Thediplomatic corps (French:corps diplomatique) is the collective body of foreigndiplomats accredited to a particular country or body.
The diplomatic corps may, in certain contexts, refer to the collection ofaccreditedheads of mission (ambassadors,high commissioners,nuncios and others) who represent theircountries in another state or country. As a body, they usually only assemble to attend state functions like acoronation,inauguration,national day orState Opening of Parliament, depending on local custom. They may also assemble in the royal or presidentialpalace to give their ownhead of state's New Year greeting to the head of state of the country in which they are based.
The term is sometimes confused with the collective body of diplomatsfrom a particular country—the proper term for which isdiplomatic service. The diplomatic corps is not always given any formal recognition by its host country, but can be referenced by officialorders of precedence.
In many countries, and especially in Africa, the heads and the foreign members of the country offices of major international organizations (United Nations agencies, theEuropean Union, theInternational Committee of the Red Cross, agencies of theAfrican Union, etc.) are considered members—and granted the rights and privileges—of the diplomatic corps.
Diplomatic vehicles in most countries have distinctivediplomatic license plates, often with the prefix or suffixCD, the abbreviation for the Frenchcorps diplomatique.
In most countries, the longest-servingambassador to a country is given the title Doyen of the Diplomatic Corps (French:Doyen du Corps Diplomatique).[1] The doyen is often accorded a high position in theorder of precedence. InNew Zealand, for example, the doyen takes precedence over figures such as thedeputy prime minister and formergovernors-general.[2]
In many countries that haveCatholicism as the official or dominant religion, theapostolic nuncio (the diplomatic representative of theHoly See) serves as doyen by virtue of his office, regardless of seniority;[3] in other cases, the nuncio is treated as an ordinary ambassador of the Holy See and has no special precedence. TheCongress of Vienna and theVienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations provided that any country may choose to give nuncios a different precedence than other ambassadors.[4]
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 theVienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations anddiplomatic 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.
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