Guidance

Rules governing the acceptance and wearing of foreign, Commonwealth, Realm and International Orders, Honours, decorations and medals by nationals of the United Kingdom and her Overseas Territories

Updated 12 December 2025

Overview

No UK national may accept or wear a foreign award without The Sovereign’s permission. Permission must be sought, before the potential recipient is made aware of the wish to confer an award, by the foreign country or international organisation which would like to confer the award.

These rules set out the circumstances under which a national ^{[footnote 1]} of the United Kingdom or her Overseas Territories (“UK national”) may be granted The Sovereign’s permission to accept and wear an Order, Honour, Decoration or Medal conferred by:

• a foreign or Commonwealth country, at any level of government, including local ministries
• one of The Sovereign’s Realms, where the award is part of that country’s official Orders
• an international organisation
• through an exchange of Orders, Decorations or Medals between countries

Note hereafter, the UK Rules will refer to the following collective terms, except where there are specific conditions associated with any of the individual categories:

• Foreign award: all Orders, Honours, Decorations or Medals in the 4 categories above

• Foreign country: all foreign and Commonwealth countries, The Sovereign’s Realms and international organisations

Permission will not be given for a UK national to accept a foreign award, if it is considered that it would not be in the UK national interest to do so ^{[footnote 2]}.

Principles and understanding circumstances where permission will not be granted

1. No UK national may accept or wear a foreign award without The Sovereign’s permission. 

2. Permission must be sought, before the potential recipient is made aware of the wish to confer an award, by the foreign country which would like to confer the award. Retrospective permission, after an award has been conferred, is not possible and permission should not be requested in these circumstances.

3. The granting of permission for a UK national to accept a foreign award will only be considered if the UK considers that the award recognises specified, direct and intentional, services rendered to that foreign country.

4. Requests should normally be made within 5 years of the service, or services rendered, to the foreign country. Consideration can be given to requests in relation to older service, but only where it is considered to be in the UK national interest ^{[footnote 3]}. This would still be subject to the principle of no retrospective permission after an award has been conferred.

5. Permission will not normally be given for UK nationals to accept a foreign award if they have received, or are expected to receive, a UK award for the same services. But consideration can be given to requests where it would be in the UK national interest to do so.

6. Permission will not be granted to the following ^{[footnote 4]}, except in the specific circumstances which are outlined in Paragraphs 14 and 15 below:

6.1. Crown, civil or most categories of public servants ^{[footnote 5]}. This includes during postings to UK missions overseas; and on, or after leaving posts on transfer or final retirement of the following:

• Heads of UK missions abroad

• any members of UK missions abroad, civilian or military

• civilian or military officials visiting foreign countries

Note Awards for individuals working at certain Non-Departmental Public Bodies and Public Corporations, for example BBC or museum staff are not considered to come under 6.1 category and so the Rules do not apply.

6.2. UK nationals, who are not public/civil servants, working as officials in international organisations until they finish working at the relevant organisation, and do not take on another international role. individuals in 6.1 above, working in, or attached to, international organisations are not eligible to receive foreign awards, even when they finish their tenure.

6.3. Serving Ministers as set out in the Ministerial Code

7. Former Crown, civil and public servants, including former Ministers, can be considered for a foreign award if all the following apply:

• a sufficient proportion of the service to the foreign country is recent (within 5 years)

• at least 5 years have passed since they held any Crown, civil or public service role for the UK

• the service was carried out after, and separate from, their Crown, civil or public service role

8. Permission will not be given for a UK national to use any title, associated with a foreign award, in the UK.

9. The granting of permission to a foreign country to confer an award should not lead to an expectation that the UK will make a reciprocal offer to that foreign country, or another.

10. Once the UK (see paragraph 16) has approved the request for a foreign country to confer an award on a UK national, permission to accept and wear will be either:

10.1. Unrestricted: allows the award to be worn on any occasion where wearing awards is appropriate.

10.2. Restricted – temporary wear: allows the award to be worn only on particular occasions associated with the foreign country that conferred it. For example:

• formal events in, or hosted by, the relevant foreign country
• certain formal events hosted by a UK government department where there is a significant presence by the country which conferred the award

If there is any doubt about whether the award can be worn for a particular event, please check with the Honours Secretariat in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office or the Defence Services Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, as appropriate. Other occasions when foreign awards can be worn may be directed by The Sovereign.

Please note that foreign award sashes, neck decorations, breast stars or equivalent cannot be worn with UK military uniform.

11. Orders, Honours, Decorations and Medals which are not conferred by a foreign country are not covered by these rules. For example, requests for permission to confer awards by institutions, private societies or bodies will not be considered. UK nationals can retain these awards but permission to accept and wear them cannot be granted.

12. Permission is not needed for the acceptance of any foreign award if it is designed not to be worn, for example, if the award is a certificate or statuette, which would instead fall under any relevant employers’ acceptance of gifts policy.

13. UK nationals are not permitted to make their own decision that they will not wear a foreign award, that is designed to be worn, in order to avoid the process of requiring permission.

Circumstances where permission may be considered for Crown servants

14. Unrestricted permission may be granted for foreign awards for the services listed below, as long as the proposed recipient has not received, or is not expected to receive, a UK award for the same services, unless it is in the UK national interest to do so (see paragraph 5).

