Consul

Honduran Government   Honduras is administratively divided into eighteen departments (Atlántida, Choluteca, Colón, Comayagua, Copán, Cortés, El Paraíso, Francisco Morazán, Gracias a Dios, Intibucá, Islas de la Bahía (Bay Islands), La Paz, Lempira, Ocotepeque, Olancho, Santa Bárbara, Valle, and Yoro), each with a designated department capital (cabecera).

The president of the republic freely appoints, and may freely remove, governors for each department. Departmental governors represent the executive branch in official acts in their department and serve as the tie between the executive branch and other national agencies and institutions that might have delegations working in the department.

Each governor may freely appoint and remove a secretary to assist him or her. If a governor is absent more than five days, the mayor of the departmental capital substitutes for the governor. The costs of running the departmental governments fall under the budget of the Ministry of Government and Justice.
 
The departments are further divided into 291 municipalities (municipios) nationwide, including a Central District consisting of the cities of Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela.

A municipality in Honduras may include more than one city within its boundaries, and is therefore similar to the jurisdiction of county in the United States. In addition to cities, municipalities may also include aldeas (villages) and caseríos (hamlets), which are scattered concentrations of populations outside urban areas. The urbanized cities may be divided into smaller divisions known as colonias (colonies) and barrios (neighborhoods).

The municipalities are administered by elected corporations, deliberative organs that are accountable to the courts of justice for abuses, and are supposed to be autonomous or independent of the central government's powers. The municipal corporations consist of a mayor (alcalde), who is the paramount executive authority in a municipality, and a municipal council that varies in size depending on the population of the municipality.

Those municipalities with a population of less than 5,000 have four council members, those with a population of between 5,000 and 10,000 have six, and those with a population between 10,000 and 80,000 have eight. All the department capitals, regardless of their population, and municipalities with a population of more than 80,000 have ten council members.

Each municipal corporation has a secretary, freely appointed and removed by a majority of the members of the corporation, and a treasurer, named by the corporation at the request of the mayor. Municipalities with annual revenue of more than one million lempiras are to have an auditor named by the municipal corporation; however, in the early 1990s, the majority of Honduran municipalities had an annual revenue of less than one million lempiras.

The constitution sets forth several provisions regarding the municipalities. According to Article 299, the economic and social development of the municipalities must form part of the nation's development plans. Each municipality is also to have sufficient communal land in order to ensure its existence and development. Citizens of municipalities are entitled to form civic associations, federation, or confederations in order to ensure the improvement and development of the municipalities. In general, income and investment taxes in a municipality are paid into the municipal treasury.

In 1990 a new Law of Municipalities covering both departmental and municipal administration superseded the previous municipal law issued in 1927. The new law set forth the numerous rights and responsibilities of the municipalities and public administration at the municipal level.

It also outlined the concept of municipal autonomy, characterized by free elections; free public administration and decisions; the collection and investment of resources with special attention on the preservation of the environment; the development, approval, and administration of a municipal budget; the organization and management of public services; the right of the municipality to create its own administrative structure; and municipal control over natural resources.

The law also outlines twenty-one functions of the municipal corporations, which include the following responsibilities: organizing public administration and services, developing and implementing a municipal budget, appointing public employees and naming needed public commissions, planning urban development, and consulting the public through plebiscites on important municipal issues and through open public meetings with representatives of the various social sectors of the municipality.

Under the law, each municipality has a Municipal Development Council named by the corporation and consisting of representatives of the various economic and social sectors of the municipality.  The Municipal Development Council functions in an advisory capacity by providing the corporations with information and input for making decisions. The law also calls for a special law to be enacted to regulate the organization and functioning of a national Institute of Municipal Development to promote the integrated development of municipalities in Honduras.

Traditionally, the central government in Honduras, whether civilian or military, has dominated local government, and some observers maintain that local mayors and municipal corporations have served largely as administrative arms of the central government. With the return to democratic rule in 1982, however, there has been a shift, at least in theory, to promote the economic development and political independence of the municipalities.

New provisions in the 1982 constitution call for economic and social development in the municipalities to form parts of national development programs and outline the right of citizens to form organizations to ensure the improvement and development of the municipalities.

