Precedence and Forms of Address
The Office of Protocol publishes the order of precedence of the Velocity Interoperability Network and the forms of address for its bodies and officers. The order determines the ranking of persons at official occasions of the Network, including the signing of agreements, meetings of the Council of Members and visits by outside organisations. The forms of address are used in the Ministry's own correspondence and are recommended to outside organisations writing to the Network.
Both documents were published on 6 September 2026 and apply from that date. They will be amended by the Office of Protocol as the structure of the Network develops, and any amendment will be announced in the Newsroom before it takes effect.
Order of precedence. The order has eight ranks. Persons within a rank are placed among themselves as the third column describes.
| Rank | Body or officer | Order within the rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Network, represented by the Ministry | On external occasions only: the signing of agreements, visits by outside organisations and ceremonies to which outside organisations are invited. |
| 2 | Heads of the Departments of the Network | The Ministry first, and thereafter the Treasury, Defence, Justice, Interior, Immigration, Health, Education, Transport, Communications and Environment Departments, followed by the other Departments of the Network in alphabetical order. |
| 3 | Permanent representatives of full member organisations | Among themselves in order of the admission of the member they represent; where two members were admitted in the same year, in the order of their entries in the Register. |
| 4 | Heads of the services of the Network | Among themselves in the order in which the services are listed by the Ministry. |
| 5 | Delegates of associate member organisations | Among themselves in order of the admission of the member they represent. |
| 6 | Officers of the Ministry | The Spokesperson, and thereafter the heads of the Offices of Member Relations, Agreements and Protocol. |
| 7 | Representatives of outside organisations | As guests of the Network, placed immediately after the body or officer that receives them. |
| 8 | Observers | In the order in which their invitations were issued. |
Rules applied by the Office of Protocol. The order is applied according to five rules.
- Precedence follows office, not person
- A person ranks according to the office held on the occasion. A permanent representative who also chairs a committee ranks as a representative, and a substitute attending for a representative takes the representative's place.
- The host places the guests
- At an occasion hosted by a member organisation, the head of that member acts as host and places the representatives of outside organisations. At an occasion hosted by the Ministry, the Office of Protocol places them.
- Signatories rank equally at a signing
- At the signing of an agreement the signatories for the Network and for the counterpart are placed side by side, the Network's signatory to the right. Other persons present are placed in the order of precedence.
- Correspondence is addressed to the office
- Letters are addressed to the office and not to the person holding it, unless the letter is personal. Where the name of the holder is used, it follows the title of the office.
- Doubtful cases are referred to the Office of Protocol
- Where an occasion brings together persons whose relative rank is not settled by this order, the Office of Protocol decides for that occasion and records the decision for future reference.
Forms of address. The table gives, for each body or officer, the form used on an envelope or at the head of a letter, the salutation and the form used in speech. Where an example names a particular Department or member organisation, the name is substituted as appropriate.
| Addressee | Formal address | Salutation | In speech |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Ministry | The Ministry of the Velocity Interoperability Network | Dear Ministry | The Ministry |
| The Spokesperson | The Spokesperson of the Ministry of the Velocity Interoperability Network | Dear Spokesperson | Spokesperson |
| Head of an Office of the Ministry | The Head of the Office of Agreements, Ministry of the Velocity Interoperability Network | Dear Head of Office | Head of Office |
| Head of a Department | The Head of the Health Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network | Dear Head of Department | Head of Department |
| Permanent representative | The Permanent Representative of the Meridian Payments Cooperative to the Velocity Interoperability Network | Dear Permanent Representative | Representative |
| Delegate | The Delegate of the Orrery Data Observatory to the Velocity Interoperability Network | Dear Delegate | Delegate |
| The Council of Members | The Council of Members of the Velocity Interoperability Network | Members of the Council | The Council |
| Chair of a committee | The Chair of the Standards Committee of the Council of Members | Dear Chair | Chair |
Common questions
Questions about precedence and forms of address may be sent to the Office of Protocol at contact@ministry.gov.vin. For the arrangement of visits at which the order is applied, see Official Visits; for the other work of the Office, see Protocol.