Address: 1 quai Jules Courmont 69002 Lyon Telephone/Fax Numbers: [33] (0) 1 43 12 46 30 Website: Consulates and APP’s
Email: usalyon@state.gov
The Lyon Consular District
The Lyon Consular District includes three French regions (Auvergne, Bourgogne, and Rhône-Alpes), which together make up 16 departments with a total population of more than eight and a half million people. Major cities include Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Grenoble, Lyon, and Saint-Etienne. The territory covered by the Lyon consular district is known for being France’s leading industrial and manufacturing region, as well as a leader in scientific research and development.
Principal economic activities include industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, tires, trucks and buses, plastic processing, industrial textiles, composite materials, nanotechnologies, biotechnologies, and tourism. Over 800 U.S.-capitalized companies have a presence in the Rhône-Alpes region alone, and in the Lyon Consular District include Caterpillar, Hewlett Packard, Michelin, Tyco, Xerox, Sun Microsystems, and Merck, among others.
The Lyon Consular District also enjoys sister city relationships with a number of U.S. cities:
The Rhône-Alpes region has a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Formally established in 2006, the Rhône-Alpes is the first French region to have such a relationship with an American state. Under the MOU the two regions have agreed to work toward strengthening relations and facilitating exchange in the fields of the economy, education, research, and culture
Address: 30 quai Duguay-Trouin, 35000 Rennes, France Telephone/Fax Numbers: [33] 1 43 12 46 20 Email: usarennes@state.gov Website: Consulates and APP’s
The Rennes Consular District APP Rennes covers the regions of northwestern France: Brittany, Lower Normandy and the Pays de la Loire, an area larger than the Benelux countries, which represents nearly 8 million inhabitants and 12 departments. Major cities are Rennes, Nantes, Brest, Le Mans, Caen, Angers and Cherbourg. APP Rennes has a very active commercial program. Principal Industry Sectors Agribusiness, automotive production (the PSA Peugeot Citroën factory near Rennes employs 5,000 people), shipbuilding industries (frigates, submarines, propulsion equipment) in Nantes, Brest, Lorient, Cherbourg and Saint Nazaire and aerospace industries (Airbus has two plants in Nantes and Saint Nazaire) are major economic sectors. One key economic sector in Rennes as well as elsewhere in Brittany is telecommunication research, with 40 percent of French telecom research centered in Rennes, Brest, and Lannion. The Rennes Atalante Science Park, created in 1984, is the center of new technology development in Rennes and is acknowledged as one of Europe's leading telecom research parks. Renewable energies are taking on more importance with the planned construction of four major offshore wind parks and two tidal turbine parks in the coming years. Brittany, Lower Normandy and the Pays de la Loire account for ten percent of France’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and about ten percent of French exports.
Major Sister City Relationships
Did You Know? 200 U.S. companies are located in APP Rennes’ consular district and that in 2011 APP Rennes was awarded the President’s National Export Initiative Award for its successful support of U.S. exporters.
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