The Callejas government emphasized support for political and administrative decentralization from the executive branch to the municipalities. In fact, one of the objectives in establishing the Modernization of the State Commission in 1990 was to reduce the centralism of the executive branch through the effective and orderly transfer of functions and resources to the municipalities in order to fortify their autonomy.

The promulgation of the new Law of Municipalities in 1990 was further evidence of the Callejas government's emphasis on municipal development. Observers noted, however, that the executive branch, particularly through the decentralized agencies and institutions, still  wielded significant power at the local level in the early 1990s.

One significant measure approved in 1992 was reform of the nation's electoral law for the 1993 national elections. For the first time, the law would allow voters to cast their ballots separately for mayoral candidates.
In previous elections, the practice of split-party voting was not allowed, and the mayors were elected based on the percentage of the vote received by the presidential candidates.

The reform of the electoral law is significant in that it makes elected mayors directly accountable to the electorate and strengthens the democratic process at the local level. The reform could also strengthen the chances for the nation's two smaller parties to gain representation in the municipalities.

Consulados de Honduras en Los Estados Unidos

Tourist Requirements

Citizens of the United States, Western Europe, Canada, Argentina, and Chile are not required to have a visa and are issued a tourist visa on arrival in Honduras. Authorities are currently granting 90-day visas, and any extensions (30 more days are available) must be taken care of at the immigration office in Tegucigalpa. Citizens of all other countries are required to obtain visas before entering Honduras. Cost usually depends on what that country charges Hondurans for visas. Sometimes it’s free, and sometimes it can cost up to US$20. Tourists are granted a 90-day visa upon entry. One 30-day renewal is allowed, for a US$20 fee. Renewals can no longer be processed at the immigration offices across the country but must be submitted in Tegucigalpa. You should be able to get the form at least at the migración office in most large cities. The immigration office (www.migracion.gob.hn) in Tegucigalpa is on the anillo pereférico, opposite the UTH (Universidad Tecnico de Honduras). Sometimes you may be asked to get a certain amount of timbre stamps, available at a local bank, as payment, and you will need to leave your passport for 1–3 days. The fine for overstaying a visa is calculated at immigration upon exiting the country; airport officials are accustomed to doing this, and no one else seems to be able to say in advance how much it will be. One report is that there is a US$32 fine for the first month and 20 percent of the minimum salary (US$290) for each additional month. Others have been charged more.

Foreigners are required to carry their passports with them at all times, but rarely if ever will it be checked. Be sure to keep photocopies in your hotel room or, better still, just carry the photocopies.

CONDUCT & CUSTOMS

Generally speaking, Honduran society features customs and traditions similar to those in other countries in the region. Family is of paramount importance, although marriages are often informal due to the expense of weddings and the scarcity of priests. The majority of Hondurans are Catholic, though not necessarily strict ones.  When traveling in Honduras, don’t plan on being in a hurry to get anywhere. Things happen at a leisurely pace, and no one rushes. Trying to pressure people to act with haste will get little result other than stress. Take it easy.  Hondurans are fairly laid-back about clothes in general, but wearing shorts will certainly draw some odd looks in rural villages in the interior. Generally, beachwear should be left to the north coast and the Bay Islands. Public nudity, including swimming naked, is illegal in Honduras (although Paya Bay resort on Roatan has “naturalist” weeks on its private beaches).  The litter level in Honduras is disturbingly high. Don’t be surprised to see locals toss garbage on the street or out the bus window.

