An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance and can be applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments, for very formal and state occasions, especially where diplomats are present. It can also be used in the context of decorations, medals and awards. Historically, the order of precedence had a more widespread use, especially in

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in acco ...

and

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word' ...

life. A person's position in an order of precedence is not necessarily an indication of functional importance, but rather an indication of

ceremonial A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''. Church and civil (secular ...

or historical relevance; for instance, it may dictate where dignitaries are seated at formal dinners. The term is occasionally used to mean the

order of succession An order of succession or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

in the event they are removed from office or incapacitated—as they are often identical, at least near the top. What follows are the general orders of precedence for different countries for state purposes, such as diplomatic dinners, and are made under the assumption that such functions are held in the capital. When they are held in another city or region, local officials such as governors would be much higher up the order. There may also be more specific and local orders of precedence, for particular occasions or within particular institutions.

Universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

and the

professions A profession is a field of work that has been successfully '' professionalized''. It can be defined as a disciplined group of individuals, ''professionals'', who adhere to ethical standards and who hold themselves out as, and are accepted by ...

often have their own rules of precedence applying locally, based (for example) on university or professional rank, each rank then being ordered within itself on the basis of seniority (i.e. date of attaining that rank). Within an institution, the officials of that institution are likely to rank much higher in the order than in a general order of precedence—the chancellor or president of a university may well precede anyone except a head of state, for example. The same might be true for a mayor in their own city.

Lists (people)

Argentine order of precedence The order of precedence in Argentina is a symbolic hierarchy of officials used to direct protocol. It is regulated by Presidential Decree 2072 of 10 October 1993, signed by then President Carlos Menem, and former ministers Guido di Tella and Car ...

Australian order of precedence The following is the Australian order of precedence, Table of Precedence. #The King of Australia: Majesty, His Majesty Charles III, King Charles III #The Governor-General of Australia: Excellency, His Excellency General (Australia), General the ...

* Barbadian order of precedence *

Belgian order of precedence {{Precedence Belgian order of precedence (Liste de préséance en Belgique, Lijst van préséance in België) is the formal ranking used at the Royal court during acts of state. Because EU, SHAPE and Nato are all in Belgium, this list is used every ...

* Bangladesh order of precedence * Brazilian order of precedence *

Canadian order of precedence The Canadian order of precedence is a nominal and symbolic hierarchy of important positions within the governing institutions of Canada. It has no legal standing but is used to dictate ceremonial protocol. The Department of Canadian Heritage i ...

* Catholic Church order of precedence * Chilean order of precedence * Chinese order of precedence *

Colombian order of precedence The Colombian order of precedence is a symbolic hierarchy of officials used to direct protocol. It is regulated by National Law 1444 of 4 May 2011. Order of precedence Below is the current cabinet headed by the President of the Republic, in its r ...

Danish order of precedence The Danish order of precedence is a symbolic hierarchy of Danish officials used to direct protocol. It has no official status and entails no special privileges, but has been established in practical use, e.g. determining seating arrangements at ...

French order of precedence The order of precedence (french: ordre de préséance) for public ceremonies in France is established by (Decree no. 89–655 of 13 September 1989 relating to public ceremonies, precedence, and civil and military honours). The original order has b ...

German order of precedence The German order of precedence is a symbolic hierarchy of the five highest federal offices in Germany used to direct protocol. It has no official status, but has been established in practical use. # The President of Germany, the head of state of ...

Greek order of precedence The order of precedence of Greece is fixed by the Decree 52749/2006 of the Minister of the Interior, and prescribes the protocollary hierarchy of the Greek political leadership. The President, as head of state, is first, and the Prime Minister, as ...

Hong Kong order of precedence The Hong Kong order of precedence is a nominal and symbolic hierarchy of important positions within the Government of Hong Kong. Administered by the government's Protocol Division, the hierarchy does not determine the order of succession for the o ...

Indian order of precedence The order of precedence of the Republic of India is a list in which the functionaries, dignitaries and officials are listed for ceremonial purposes and has no legal standing and does not reflect the Indian presidential line of succession or the c ...

Order of precedence in the Republic of Ireland Ireland has limited use of order of precedence. President The Constitution of Ireland states that the President of Ireland "shall take precedence over all other persons in the State". This formula was used when the Constitution was enacted in 1937 ...

Order of precedence in the Isle of Man Gentlemen # Charles III, Lord of Mann # Members of the British royal family when visiting the Island: ## The Prince of Wales ## The Duke of Sussex ##Prince George of Wales ##Prince Louis of Wales ## Prince Archie of Sussex ##The Duke of York # ...

