Consular Fellows Program

“Become a Consular Fellow and use your language proficiency in Mandarin, Spanish, Arabic, or Portuguese as part of a unique national service program working in U.S. embassies and consulates abroad.”

Become a Consular Fellow and use your language proficiency in Mandarin, Spanish, Arabic, or Portuguese as part of a unique national service program working in U.S. embassies and consulates abroad.

The Consular Fellows Program is a limited non-career appointment of up to five years which directly supports the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ mission to provide overseas consular services that protect U.S. citizens, ensure U.S. national security, facilitate the entry of legitimate travelers, and foster economic growth at home.

Consular Fellows adjudicate visa applications of foreign citizens seeking to come to the United States to visit, study, and work, and assist U.S. citizens traveling or living abroad. You are on the front lines of preventing fraud, combatting trafficking in persons, and protecting U.S. border security.

Working together with dedicated professionals, this public service opportunity provides valuable professional experience, and you will develop and apply a wide range of skills, from managing resources to conducting public outreach.

The Department of State offers a recruitment incentive bonus to eligible Consular Fellow candidates who demonstrate designated language qualifications. The Department determines the language qualifications each fiscal year based on service needs. For Fiscal Year 2025, a recruitment incentive bonus is available to Consular Fellow candidates who, at the time of hiring, have the following language scores: 2/1 Chinese Mandarin, 2/2 Portuguese, or 3/3 Spanish. Consular Fellows may also be eligible to participate in the U.S. Department of State’s Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) at any post in which they serve when they sign an initial three-year service agreement. For more information on the program visit Foreign Service Officer Benefits.

We are looking for motivated, culturally aware, adaptable problem-solvers who have sound judgment and strong customer service skills and can retain their composure during stressful circumstances.

Learn more about the duties and find all the requirements for the position and the application process by visiting the Consular Fellow Selection Process and Vacancy announcement. Please note this archived job listing is for informational purposes. Candidates must adhere to the requirements listed in the open vacancy announcement at the time of their application Sign up to receive a notification when the vacancy is open for application.

*EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION PROGRAM (E-Verify) – Verification of employment eligibility in the United States is required.

U.S. law requires companies to employ only individuals who may legally work in the United States – either U.S. citizens, or foreign citizens who have the necessary authorization. This agency utilizes E-Verify to compare information from the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) records to confirm employment eligibility. If the employee’s information does not match DHS and/or SSA records, the employee is given an opportunity to resolve the problem. If eligibility cannot be verified, employment will be terminated.

**The Department of State Suitability Review Panel and standards are defined in Chapter 3 of the Foreign Affairs Manual. For more information please visit: https://fam.state.gov/.

***For more information about Veteran’s Preference and how it is applied in the selection process, please visit: http://careers.state.gov/faqs/

Working Conditions

While overseas work with the State Department may appear glamorous with overseas travel to exotic locations, government-provided housing, and generous pay and benefits, service abroad can be challenging and sometimes dangerous. Health and sanitation facilities in foreign countries may be limited, air and water quality may not be up to U.S. standards, sporadic power and water outages may occur, internet service may be unreliable and/or expensive, and access to U.S.-branded goods may be limited. We seek motivated individuals who can maintain their composure, while continuing to exercise sound judgment – even in the face of potentially stressful circumstances and living conditions.

Special Circumstances

The Department of State will place language-qualified U.S. citizen Consular Fellows serving in Limited Non-Career Appointments (LNA) in country-specific posts with high visa workloads. These fellows will serve as professional members of embassy and consulate workforces. Limited appointments, however, do not provide expedited, alternate, preferential, or otherwise “special” access into either the Foreign Service or the Department of State Civil Service – these appointments do not lead to onward employment with the Department of State, or with the U.S. government. Consular Fellows may apply to become Foreign Service Specialists or Generalists, as well as Civil Service employees, but they must meet all applicable qualifications and complete the standard application and assessment processes. Consular Fellows who successfully complete 48 months of consecutive service as a Consular Fellow may qualify for non-competitive eligibility for government civil service positions.

Candidates applying for the Portuguese and Chinese language programs are hired for service in Brazil and China. Per the Foreign Affairs Manual (3 FAM 2424.5), the Department does not permit U.S. employees to be assigned to posts in countries of which they are nationals. [Additionally, candidates and their family members should be aware that, in general, countries do not extend privileges and immunities to family members who are dual nationals.

Additional Considerations

Service time and benefits earned as a Consular Fellow can be counted as federal employment, and credited towards federal retirement eligibility.

Consular Fellows who subsequently enter the Foreign Service as Entry Level Generalists are still required to fulfill the consular service requirement.

Applicant must be a U.S. citizen and available for work outside the United States. U.S. citizen candidates with dual nationality are ineligible for assignment within their country of dual nationality. The Portuguese and Chinese language programs are designed to fill consular positions in Brazil and China.

Periodic service rotating as an embassy or consulate duty officer requires a 24/7 commitment, typically for a one-week (six night) period of time.

Successful candidates who earn a job offer must be able to pass the Basic Consular Training Course. Failure to successfully complete this training would constitute grounds for separation.

Candidates earning a job offer must be able to obtain medical, security, and suitability clearances, including a country-specific clearance for the locale(s) of assignment. Suitability may include a review of specific factors of an employee’s appropriateness for assignment to a specific post, including, for example, whether the candidate has an immediate family member still residing in the country of proposed assignment, or whether the candidate’s spouse, children, parents, etc. have such a relationship.

Additional Benefits

Additional benefits include: Tax Free Housing Overseas, Tax Free Educational Allowance for eligible family members, overtime compensation, Accrual of Annual and Sick Leave, Life Insurance, inclusion in the Federal Employees’ Health Benefits Plan (FEHB), inclusion in the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS), and the possibility of hardship pay (where applicable), and may qualify for Non-Competitive Eligibility (NCE) for civil service hiring following 48 months of successful, consecutive service as a CF. Details about these benefits can be found at https://careers.state.gov. Not all benefits are applicable to LNA positions. For example, the Language Incentive Pay program is not included under the Consular Fellows program when proficiency in a specific language is a hiring prerequisite.

If you’re ready to apply, please visit Test Information and Selection Process.

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Working in the Foreign Service offers unique rewards that few other professions can match, including the experience of not just visiting, but living in, a foreign country, as well as the pride and gratification of representing the United States in an official capacity.	Learn More