Argentina     Address: Av. J. M. Medina 417, Colonia Rubén Dario (Apto. Post 3208)   Tegucigalpa Fax: 504 231-0376 Tel: [504] 232 -3376, 3274, 4543 E-mail: emarho@multivisionhn.net	Austria Ave. La Paz # 2326 Edif. Plaza del Sol 2do piso, Tegucigalpa, Honduras Telefax: 236-7680	Belgium – Bélgica  Edificio Banco Atlántida, 3er piso Boulevard Centro América, Tegucigalpa Tel: 504] 232-1050/3954, 232-1742   Fax: [504] 231-1974 Email: josermendoza@bancatlan.hn, jomen45@yahoo.com
Bolivia Aseguradora Hondureña Edif.. El Planetario 4to Piso Lomas del Guijarro Sur, Tegucigalpa Tels: 239-7248 / 232-2729	GIFTS & THINGS REGALOS y COSAS	Belice Col. Palmira, Área Comercial del Hotel Honduras Maya,   Tegucigalpa Tel: 504) 238-4616/4617  Fax: 504) 238-4617 E-mail: consuladobelice@yahoo.com
Brasil     Col.  Palmira, Avenida República de Brasil 2301, Apartado Postal: 341, Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. Tel. :(504) 221-4432/0705, 236-6310/6613     Fax: (504) 236-5873 Email: brastegu@sigmanet.hn	Canadá Centro Financiero UNO, 3er. piso  Blvd. San Juan Bosco, Col. Payaquí,  Tegucigalpa Tel: (504) 232-4551 / 6799   Fax: (504) 239-7767 E-mail: tglpa@international.gc.ca	China     11 y 12 Calle "B", 24 Avenida "B", Col. Trejo, San Pedro Sula Tel: [504] 556-8490, 556-5875 Emergency Tel.: [504] 390-9595/ 6688; 556-5130  Fax: [504] 556-5802 Email: sap@mofa.gov.tw

China / Taiwán Colonia Lomas del Guijarros, Calle Eucaliptos #3750, Tegucigalpa             Tel: [504] 239-5837 [504] 9978-0042,    239-7417     Fax: [504)] 232-5103 Email: hnd@mofa.gov.tw	Chile Col. El Guijarro Sur, Cll. Oslo No 442 Tegucigalpa M.D.C. Tel / Fax: (504) 235-6183 E-mail: echilehn@123.hn	Costa Rica Residencial El Triángulo, 1ra. cll. No. 3451 Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. Tel: 504-232-1768  Fax: 504-232-1054 E-mail: embahondu@embajadaenhonduras.go.cr
Colombia Edif. Palmira, 3er. piso, Módulo H, fte. al Hotel Honduras Maya Tegucigalpa Fax: (504) 239-9324 Tel: (504) 232-5131, 239-9709 E-mail: ehonduras@cancilleria.gov.co	YOUR GIFTS SUS REGALOS	Cuba Col. Tepeyac, Cll, Luis Bográn Casa No 1201, atrás de Casa Mexicana,         Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. Tel. (504) 239-3778/4045   Fax (504) 235-7624 E-mail: embacuba@multivisionhn.net
Denmark – Dinamarca Edificio La Paz # 206, 2 piso final Blvd. los Próceres, 2½ cuadras arriba Hospital San Felipe, Tegucigalpa     Fax: [504] 236-8443 Phone: [504] 236-6407, 236-6482, 236-6491/6645	Dominican Republic / Rep. Dominicana Col. Miramontes, Edif. Continental, 1er.Piso, Local No. 21, Tegucigalpa Tel: (504) 239-5969/ 0130 Fax: (504) 239-1594	Ecuador Col. Lomas del Casta-o Sur Contiguo a Catholic Relief Service Sendero Senecio, Bloque F No.2968 Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.              Fax: (504) 221-1049 Tel: (504) 221-6613 / 4906 E-mail: mecuahon@amnettgu.com
España / Spain Col. Matamoros, Cll. Santander  # 801,  Tegucigalpa, Honduras Tel: (504) 236-6589   Fax: (504) 236-8682 E-mail:emb.tegucigalpa@mae.es	Finland – Finlandia Final Ave. Los Próceres, Frente a la Compañía Distribuidora,  PO Box 152  Tegucigalpa Phone: 504-236-7322  Fax: 504-236-6740 Email: luiskafie@hotmail.com	Your VACATIONS Sus VACACIONES

