Perhaps consul’s not finished off certificate (7)
I believe the answer is:
diploma
'certificate' is the definition.
(diploma is a kind of certificate)
'perhaps consul's not finished off' is the wordplay.
'perhaps consul' becomes 'diplomat' (an international representative).
'not finished off' means to remove the last letter.
'diplomat' with its last letter removed is 'DIPLOMA'.
(Other definitions for diploma that I've seen before include "Document conferring a qualification" , "What a student seeks" , "Certificate of education" , "Certificate of achievement" , "Degree document" .)