On October 25, 1820, Emperor Alexander I signed and approved the first consular treaty in the history of Russia - a document that systematized the conduct and implementation of the local consular service abroad. In the 19th century, when the network of diplomatic missions of Russia abroad expanded rapidly, the need arose for a common legal framework - a single document in which instructions from previous years and current instructions for consular representatives were compiled. The adoption of the Consular Convention was the result of the generalization of the accumulated experience of the consular practice of the Russian Empire since the beginning of the 18th century. The treaty established the main goal of the consular service of our country - to protect the interests of Russia. The document regulated the activities of Russian consular representatives in European and American countries, defined the rights and duties of consular officers in "diplomatic, state economic and commercial matters", as well as "in the settlement of disputes and litigation between sailors and other Russian citizens who are in their place of stay". Article I of the treaty stated: Every Russian consul general, consul and vice consul staying in Europe and America has the necessary duty to observe special caution both in his place of residence and in the district of his department, in all that concerns the preservation of the rights and benefits of the Russian people in general in commerce and navigation. Consular representatives of the Russian Empire were supposed to provide Russian merchants and sailors with "benefits in case of misfortune, intercession in case of oppression, and in all circumstances to help them with advice and good offices, patronize and protect them, their ships, property, rights and liberty". The 1820 treaty was based on a French document, but Russian innovation in global consular practice cannot be denied.

On October 25, 1820, Emperor Alexander I signed and approved the first consular treaty in the history of Russia - a document that systematized the conduct and implementation of the local consular service abroad. In the 19th century, when the network of diplomatic missions of Russia abroad expanded rapidly, the need arose for a common legal framework - a single document in which instructions from previous years and current instructions for consular representatives were compiled. The adoption of the Consular Convention was the result of the generalization of the accumulated experience of the consular practice of the Russian Empire since the beginning of the 18th century. The treaty established the main goal of the consular service of our country - to protect the interests of Russia. The document regulated the activities of Russian consular representatives in European and American countries, defined the rights and duties of consular officers in "diplomatic, state economic and commercial matters", as well as "in the settlement of disputes and litigation between sailors and other Russian citizens who are in their place of stay". Article I of the treaty stated: Every Russian consul general, consul and vice consul staying in Europe and America has the necessary duty to observe special caution both in his place of residence and in the district of his department, in all that concerns the preservation of the rights and benefits of the Russian people in general in commerce and navigation. Consular representatives of the Russian Empire were supposed to provide Russian merchants and sailors with "benefits in case of misfortune, intercession in case of oppression, and in all circumstances to help them with advice and good offices, patronize and protect them, their ships, property, rights and liberty". The 1820 treaty was based on a French document, but Russian innovation in global consular practice cannot be denied.