Montana Consular Corps

The Montana Consular Corps is just one of Montana's many points of contact for business, cultural, political, and person to person exchange between Big Sky and countries and cultures beyond the horizon.

April 18, 2007, First Honorary Consul Meeting. From left to right: Shirley Ball, James Sites, Kizuku Matsunaga, Kent Madin, Chantal Moser, Robert Swartout.

What is an Honorary Consul?
Honorary Consuls in Montana are United States citizens with special ties to a particular foreign country. Each Consul has their own unique links based on business, personal heritage, or academics. Each has a special spot in their heart for Montana and the foreign country they represent. Created through internationally recognized treaties, Honorary Consuls are nominated and approved by the highest levels of the governments of their sponsor countries and are confirmed by the United States Department of State. Consuls assist foreign nationals of their sponsor country for immigration and legal matters, foster student and academic exchanges, encourage business and cultural ties, and work in a bi-lateral way to promote understanding and education between Montana and their sponsor country.

There are currently six Honorary Consul Members in Montana, representing seven different countries. The Official Honorary Consuls are as follows:

Shirley Ball-Canada
172 Ball Road
Nashau, MT 59248
(406) 785-3722
sball@nemont.net

Chantal Moser-France
825 Crestmont Way #F
Missoula, MT 59803
(406) 543-1075
rlm@montana.com

Dr. Robert Swartout- Republic of Korea
 Carroll College
1601 North Benton
Helena, MT 59625
(406) 447-4331
bswartou@carroll.edu

Kent Madin- Mongolia
14543 Kelly Canyon Road
Bozeman, MT 59715
(406) 587-0125
boojum@boojum.com

James Sites- Norway
PO Box 2529
Billings, MT 59103
(406) 252-3441
jsites@crowleylaw.com

Ernest R. "Ric" Bridwell- Kyrgyz Republic
 8515 York Road
Helena, MT 59602
(406) 475-3852
brid1@hotmail.com

The state of Montana and Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, share a sister-state relationship. While not officially designated an "Honorary Counsul," the Kumamoto Government dispatches staff to Montana for two-year periods. The staff works in close cooperation with the Japan Consulate General in Seattle to promote Montana/Japan relations.

Kizuku Matsunaga- Kumamoto, Japan
 34 North Last Chance Gulch
Helena, MT 59601
(406) 449-7904
kumamoto@mt.net