presenting his credentials to Emperor
Pedro I of Brazil, who is flanked by his wife
Maria Leopoldina, their daughter Maria da Glória (later Queen of Portugal as
Maria II), and other dignitaries (allegory), ,
Zdravko Pečar, presenting his letter of credence to the
head of state of Ghana,
Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, in 1974. of Rwanda presents his credentials to Russian President
Vladimir Putin, attended by Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov (2007). Upon arrival at their post, the ambassador-designate meets the foreign minister to arrange for an audience with the head of state. They bring both a sealed original and an unsealed copy of his credentials. The unsealed copy is given to the foreign minister upon arrival, and the original is presented personally to the head of state in a formal ceremony. Ambassadors do not begin their duties until their credentials are accepted, and their precedence within the
diplomatic corps is determined by the date on which the credentials were presented. They are, however, entitled to
diplomatic immunity as soon as they enter the country. The ambassador-designate travels to the presentation ceremony in an official vehicle provided by the receiving state, accompanied by a military escort. In
parliamentary systems, the
head of state or
viceroy acts according to legally-binding advice from the
government. The foreign minister will
attend (be present with) the head of state at the actual ceremony, to symbolize the fact that the credentials are being accepted on the basis of government advice. The ambassador-designate uses both hands to present their credentials to the head of state. Many governments hold presentation ceremonies with elements that are usually accorded to heads of state and government, such as military honors. While credential ceremonies are among the most formal events in diplomacy, governed by strict protocols and detailed guidelines, variations in the nature of these ceremonies can still be observed among diplomats from different countries. Despite their scripted and calculated nature, these ceremonies offer state representatives a subtle yet significant space for signaling – positive or negative – establishing contact, or conveying messages.
Chargé d'affaires-level relations When two countries maintain relations at the
chargé d'affaires level, the letter of credence will be written by the foreign minister of the sending state and addressed to the foreign minister of the receiving state. The chargé d'affaires will present their credentials to the foreign minister. The head of state is neither addressed nor presented with the credentials, symbolizing the lower level of diplomatic relations between the countries. The chargé d'affaires is not entitled to a military escort or an official car.
Commonwealth High commissioners from
Commonwealth nations do not present letters of credence. When two
Commonwealth realms share the same
monarch as head of state, the
prime minister of the sending state writes an informal letter of introduction to the prime minister of the receiving state. When a Commonwealth nation is a republic or has its own separate monarch, high commissioners are dispatched and received with letters of commission, which are written by one head of state and presented to another head of state. Both forms of letters were standardized in 1950–1951 after India became a republic, replacing a chaotic system where some high commissioners carried letters from the prime minister, some carried letters from the minister of external relations, and others carried no letters at all.
Andorra Andorra finds itself in a peculiar situation regarding the presentation of the French ambassador's letter of credence: since the
president of France is
ex officio one of the two
co-princes of Andorra, the president both signs the letter of credence on behalf of France and accepts it on behalf on Andorra; the fellow co-prince is also presented the letter. == See also ==