Protocol and Accreditation
The Office of Protocol of the External Affairs Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network accredits the officers whom bodies outside the Velocity Interoperability Network send to it, keeps the register of accredited representatives, and arranges the official occasions of the Network at which those representatives are present.
Accreditation is the Network's formal recognition that an officer speaks for the body that sent them. It settles who may be dealt with on a given matter, and it gives the Network a single record of the officers present at any time. At 6 September 2026, 46 officers were accredited to the Network, drawn from the seven bodies with which the Network holds instruments on the register.
Categories of accreditation. Five categories are in use. The category determines the term, whether it may be renewed, and the officer's place in the order of precedence.
| Category | Applies to | Term | Renewal | Accredited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accredited Representative | The senior officer of an external body's mission to the Network | 3 years | Renewable once | 12 |
| Deputy Representative | An officer authorised to act when the Accredited Representative is absent | 3 years | Renewable | 9 |
| Technical Officer | An officer attending on technical business under a named instrument | 12 months | Renewable annually | 16 |
| Observer | An officer attending proceedings of the Network without the right to speak | 12 months | Renewable annually | 6 |
| Visiting Delegate | A member of a delegation attending a single round or occasion | Duration of the visit | Not renewable | 3 |
How an officer is accredited. The six stages below apply to every category, although only the first two categories present credentials in person.
Step 1: Notification by the external body
The body writes to the Department naming the officer, the category sought, the instrument or business the officer will attend to, and the period for which accreditation is asked.
Step 2: Submission of credentials
The body submits the officer's credentials: a signed statement of appointment, confirmation of the officer's standing within the body, and the officer's identity particulars. Credentials are submitted at least fifteen working days before the accreditation is to begin.
Step 3: Examination by the Office of Protocol
The Office examines the credentials, confirms that the body is party to an instrument on the register where the category requires it, and consults any department of the Network whose business the officer will attend to.
Step 4: Presentation of credentials
Accredited Representatives and Deputy Representatives present their credentials to the Department in person. Officers in the other categories are accredited on the papers alone.
Step 5: Entry in the register of accredited representatives
The officer is entered in the register with the category, the body represented, the date of presentation and the date on which the accreditation expires. Precedence runs from the date of presentation.
Step 6: Issue of the accreditation record
The Department issues an accreditation record stating the category and the period. It is produced on entering premises of the Network and is surrendered when the accreditation ends.
Courtesies extended. Accreditation carries the following courtesies, which are extended equally to every body regardless of the number of instruments it holds with the Network.
- Access to the officers concerned with the business
- An accredited representative may correspond directly with the office of the Department dealing with the business named in the accreditation, and may ask the Department to arrange a meeting with another department of the Network.
- Notice of proceedings
- Notice of proceedings open to accredited representatives is sent at least five working days in advance, together with the papers to be considered. Observers receive the same notice and papers.
- Precedence at official occasions
- Precedence is determined by category and, within a category, by the date on which credentials were presented. Precedence governs seating, the order of introduction and the order in which representatives are invited to speak.
- Assistance with formalities
- The Office of Protocol assists accredited representatives with the formalities of entry to and departure from the Network, and with the certification of documents required by their own body.
Order of precedence. Precedence is a matter of order and not of standing; it settles arrangements at official occasions and nothing else.
| Order | Category | Ranked within the category by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accredited Representatives | Date of presentation of credentials |
| 2 | Deputy Representatives | Date of presentation of credentials |
| 3 | Heads of visiting delegations | Date of arrival |
| 4 | Technical Officers | Date of entry in the register |
| 5 | Observers | Date of entry in the register |
Duties. Four duties attach to an accreditation for as long as it lasts.
- Observance of the rules of the Network
- Accreditation does not exempt an officer from the rules that apply within the Network. An officer who does not observe them may have the accreditation suspended or withdrawn.
- Business within the accreditation
- An officer attends to the business named in the accreditation and no other. Where a body wishes an officer to take up further business, it applies to vary the accreditation before the officer does so.
- Notification of change and of departure
- The body notifies the Department when an officer's appointment changes, when an officer leaves the Network, and when an accreditation is no longer required, so that the register can be amended.
- No commercial activity
- An accredited officer does not engage in commercial activity within the Network on the officer's own account. Accreditation confers standing for the business of the body represented and for nothing beyond it.
Suspension and withdrawal. The Department may suspend an accreditation while a matter is examined, and may withdraw it where an officer has acted outside the business named in the accreditation or has not observed the rules of the Network. The body concerned is informed of the reason in writing, and may name a replacement at once. A withdrawal is recorded in the register but is not published, unless the body asks that it be.
Official occasions. The Office of Protocol arranges the occasions at which instruments are signed, credentials are presented and representations are opened. Notice of each occasion is sent to those entitled to attend, and the arrangements follow the order of precedence set out above.
Applications for accreditation and enquiries about official occasions may be sent to contact@foreign.gov.vin. The instruments under which officers are accredited are listed on the Agreements page, and the Network's own missions to these bodies on the Representations page.