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Archive for August, 2017

New Honorary Consul

Posted in Film on August 2, 2017| Leave a Comment »

After 18 years in post, Jo Chexal retired in June as Honorary Consul for the Republic of Germany.

Her consular district used to include Northumberland, Cumbria, Tyne & Wear and Durham, but more recently, following the retirement of Honorary Consul John Knight, Teesside and North Yorkshire (not Selby) were added to her region.

Over these 18 years, Jo looked after many individuals & families in need of new passports, children’s passports, name declarations, authentication of signatures and copies etc. She helped German nationals (tourists and residents) in all types of emergencies. Those drawing a German pension were able to come to Jo every year to get their Lebensbescheinigung stamped.

And of course, she did a fantastic job introducing the region to visitors (may it be investors or twin town partnerships and so on) and, of course, representing Germany at many local events and initiatives.

Manuela Wendler has now been appointed as the new Honorary Consul, looking after the same region as Jo Chexal. Her consular office will be based at Newcastle’s Civic Centre and she also offers appointments once a week on a Thursday.

If you do require any assistance/an appointment, please contact her either via email (newcastle-upon-tyne@hk-diplo.de) or the office number (07954 034 744).

Please note that it currently takes around 6 – 8 weeks to get a biometric passport. Applications for visas or ID cards can only be made at the Consulate in Edinburgh for residents in the North East & Cumbria.

For information on all consular services in the UK, please visit German Missions in the UK.

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Elections, Brexit & More

Posted in Food & Drink, German Embassy & Consular Offices, Languages & Communications on August 2, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Dear Stammtisch Friends

Just to keep you updated regarding any changes for German citizens following the UK’s decision to leave the EU. There is an FAQ section on the Consular Website for Germany, which you may find helpful, in particular while the UK and EU are in negotiations as it states the current situation. The EU has a similar website for EU citizens in general – click here.

Even though we hear just about the ‘divorce’ in the media, you may be interested to learn that the UK and Germany have just announced doubling of funding for a youth exchange initiative, the ‘UK-German Connection‘. Click here for the press release .

If you are a German national and would like to vote in September’s German elections, you need to make sure to register – click Bundeswahlleiter for further details.

Congratulations to the Lake District, which recently achieved Unesco World Heritage status. This will surely bring another boost of visitors to this beautiful part of the UK and make it even more well-known around the world. It shares this status with Waddensee, a nature reserve for which Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands have responsibility for.

One of the best things about Munich, in my opinion, is its beer gardens. If you are visiting and you wonder where they are all located, check out the City of Munich’s ‘Biergartenfahrplan‘.

Holidays are always a great time to improve your language skills. Growing up in a country helps of course – Sandra Bullock is a prime example with her perfect Franconian accent. However, some native English speakers like Mark Twain, found it more frustrating and he ended up writing an essay about our ‘awful language‘. But author John le Carre just recently made a case for learning German in this Guardian article.

But if a drink helps too, you may want to head to Aldi for their gin (only available in the UK). It is apparently not a bad choice at all as it has been recognised as one of the best in the world. Maybe a tonic from Fentiman’s in Hexham may go well together?

Enjoy your summer holidays, lots of BBQs, ice creams and chilled drinks!

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