Agrément, in

international affairs International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

, is the agreement by a state to receive members of a diplomatic mission from a foreign country. In this procedure, the posting state formally requests consent, via a ''demande d'agréation'', from the receiving state before appointing a diplomat to the receiving state. If the nominated diplomat is acceptable to the receiving state, the receiving state gives ''agrément''. The arriving diplomat carries a letter of accreditation, normally called the

letter of credence A letter of credence (french: Lettre de créance) is a formal diplomatic letter that designates a diplomat as ambassador to another sovereign state. Commonly known as diplomatic credentials, the letter is addressed from one head of state to anot ...

or ''lettre de créance'', from the posting state to the head of state of the receiving state, when arriving in the receiving state. This is presented to the head of state of the receiving state, and the diplomat is thereby accepted as a member of the diplomatic corps of the receiving state and added to a diplomatic list. The designated person enjoys

diplomatic immunity Diplomatic immunity is a principle of international law by which certain foreign government officials are recognized as having legal immunity from the jurisdiction of another country.

in the receiving state. As codified by the

Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 is an international treaty that defines a framework for diplomatic relations between independent countries. Its aim is to facilitate "the development of friendly relations" among governments ...

, the state receiving the designated diplomat may refuse ''agrément'' without giving a reason, making the designated diplomat "''

persona non grata In diplomacy, a ' (Latin: "person not welcome", plural: ') is a status applied by a host country to foreign diplomats to remove their protection of diplomatic immunity from arrest and other types of prosecution. Diplomacy Under Article 9 of the ...

''". The absence of a timely agrément is often seen as a signal to designate a different individual.

References

Diplomacy {{International-relations-stub