In most countries, the longest-serving
ambassador to a country is given the title Doyen of the Diplomatic Corps (). The doyen is often accorded a high position in the
order of precedence. In
New Zealand, for example, the doyen takes precedence over figures such as the
deputy prime minister and former
governors-general. In many countries that have
Catholicism as the official or dominant religion, the
apostolic nuncio (the diplomatic representative of the
Holy See) serves as doyen by virtue of his office, regardless of seniority; in other cases, the nuncio is treated as an ordinary ambassador of the Holy See and has no special precedence. The
Congress of Vienna and the
Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations provided that any country may choose to give nuncios a different precedence than other ambassadors. The diplomatic corps may also cooperate amongst themselves on a number of matters, including certain dealings with the host government. In practical terms, the doyen of the diplomatic corps may have a role to play in negotiating with local authorities regarding the application of aspects of the
Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and
diplomatic immunity, such as the payment of certain fees or taxes, since the receiving country is required "not to discriminate between states". In this sense, the doyen has the role of representing the entire diplomatic corps for matters that affect the corps as a whole, although this function is rarely formalized. == See also ==