A representative office of a government, located in a country other than its own, that includes the office of the ambassador. The ambassador is the principal representative of one government to the host government. A government has only one embassy in each foreign country.

A government's presence in a foreign country may include one or more consulates, in addition to an embassy. For example, the US has an embassy and four consulates in India (see Embassy of the United States New Delhi, India: Mission).

Embassies and consulates contain staff that performs a wide variety of functions, including:

For more information on temporary and permanent visa categories, see Key Nonimmigrant Visa Classifications Chart, Key Immigrant Visa Classifications Chart, and Family-Based and Diversity Immigrant Visa Classifications Chart. For more information on the visa sponsorship process, see Practice Note: Business Immigration Sponsorship: Overview.