Additional Guidance regarding Order of Precedence:
Member of Delegation Precedence Order
As a member of a delegation to a meeting, summit, ministerial or other event, a person’s relative
precedence may increase or decrease depending on the policy or context behind a specific meeting or event, or
based on the wishes of the host on any occasion. Although ambassadors at Post traditionally outrank other
Cabinet-level ministers who might represent their countries as the head of delegation, out of courtesy for the
subject-matter and Cabinet-level diplomat, the ambassador will drop down in rank as a member of the official
delegation for that official visit.
Officials in “acting,” “interim,” or “performing the duties of” positions
Any official appointed to serve as “Acting,” “Interim” or “Performing the Duties of” in a position
where the original office-holder was appointed to office by the President, by and with consent by the Senate,
will be afforded the protocol level for the position in which he or she is serving while “Acting.” When more
than one official of the same rank are present at the same event, the “acting” official(s) should be ranked with,
but after all others of the same rank. This ensures the rank of the position is afforded protocol courtesies, not
the specific individual appointed to serve in that role. For more information, see the Federal Vacancies
Reform Act of 1998, as amended (5 U.S.C. §§ 3345-3349d).
Foreign Government Officials and International Organizations
For purposes of order of precedence, it is important to note that the United States Order of Precedence
list primarily refers to positions being held by American officials.
Positions of equivalence in foreign sovereign nations are afforded the same protocol level when in the
United States. For example, foreign Chiefs of State and/or Heads of Government would equate to the United
States President, and therefore be positioned accordingly. In situations where multiple sovereign nations are
sending representatives to a meeting, summit or other event, the head of delegation will be the most senior
member of that nation’s delegation, and will be ranked in precedence order by category of their title. Within
each category, seniority is given to each representative based on the individual's length of service within that
position, or sometimes alphabetically by short form country name.
The following categories are used to determine relative precedence between sovereign nations’
representatives or heads of delegation, and the corresponding precedence rank for their U.S. counterpart has
been provided for situational awareness: (1) chiefs of state, (1) heads of government, (2) deputy chiefs of state,
(2) deputy heads of government, (8) foreign ministers, (11) other Cabinet-level ministers, (10) ambassadors,
(28) ambassadors to an international organization, and other senior members of that government. Some
nations, including the United States, only have one chief of state or head of government, represented by the
same individual. Although ambassadors at Post traditionally outrank other Cabinet-level ministers who might
represent their countries as the head of delegation, out of courtesy for the subject-matter and Cabinet-level
diplomat, the ambassador will drop down in rank as a member of the official delegation for that official visit.
The United States of America is a member of multiple international alliances and organizations, and
often works with the heads of those organizations during meetings, summits, or other events. A head of an
international organization (including, but not limited to, the following positions: President of the Inter-
American Development Bank (IDB), President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Managing Director
of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO), Director of Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), Secretary General of the Organization of
American States, President of the World Bank, Secretary General of the United Nations) should generally be
listed in precedence order after official representatives of the sovereign nations present. One exception to
this would be if that organization is hosting or co-hosting the meeting or summit, in which case the head of
that international organization would serve in the primary and top position of precedence. Ranking for heads
of international organizations is determined by the organization’s date of establishment.
Leaders or Chief Executives of American Indian Tribes
For purposes of order of precedence, American Indian Tribes should be treated as foreign
governments, with their leaders positioned just after leaders of sovereign foreign nation states, and before any