President, United Nations General Assembly – when in session ( Abdulla Shahid).American Chargé d'Affaires ad interim – when at post.
American Ambassadors, Permanent Representatives or Representatives to International Organizations who hold Chief of Mission authority – when at post.American Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to foreign governments – when at post.Former vice presidents of the United States or their widows/widowers (by seniority of assuming office):.Former presidents of the United States or their widows/widowers (by seniority of assuming office):.Chief Justice of the United States ( John Roberts).Speaker of the House of Representatives ( Nancy Pelosi).Governor of a state – when in own state.Vice President of the United States ( Kamala Harris).President of the United States ( Joe Biden).Įxcept as otherwise noted, positions in the list are from the following source. The Office of the Chief of Protocol posted an updated order of precedence in February 2022. It is only used to indicate ceremonial protocol and has no legal standing it does not reflect the presidential line of succession or the co-equal status of the branches of government under the Constitution. The order is established by the president, through the Office of the Chief of Staff, and is maintained by the State Department's Office of the Chief of Protocol. Former presidents, vice presidents, first ladies, second ladies, and secretaries of state and retired Supreme Court justices are also included in the list. Often the document is used to advise diplomatic and ceremonial event planners on seating charts and order of introduction. The list is used to mitigate miscommunication and embarrassment in diplomacy, and offer a distinct and concrete spectrum of preeminence for ceremonies. The United States order of precedence is an advisory document maintained by the Ceremonials Division of the Office of the Chief of Protocol of the United States which lists the ceremonial order, or relative preeminence, for domestic and foreign government officials (military and civilian) at diplomatic, ceremonial, and social events within the United States and abroad.