Malians abroad: consular card, passport, civil status and documents to get in Mali
Malian embassies and consulates; administrations in Mali
Several million Malians live outside the country. Some of their procedures are handled at the embassy or consulate in their country of residence; others can only be done in Mali, which means travelling back or getting help on the ground. This page sorts them out from the official texts.
Key points (checked on 17 October 2026)
- At the consulate: registration and consular identity card, passport, safe-conduct, civil status certificates, transcription of foreign certificates, legalisation and notarial deeds.
- Births and deaths: declare to the local authorities within 30 clear days, then to the consulate for transcription.
- Identity card: since the 2025 decree, the AES consular identity card replaces the paper consular card; it is only issued at diplomatic and consular missions.
- Only in Mali: criminal record (court of the place of birth), nationality certificate (court), birth certificate extract (civil status centre).
What the consulate does
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ambassador and the consul, who protect Malians abroad and their property, issue consular identity cards, draw up certificates and attestations and legalise documents; they also act as civil registrar and notary. The diplomatic missions website adds that they issue and renew passports and other travel documents. The consulate cannot grant a divorce, which is a matter for a court.
In case of serious illness, accident or death, the embassy or consulate makes the necessary arrangements with relatives and informs the family back home.
Registering and getting the consular card
The ministry recommends going to the embassy or consulate in the first days after arrival to register, that is, to be recorded as a member of the Malian community in that country. For the consular identity card, it asks for:
- the passport, national identity card or travel document;
- the residence permit issued by the immigration authorities of the host country.
Since decree no. 2025-0509 of 25 July 2025, the card issued to Malians living abroad is called the AES consular identity card: enrolment and issue take place only at diplomatic and consular missions (article 3), and it replaces the paper consular card (article 19). You cannot hold a valid AES biometric identity card and a valid AES consular card at the same time (article 8). Cards already issued remain valid until they expire. Documents and the five-year validity are covered on our biometric identity card page.
Passport and safe-conduct
The consulate issues passports to resident Malians on request, under the regulations in force. In an emergency, a safe-conduct can be issued instead of a passport to travel to Mali or to the country of residence. The new AES e-passport and its five-year transition are covered on our Malian passport page.
Births, marriages, deaths: transcription
Births and deaths abroad must be declared to the local authorities within 30 clear days, then to the consulate for transcription. A marriage can take place before the authorities of the country of residence or at the consulate; if it is held before local authorities, the certificate must be transcribed in the consular registers.
Transcription copies into the consular registers a certificate drawn up by a foreign authority. It then lets you obtain copies of birth, marriage or death certificates, which are essential for the identity card, the passport or the children's nationality. For a foreign spouse, the one-year objection period for nationality by marriage runs from this transcription.
What can only be done in Mali
| Document | Where | Our guide |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal record certificate | court of the place of birth; for a Malian born abroad, the public prosecutor of the Court of Appeal | Criminal record certificate |
| Nationality certificate | criminal record and nationality certificate office of a court | Nationality certificate |
| Birth certificate extract (birth in Mali) | civil status centre of the place of birth | Birth certificate extract |
| Diploma authentication | national directorate of higher education, possible by post | Diplomas |
| Land title check | Land and Cadastre services | Land title |
The official sheets describe these procedures with the applicant appearing at the desk; they do not say whether someone else can do them on your behalf, with exceptions (diploma authentication by post; collecting a biometric identity card by proxy, provided for in the instruction of 8 August 2023). Check with the administration concerned, and for a power of attorney, have it legalised at the consulate.
Employment and social security
Mali has signed social security agreements with several countries, including France, Burkina Faso, Togo, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Guinea, Mauritania and the United States, according to the ministry. They help secure certain rights (health, old age, family benefits) from one country to another. In Mali, employees' rights fall under INPS.
In each country, associations of Malians abroad and the consular councils, extensions of the High Council of Malians Abroad, link the community with the diplomatic mission.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a Malian consular card?
By registering at the embassy or consulate, with your passport, identity card or travel document and your residence permit. Since 2025 it is the AES consular identity card, issued only at diplomatic and consular missions.
Can a Malian born abroad get a criminal record certificate?
Yes: it is issued by the public prosecutor of the Court of Appeal, according to the official portal.
Do I need to declare a child born abroad to the consulate?
Yes: after declaring the birth to the local authorities within 30 clear days, the same declaration is made at the consulate for transcription.
Can the consulate grant a divorce?
No, it has no power to do so; divorce is a matter for a court.
Official sources (checked on 17 October 2026)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, "Going abroad" (French) (archived copy of 22 September 2023, the ministry website being unreachable on 17 October 2026): role of consulates, consular card, passport, safe-conduct, civil status, transcription, social security.
- Diplomatic missions and consular posts of Mali, diplomatiemdc.gouv.ml: consular services.
- Official Journal of Mali, decree no. 2025-0509 of 25 July 2025 (French), articles 3, 8 and 19 (AES consular identity card).
- Government of Mali, procedures portal, Criminal record (French) and Nationality by marriage (French).