France – Francia 337 Avenida Juan Lindo Colonia Palmira - AP 3441, Tegucigalpa Tel: [504] 236-6800/5583/6432 Fax: [504] 236-8051,     221-3578 Website: http://www.ambafrance-hn.org Email: info@ambafrance-hn.org	Grecia - Greece Colonia Lomas del Guijarro Tegucigalpa, Honduras Tel: 239-7355 Fax: 234-1418	Germany - Alemania Edif. Paysen, 3er piso Blvd. Morazán, Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. Tel: (504) 232-3161 Fax: (504) 239-9018 E-mail: embalema@cablecolor.hn
Guatemala Col. Lomas del Guijarro,  Cll. Alfonso XII fte. a oficinas de OIRSA,         Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. Tel: (504) 232-5018/  231-1543/    235-6696    Fax: (504) 232-1580 E-mail: embhonduras@minex.gob.gt		Japan -  Japón Col. San Carlos entre 4ta. Ave., y 5ta. cll. atrás de Supermercado La Colonia, Blvd. Morazán,  Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. Tel: (504) 236-6828 / 5511 Fax: (504) 236-6100 / 6110 Website: Embassy of Japan in Honduras Email: gerardo@graduate.chiba-u.jp
Hungria - Hungary Joyería Handal’s 2do Piso Avenida Colon #523, Tegucigalpa Tels: 220-4700 Ext 109        Fax: 220 5426	Israel Colonia Palmira, Ave. Republica de Argentina # 257, Tegucigalpa, Honduras Tels: 232- 0776 /2809           Fax: 231-1874	WEBSITES @ $3.99 REDS @ $3.99
India Edificio Domeinter Final Ave. Los Próceres, Tegucigalpa Tels: 221-5080 / 236-5665 Fax: 236 9113	Italy – Italia Av. Tierno Galván - Colonia Monte Carlo, Apartado Postal U-9093,      Tegucigalpa Tel: [504-236-5519/239-5026/5396 Fax: [504] 236-5659 /239-5737 Website: Embassy of Italy	Gran Bretaña – Great Britain 13 ave. 11 y 12 calle S.O. # 62 Bo. Suyapa, San Pedro Sula Tel:557-2046   Fax: 552-9764

Korea Zona El Cacao, 1 Ave. S.E. San Pedro Sula Tel 556-6433 / 8364     Fax 556-6538	Jamaica Edificio Comercial Los Proceres Avenida Los Proceres # 3917,   Tegucigalpa Tel: 236-7476  Fax: 236-5826	Jordania - Jordan Edif.. Comercial Los Proceres Ave. Los Próceres # 3917, Tegucigalpa Tel: 236-7476  Fax: 236-5826
Panamá Edif. Palmira, 3er. piso, Fte. al Hotel Honduras Maya, Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. Tel: (504) 239-5508  Tel / Fax: (504) 239-8147 E-mail: ephon@multivisionhn.net	Perú Col. Linda Vista, cll. que conduce a la Dowal School No 3301,            Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. Tel: (504) 236-7994/8345         Fax: (504) 221-4596 E-mail: embajadadelperu@cablecolor.hn	Portugal Col. Alameda, Ave. Principal, Edif. Festival, contiguo al I.N.A. Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. Tel: (504) 232-3834    Fax: (504) 239-6929 E-mail: festival@festivalconsultores.com
Paraguay Saybe y Asociados 2a Calle, 16 y 17 Ave. #116, San Pedro Sula Tel: 557- 2572 /2575  Fax: 557- 8365	Polonia - Poland Zona El Cacao, 14 Ave. S.E., San Pedro Sula, Honduras Tel: 556-8364        Fax:556-6538	Russia - Rusia Colonia 21 de Octubre Entrada Bo. El Rincón, Tegucigalpa Tels: 236 8788 /9116   Fax: 236-8438
El Salvador Col. Altos de Miramontes, diagonal Agustín, No. 2952 Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. Tel: (504) 239-7015/7017     Fax: (504) 239-6556 E-mail: embasalhonduras@rree.gov.sv		Switzerland Embassy - Embajada (Honduras Emb. is Represented in Guatemala) Physical Address: Embajada de Suiza Edif. Torre Internacional,  16 Calle 0-55, Zona 10, Guatemala Tel: 0041 31 322 18 56 Web: Embajada de Suiza