Israeli order of precedence The Israeli Ceremonial Protocol does not define an order of precedence. It does define, however, the group of officials that are to attend ceremonial events (Hebrew: Segel Aleph, סגל א'). This group consists of: # The President of Israel (נ� ...

* Italian order of precedence * Jamaican order of precedence * Order of precedence in Japan * Malaysian order of precedence *

New Zealand order of precedence The Order of precedence in New Zealand is a guide to the relative seniority of constitutional office holders and certain others, to be followed, as appropriate at State and official functions. The previous order of precedence (approved and amen ...

* Nepali order of precedence *

Norwegian order of precedence {{precedence The Norwegian order of precedence is the hierarchy of officials in the Government of Norway used to direct seating and ranking on formal occasions, decided by the King, which came into effect from 1 July 1993. I. The President of the N ...

Warrant of Precedence for Pakistan The Warrant of Precedence for Pakistan is a protocol list at which government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Paki ...

Philippine order of precedence The order of precedence in the Philippines is the protocol used in ranking government officials and other personages in the Philippines. Purely ceremonial in nature, it has no legal standing, and does not reflect the presidential line of success ...

Polish order of precedence There is no official document specifying the order of precedence in Poland. In practice, the precedence of officials in Poland is based on an outdated informal instruction dating back to 1992. Polish civil servants responsible for the protocol ofte ...

* Portuguese order of precedence *

Order of precedence in Romania The order of precedence in Romania is a symbolic hierarchy of officials in Romania used to direct protocol. It is written in Article 98 of the Romanian Constitution. # Președintele (President of Romania), currently Klaus Iohannis. # Președinte ...

Order of precedence in Russia The Order of precedence in Russia is listed below. The President of Russia, currently Vladimir Putin, is the highest-ranking office in Russia, followed by the Prime Minister of Russia, held by Mikhail Mishustin. {{precedence # President of Russi ...

* Order of precedence in Scotland * Singapore Order of Precedence *

Spanish order of precedence The Spanish order of precedence is currently prescribed by Royal Decree 2099/1983. The decree establishes the order of precedence of national official activities as well as common regulations to activities organised by municipalities, autonomous com ...

South Korean order of precedence The National Order of Precedence in the Republic of Korea is a list of the symbolic hierarchy of officials incumbent and former, and other important figures used to direct protocol at state events. Unlike many countries, South Korean order of pr ...

* Sri Lankan order of precedence *

Swedish order of precedence {{precedence A detailed Swedish order of precedence An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance and can be applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organi ...

Swiss order of precedence The Swiss order of precedence is a hierarchy of important positions within the government of Switzerland. It has no legal standing but is used by ceremonial protocol. The order of precedence is determined by the Protocol Regulations and the Tab ...

* Thai order of precedence * Turkish order of precedence * United Kingdom order of precedence **

Order of precedence in England and Wales The following is the order of precedence in England and Wales as of . Separate orders exist for men and women. Names in italics indicate that these people rank elsewhere—either higher in that table of precedence or in the table for the ot ...

** Order of precedence in Scotland **

Order of precedence in Northern Ireland An ''unofficial'' order of precedence in Northern Ireland, according to ''Burke's Peerage''106th Edition this is not officially authorised by or published with authority (''cum privilegio'') from either Buckingham Palace (the Royal Household) ...

United States order of precedence The United States order of precedence is an advisory document maintained by the Ceremonials Division of the Office of the Chief of Protocol of the United States which lists the ceremonial order, or relative preeminence, for domestic and foreign ...

Lists (decorations and medals)

Australian Honours Order of Precedence The Governor-General of Australia has, at irregular intervals, notified for general information the positioning of the wearing of Australian Orders, Decorations and Medals in the ''Commonwealth of Australia Gazette''. The ''Order of Wearing Aust ...

Canadian order of precedence (decorations and medals) The following is the Canadian order of precedence for decorations and medals. Where applicable, post-nominal letters are indicated. Awards of valour National orders Provincial orders Territorial orders National decorations National dec ...

* German order of precedence (decorations and medals) *

Polish order of precedence (decorations and medals) The following is a list of medals, awards and decorations in use in Poland. Most of them are awarded by the Polish Army, but some of them are civilian decorations that may be worn by the military personnel. Most of these decorations ceased to be aw ...

South African military decorations order of precedence The first South African military medal was a campaign medal, the South Africa Medal (1854), South Africa Medal, instituted in 1854 by Queen Victoria, the sovereign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, for award to officers and men ...

* United States military order of precedence (decorations and medals) * Texas Military order of precedence (ribbons and medals)

Lists (people)

Lists (decorations and medals)

See also