As the country embraces federalism, the government has finalized a new order of precedence that places the President on top of the protocol.
Absence of the state protocol had created difficulties for government officials in conducting state ceremonies and public functions. An earlier protocol became redundant after federal structures were created in line with the new constitution adopted in 2015.
The order of precedence was revised by adjusting some key positions, mainly with the provincial administrations in place. The President is at the top of protocol, followed by the Vice President and the prime minister. The chief justice, the Speaker of House of Representatives and the National Assembly chairperson are placed in the fourth and fifth positions while the former President is ranked sixth.
The provincial chiefs, chief ministers of provinces and ministers at the federal government have been ranked seventh along with the main opposition leaders at the two houses of federal parliament.
Who stands where
1. President
2. Vice President
3. Prime minister
4. Chief justice
5. Speaker of the House of Representative (HoR), Chairman of National Assembly (NA)
6. Former president, deputy PM
7. Provincial chiefs (governors), federal ministers, opposition leader in HoR, opposition leader in NA, former vice president, former prime minister, former chief justice, deputy speaker of HoR, deputy speaker of NA, chief ministers of provinces, former speaker of Parliament, former chairman of the Constituent Assembly,
8. State ministers, chairpersons of various committees of the HoR and the NA, vice-chair of the National Planning Commission, Supreme Court justices, Judicial Council members, chiefs of constitutional bodies, attorney general, assistant ministers, member of parliament (HoR & NA), and former deputy PM
9. Members and commissioners of constitutional bodies, chief secretary, chief of army staff, general secretary of federal parliament, Supreme Court chief registrar, chief judges of High Courts, governor of Nepal Rastra Bank, vice-chancellors of universities
10. Speaker of provincial assemblies, ministers of provincial governments, members of the National Planning Commission
11. Government secretaries, special class officers, supreme court registrar, deputy attorney general, deputy auditor general, chief secretary of provincial government, vice chancellor of Nepal Academy, foreign ambassadors in Nepal, secretary general of SAARC, Nepal’s ambassadors
12. Lt General, chief of Nepal Police, chief of Armed Police Force, chief of Department of National Intelligence, UN residential coordinator
13. Deputy Speakers of provincial assemblies, provincial state ministers, chiefs of various committees of provincial assemblies, judges of high court, chief of provincial public service commission, former ministers
14. Assistant ministers of provincial government, members of provincial assemblies
15. Chief of Metropolitan City, former state ministers, former assistant ministers, former lawmakers
16. Major Gen/additional inspector generals of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and deputy chief investigation officers of Department of National Intelligence
17. Chiefs of District Coordination Committees, members of provincial Public Service Commission
18. Deputy Chiefs of Metropolitan City, government joint-secretaries, director general, first class gazetted officers, secretary of provincial government, district judges
19. Brig Gen/ DIGs of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Intelligence Department
20. Chiefs of municipalities, deputy chiefs of municipal cities, consulate general
21. Chairpersons of Rural Municipalities, deputy chiefs of municipalities, Colonel/SSPs of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Intelligence Department
22. Under-secretary of Nepal Government, all second class gazetted officers, Lieutenant Colonel; and SPs of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Intelligence Department
23. Major; DSPs of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Intelligence Department
24. Captain, section officers
25. Lieutenant of Nepal Army, Inspectors of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Intelligence Department
26. Section officers of provincial governments, section officers of local governments, all third class gazetted officers
27. Second Lieutenant