Services include:

• saving or attempting to save life ^{[footnote 6]}

• service by any member of the UK Armed Forces, or other UK official, on exchange, attachment or loan to a foreign country, who is involved in a military operation or an emergency ^{[footnote 7]} on behalf of that country

• service by any member of the UK Armed Forces, or other UK official, serving in a UK unit within a bi-lateral force under the command of the other country, who renders special service to that country’s forces in a military operation or emergency

• military or other operations under the auspices of an international organisation, for example the United Nations or NATO

• the NATO Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) for UK military and civilian personnel

15. Restricted permission may be granted for foreign awards in the following circumstances:

• on the occasion of, or in connection with, a State or official visit to the UK by a Head of State or Government of a foreign country, where there is an official exchange of honours

• in connection with a State visit by The Sovereign, where there is an official exchange of honours

• to members of Special Missions when The Sovereign is represented at a coronation, wedding or funeral, or other similar occasion; or to any Diplomatic Representative ^{[footnote 8]} when specially accredited to represent The Sovereign on such occasions

• where there is a UK national interest case for a UK Minister, following advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office or Ministry of Defence as appropriate, and recommended by the Prime Minister

Seeking permission

16. Foreign countries should consult the UK rules before making any approaches regarding requests to confer foreign awards. A foreign country wishing to confer an award should send requests for permission (with full information and details of the reasons for the proposed award, see below) as follows:

16.1. Requests for UK nationals except UK military personnel

An official request should be made by the Diplomatic Representative at The Court of St James’s to the Honours Secretariat in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Email: Honours.Secretariat@fcdo.gov.uk

If the foreign country does not have a Representative in the UK, they may send the request direct to the FCDO or through the nearest UK Diplomatic Mission overseas

Minimum information required:

• name of potential recipient
• date of birth
• address
• occupation/role
• nationalities
• reason for award and details/evidence of recent direct and intentional service to that country: “what/when/how long/where”
• proposed Order/award and level/class of award
• any previous awards from the same country

16.2. Requests for UK military personnel: serving or retired

An official request should be made by the foreign country’s Defence section in the UK to the Defence Services Secretary in the Ministry of Defence (MOD): Email: People-DS-Sec-ForeignAwards@mod.gov.uk

If the foreign country does not have a Defence section in the UK, their Diplomatic Representative at The Court of St James’s may send the request direct to the MOD.

If the foreign country does not have any Representative in the UK, they may send the request direct to the MOD or through the nearest UK Defence section overseas.

In most cases, consideration for permission to confer the awards will primarily be based on a high bar of risk and rigour.

Minimum information required:

• name of potential recipient
• rank
• role
• operational theatre; location
• reason for award and details/evidence of recent direct and intentional service to that country: “what/when/where”
• proposed Order/award and level/class of award
• any previous awards from the same country

16.3. Requests for service at an international organisation

An official request should be made by its official representative in the UK to the Honours Secretariat in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Email: Honours.Secretariat@fcdo.gov.uk

If the international organisation does not have a Representative in the UK, they may send the request direct to the FCDO or through the nearest UK Diplomatic Mission overseas.

Note: Please also see paragraph 6, which sets out where permission will not be granted.

17. Requests, meeting the requirements of these rules, will be considered by the FCDO or MOD, as appropriate, on behalf of The Sovereign. Neither will be under obligation to give such consideration, if the request has not been made as set out in this document.

18. Each request will be treated on a case-by-case basis. The fact that a similar request has been granted in the past should not lead to the expectation that permission may be granted for a similar request in the future.

Informing UK nationals of permission to wear foreign awards

19. After the permission process has been followed and permission granted to the foreign country to offer or confer the proposed award:

19.1. UK nationals who are not Crown servants:^{[footnote 5]} May wear their awards in all cases without restriction. No specific letter will be issued. Recipients are welcome to check with the Honours Secretariat if permission has been sought in line with these UK Rules.

19.2. Crown servants: ^{[footnote 5]}: The grant of permission to wear (whether unrestricted or restricted) will be conveyed by a letter from The Sovereign’s Private Secretary to the proposed recipient.

Any queries about permission-to-wear letters should be directed as appropriate to:

• Honours.Secretariat@fcdo.gov.uk
• People-DS-Sec-ForeignAwards@mod.gov.uk

1. This includes British subjects and British-protected persons (BPPs). BPPs may accept awards conferred by the Heads of State of the country where they live. This also includes British nationals holding other nationality including that of the country seeking to confer an award. ↩

2. The UK reserves the right not to recommend the granting of permission for the formal acceptance of any foreign award which it judges to be contrary to UK policy or interests. ↩

3. This would be based on a high bar and normally reserved to UK ministers. ↩

4. This guidance normally applies equally to the spouses or partners of Crown Servants.  ↩

5.  For reasons of conciseness “Crown Servants, Civil and most categories of Public Servants” is hereafter shortened to “Crown Servants” for the rest of the document unless specified. Crown Servants are employed to work for the direct and intentional benefit to the UK and therefore it is for the UK to consider whether they merit recognition for that service. ↩ ↩² ↩³

6. Including medals issued by life-saving societies and institutions (but these must be worn on the right breast).  ↩

7. It will be for the UK to decide if the operations or emergency is of the standard to fall within this criterion. ↩

8. This does not apply to accompanying, supporting or other staff.  ↩