Activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the performance of consular functions

• The volume of consular activities between 2021 and 2024 has increased by 47% while the number of staff has decreased by 17.3%.
• Diplomatic representations and consular offices work with external service providers, such as call centre services, but there is insufficient supervision of these services.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ensures the efficient and effective delivery of consular assistance and consular services, however areas for improvement have been identified in the organisation and supervision of consular functions, which would help to ensure a better quality of service. These are the results of the National Audit Office's audit "Activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the performance of consular functions".

The volume of consular activities increased by 47% during the audit period, while the number of consular officers and consular staff (number of posts) actually performing consular functions and consular activities in the representations decreased by 17.3%. Thus, with fewer resources, more services are provided to Lithuanian citizens abroad.

Timeliness is important for the quality of services, but the Ministry does not monitor this and does not have the information it could use to improve its decisions.

Moreover, to maintain the quality, accessibility and delivery of services, it is important to ensure their supervision. It was found that 25% of the offices had been subject to consular inspections more than 5 years ago. There is no follow-up of the elimination of non-conformities identified during the year of the inspection and the implementation of the recommendations made. This data is essential for decision-making on improving the services.

Diplomatic representations and consular offices may cooperate with external service providers in order to carry out the tasks entrusted to them, for example by providing call centre services, carrying tasks related to visa applications or replacement of identity documents. Quality services from external suppliers require supplier training and supervision.

The audit found that not all premises for personal service in consular offices are compliant with the established requirements (10 out of 26 premises assessed were compliant). To ensure the quality and accessibility of services, the information provided on the websites of consular offices should be more accurate and comprehensive, and the visibility of e-services should be increased.

"The audit carried out by the National Audit Office revealed areas where the organisation and supervision of consular services by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs needs to be strengthened. We see that our citizens abroad need quality and timely assistance and we must ensure that the services provided by the State meet these expectations. The identified deficiencies in the organisation and supervision of these services pose a risk to the quality and accessibility of services, which may affect the safety and well-being of our citizens when they are away from Lithuania," says Auditor General Irena Segalovičienė.

According to her, the implementation of the recommendations made by the National Audit Office will allow the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to improve processes, manage available resources more efficiently and ensure a higher level of consular services.

"We hope that the Ministry will take responsible and immediate corrective action. Our citizens deserve reliable and high-quality consular assistance and the National Audit Office will continue to monitor how these important issues are being addressed," the Auditor General assures.