Title and Rank

- Ambassadors-at-large have a higher rank than a regular ambassador,
depending on circumstances. If at post, the regular ambassador has
the higher rank; in other locations, an Ambassador-at-large has the
higher rank;
- Heads of Mission are in three classes:
+ Ambassadors or Nuncios (the papal state equivalent of an
Ambassador) -- accredited to Heads of State;
+ Envoys, Ministers, and Internuncios -- also accredited to Heads
of State; and
+ Charg‚ d'Affaires -- usually accredited to the Minister of
Foreign Affairs;
- Envoys (or Special Envoys) represent a special interest (such as for
Inter-American Affairs), often the special interest is of limited
duration (such as Mideast peace talks);
- The Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) is almost always a career officer;
- Principal Officers are the senior officers at constituent posts (that
is, at consular establishments);
- The Deputy Principal Officer is a position at large consulates;
- The Charg‚ d'Affairs is the Chief of Mission (COM) at posts to which
an Ambassador is not appointed;
- The Charg‚ d'Affaires ad Interim is the acting Ambassador (or COM)
when the Ambassador (or COM) is out of the country;
- An Attach‚ may be either fairly high or fairly low; in terms of rank
an attach‚ can be anything; a military attach‚ is of at least medium
rank;
- Functional designations of civilian Attach‚s (such as: customs,
legal, or science) and foreign service Attach‚s (such as:
agricultural, commercial, cultural, or science) are not part of the
diplomatic title;
- A diplomatic agent is anybody that is accredited diplomatic status;
- Personna non Grata is an official term, used to designate the need
for recalling a diplomatic agent;
- An embassy is the office in country in the capital city where the
Ambassador sits;
- A consulate is a diplomatic mission which serves as a constituent
post of the embassy in country.

- Order of precedence:
-- Chief of Mission (who may or may not be an Ambassador)
-- Charg‚ d'Affairs ad Interim (Designate)
-- Minister (a position limited to six months under the 1980
Foreign Service Act, not used by the U.S.)
-- Minister-Counselors
-- Counselors
-- Army, Naval, or Air Attach‚s
-- Civilian Attach‚s not of the Foreign Service (agencies may
assign their attach‚s with functional designation, designations
include: customs, legal, or science)
-- First Secretaries
-- Second Secretaries
-- Foreign Service Officers with the title of Attach‚ (these titles
may or may not include a functional designation; designations
include: agricultural, commercial, cultural, or press)
-- Assistant Army, Naval, and Air Attach‚s
-- Civilian Assistant Attach‚s not of the Foreign Service
-- Third Secretaries and Assistant Attach‚s

Precedence of members of the Foreign Service and other U.S. officials
depends to a great extent on the situation and the relationship
existing at any one time. For example, Foreign Service Officers with
the title of Attach‚ are ranked among First and Second Secretaries on
the basis of salary; if salaries are the same, they are ranked after
the First or Second Secretaries, according to their personal rank.

- Consular establishments:
-- A consular establishment, usually located in an area of the host
country outside the seat of government, is a place where
representatives of the foreign government represent legal
interests of their nationals;
-- A consulates is headed by a Principal Officer; a Consulate
General is headed by a Principal Officer who is also a Consul
General; the distinction between Consulates and Consulates
General is often (but not necessarily) one of size of the
establishment; status is another factor;
-- A consular section is always attached to an embassy (even though
it may be located in a separate facility). The section is
headed by a Counsular Chief who oversees that section and any
other consular establishments in the country. Consular Officers
extend the protection of the U.S. government to U.S. citizens
and their property abroad. Their responsibilities include
adjudication of visas and passports and assistance to U.S.
citizens (birth and death certificates, notarizing documents,
maintaining lists of attorneys, and acting as liaison with
police and other officials;
-- Order of precedence:
+ Consul General
+ Deputy Consul General
+ Consul
+ Vice Consul
+ Consular Agent (a title reserved for use in locations
where there is no consular establishment)

- Different benefits and different levels of diplomatic immunity flow
to officials at diplomatic missions than to officials at consular
establishments. This enters into terms of art, resulting from two
primary conventions:
- The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (23 UST 3227) and
- The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (TIAS 6820).