INTERNATIONAL ACCESS

Houston Companies with Foreign Trade Ties
Houston's foreign commercial ties exceed 3,200 firms and organizations trading more than 250 types of products and services in 17 regions.

Houston Companies with Foreign Trade Ties 



  • Nearly 540 Houston companies report having offices abroad in 126 countries around the globe. Approximately 700 firms in Houston report having foreign ownership. Survey results show that about 100 countries have either business offices or government representation in Houston.
  • Services are the most frequently reported business type, accounting for 29 percent of all reporting companies. These include accounting, law, banking computer software, engineering, health care, and telecommunications.
  • Manufacturing accounts for approximately 23 percent of all reporting companies, with oil and gas field machinery and equipment being the most frequently cited product group. Other business sectors, including trading, transportation/utilities, finance/insurance/real estate, mining, government health and education, accounted for the remainder of reported surveyed companies.
  • More than 560 Houston companies report importing products and approximately 735 companies and organizations report exporting products internationally.

International Business Costs
Houston offers an internationally competitive business environment at a favorable cost.

  International Business Cost Comparison 

  • The 2010 KPMG Guide to International Business Location shows Houston’s business cost is below the U.S. average and substantially lower than many major global cities. 
  • KPMG’s Overall Business Cost Index measures the combined impact of 26 cost components such as labor, transportation, real estate, utilities and taxes as applied to 17 different business operations.   
  • Houston’s business costs are below the U.S. average as well as the international average for several business operations including corporate and information technology services, research and development, and manufacturing.  

 Value of Foreign Trade Value 

 

  • The Houston-Galveston Customs District ranks as the third largest in the nation. The ports of entry in the Houston-Galveston Customs District include: the airport and seaport of Houston, Sugar Land Regional Airport and the seaports of Corpus Christi, Freeport, Galveston, Port Lavaca and Texas City. 
  • The growth in foreign trade has been fed by the Port of Houston which ranks first in U.S. foreign waterborne tonnage, and Bush Intercontinental Airport which ranks as the eleventh largest international air cargo gateway in the U.S. 
  • The ever-expanding Houston economy and the growth in the number of businesses have made Houston a lucrative and economically feasible market for international trade. 

Houston Foreign Consulate Representation
Foreign governments have established 94 consular offices in metropolitan Houston, ranking Houston third behind New York and Los Angeles.


HOUSTON CONSULAR OFFICES 

Consulate of the Republic of Albania 

Consulate of Kazakhstan 

Consulate General of the Republic of Angola 

Consulate General of the Republic of Korea 

Consulate General of the Argentine Republic  

Consulate General of the Kyrgyz Republic 

General of the Consulate of Australia 

Consulate of Latvia 

Consulate General of the Republic of Austria 

Consulate of Lebanon 

Consulate General of the Republic of Bangladesh 

Consulate of Lithuania 

Consulate of Barbados 

Consulate of Malaysia 

Consulate General of the Kingdom of Belgium 

Consulate General of the Republic of Malta 

Consulate General of Belize 

Consulate General of the United Mexican States 

Consulate General of the Republic of Bolivia 

Consulate General of Mongolia 

Consulate of the Republic of Botswana 

Consulate of the Republic of Namibia 

Consulate General of the Federative Republic of Brazil 

Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands 

Consulate of the Republic of Cameroon 

Consulate of New Zealand 

Consulate of Canada 

Consulate General of the Republic of Nicaragua 

Consulate General of the Republic of Chile 

Royal Norwegian Consulate General 

Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China 

Consulate of Pakistan 

Consulate General of the Republic of Colombia 

Consulate General of the Republic of Panama 

Consulate General of the Republic of Costa Rica 

Consulate General of the Independent State of Papua  

Consulate General of Cote d’Ivoire 

New Guinea 

Consulate General of the Republic of Cyprus 

Consulate of Paraguay 

Consulate of the Czech Republic  

Consulate General of the Republic of Peru 

Consulate of the Kingdom of Denmark 

Consulate General of the Republic of the Philippines 

Consulate General of the Republic of Ecuador 

Consulate of Poland 

Consulate General of the Arab Republic of Egypt 

Consulate of the Portuguese Republic 

Consulate General of the Republic of El Salvador 

Consulate General of the State of Qatar 

Consulate General of Equatorial Guinea 

Consulate of the Republic of Romania 

Consulate General of Estonia 

Consulate General of the Russian Federation 

Consulate of Ethiopia 

Consulate General of the Republic of Rwanda 

Consulate General of the Republic of Finland 

Consulate General of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 

Consulate General of the French Republic  

Consulate General of Senegal 

Consulate of the Republic of Georgia 

Consulate General of Sierra Leone 

Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany 

Consulate General of Singapore 

Consulate of the Republic of Ghana 

Consulate of the Republic of Slovenia 

Consulate of the Hellenic Republic  

Consulate General of the Kingdom of Spain 

Consulate General of the Republic of Guatemala 

Consulate General of Sri Lanka 

Consulate of the Co-Operative Republic of Guyana 

Consulate of Sweden 

Consulate of the Republic of Haiti 

Consulate General of Switzerland 

Consulate General of the Republic of Honduras 

Consulate General of the Syrian Arab Republic 

Consulate of the Republic of Hungary 

Consulate General of the Kingdom of Thailand 

Consulate of the Republic of Iceland 

Consulate of Trinidad and Tobago 

Consulate General of the Republic of India 

Consulate of Tunisia 

Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia 

Consulate General of the Republic of Turkey 

Consulate of Ireland 

Consulate of Ukraine 

Consulate General of the State of Israel 

Consulate General of the United Kingdom of Great  

Consulate General of the Italian Republic  

Britain and Northern Ireland 

Consulate of Jamaica 

Consulate of Uruguay 

Consulate General of Japan 

Consulate General of the Republic of Venezuela 

Consulate General of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan 

Consulate General of Vietnam 
  Sources: Houston International Protocol Alliance, March 2011 

International Banks in the Houston Area
Eleven foreign countries have representation through Houston's 21 foreign banks.

 

HOUSTON REGION INTERNATIONAL BANKS 

Bank 

Country 

Type of Bank 

Macquarie Bank Limited 

Australia 

Representative 

Bank of Montreal, dba Harris Nesbitt Corp. 

Canada 

Agency 

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, dba CIBC World Markets 

Canada 

Representative 

Royal Bank of Canada 

Canada 

Agency 

Royal Bank of Canada, dba RBC Capital Markets 

Canada 

Representative 

The Toronto-Dominion Bank 

Canada 

Agency 

BNP Paribas 

France 

Agency 

Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank 

France 

Representative 

Natixis Banques Populaires 

France 

Representative 

Societe Generale Houston Branch 

France 

Representative 

Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. 

Ireland 

Representative 

Mizuho Corporate Bank Ltd. 

Japan 

Representative 

The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFS, Ltd. Houston Agency 

Japan 

Agency 

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation 

Japan 

Representative 

BBVA Bancomer 

Mexico/Spain 

Agency 

DnB NOR Bank ASA 

Norway 

Representative 

Riyadh Bank 

Saudi Arabia 

Agency 

Credit Suisse First Boston LLC 

Switzerland 

Private* 

Bank of Scotland 

United Kingdom 

Representative 

Royal Bank of Scotland 

United Kingdom 

Representative 

Standard Chartered Bank 

United Kingdom 

Representative 

* Not monitored by Texas Department of Banking 

Source:  Texas Department of Banking, September 2011 

 

For more information about the Greater Houston Partnership's international programs, please visit our International Busines section. Also visit our Research Library.

HOUSTON GIS
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