Appointment of the Staff of the Mission

Subject(s):

Diplomatic immunity — Diplomatic missions — Diplomatic relations — Immigration

This chapter considers Article 7 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations which deals with the appointment of the members of the diplomatic mission to foreign States. According to the Article, the State may freely appoint and dismiss the members of the staff of the mission, and that in case of military, naval, or air attachés, the State may require the submission of their names for approval. Subject to Article 9, the receiving State may declare persona non grata or unacceptable before arrival to any member of the mission. In addition, the Article confers the sending State the freedom to specify the functions of each member. The State specifies them classifies them as either part of the diplomatic staff, administrative staff, or technical staff. As Article 7 deals with members of the staff of the diplomatic mission, the chapter also discusses a member’s exemptions from a receiving State’s immigration control and the immunity from employment claims.