Tailandia / Thailand Col. Lara, 3ra. Ave. No. 801 Tegucigalpa, M.D.C., Honduras Tel: (504) 236-6452 Fax: (504) 236-6468 E-mail: resibahr@multivisionhn.net	La Santa Sede / Vaticant Nunciatura Apostólica, Col. Palmira, Cll. Santa Sede 401        Tegucigalpa, M.D.C., Honduras Tel: (504) 238-6013, 238-6013   Fax:(504) 238-6257 E-mail: nunciaturateg@amnettgu.com	Suecia / Sweden Mall El Dorado, 6to. piso Tegucigalpa, M.D.C., Honduras Tel: (504) 290-1800 Fax: (504) 290-1810 E-mail: ambassaden.tegucigalpa@sida.se
VENTA AL POR MAYOR WHOLESALE	Venezuela Col. Rubén Darío, Circuito Choluteca-B, No. 2116 Tegucigalpa, M.D.C., Honduras Tel: (504) 232-1886 / 1879 Fax: (504) 232-1016 E-mail: evenezue@amnettguo.com	United Kingdom - Inglaterra British Embassy (Honduras Represented in Guatemala)  Edificio Torre Internacional, Nivel 11,  16 Calle 0-55, Zona 10,  Guatemala City Tel: [502] 2367 5425,6,7,8,9 Web: British Embassy in Guatemala City
United Kingdom - Inglaterra Honorary Consul –Con Honoraria Tegucigalpa, Honduras Tel: [504] 237-6577, 0645/0324   Fax: [504] 232-5480 Email: dancasco@compunet.hn	Suecia Colonia Miramontes 6ª Calle Placencia # 2359 Tegucigalpa, Honduras Telefax: 232-4935	United Kingdom - Inglaterra Honorary Consul–Consul Honoraria P O Box 20058,        San Pedro Sula, Honduras Tel: 504-550-2337  Email: dumas@netsys.hn
Suiza Colonia Lara 6a Avenida #702 Tegucigalpa, Honduras Telefax 236-8052	Luxemburgo Final Avenida Los Proceres Frente a Cia Distribuidores Tegucigalpa, Honduras Tel: 221-0308       Fax: 221-0269	Turquia - Turkey Avenida Villena Morales, Rente a Ed. Seuz Tegucigalpa, Honduras Tel: 221-8213  Fax: 221-8506

México Col. Lomas del Guijarro,  Ave. Eucalipto No 1001 Antiguo Restaurante Guijarro Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.               Fax: (504) 232-4719 Tel: (504) 232-0141/6471/4039 E-mail: embamexhonduras@gmail.com	BOOK NOW & SAVE RESERVE & AHORRE	Norway - Noruega Final Blvd. Los Procedes, fte. a antiguo local de Bodegas Codis, No. 4002         Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. Tel: (504) 236-5665/221-5080 Fax: (504)236-8904/236-9113 E-mail: sec@hondutec.net
DOMINIOS EN VENTA DOMAIN NAMES SALE	United States of América - EEUU Embassy - Embajada Avenida La Paz, Tegucigalpa, Honduras Tel: [504] 236-9320, 238-5114 Fax: [504] 236-9037 Web: United States Embassy in Honduras www.honduras.usembasy.gv	The Netherlands - Holanda Col Florencia Norte 3era. Ave., Casa No. 2315 Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. Tel: (504) 235-8090/239-0525 Fax: (504) 239-0526 E-mail: cgnlhon@cablecolor.hn
Líbano - Lebanon Centro Comercial Megaplaza Salida a La Lima, San Pedro Sula Tel: 553 1642           Fax: 552-6426	BUENO! BONITO! Y BARATO! GOOD! PRETTY! & CHEAP	Uruguay Oficina de Café El Indio Barrio La Bolsa, Tegucigalpa Tel: 225-1675  Fax: 225-0115
Malta Edif. Midence Soto, 12 Piso No. 1202 Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.                Tel: (504) 237-5028, 238-1456 E-mail: peyrecave@123.hn flodep@hondutel.hn	Nicaragua Col. Lomas del Tepeyac B-M-1 Tegucigalpa, M.D.C., Honduras Tel: (504) 231-1966 Fax: (504) 231-1412 E-mail: embanic@multivisionhn.net	Yugoslavia Aparta Hotel Continental 5-41 Colonia Miramontes, Tegucigalpa Telefax: 235-7502

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