Official Visits
The Office of Protocol arranges visits to the Velocity Interoperability Network by representatives of outside organisations, and visits by the Ministry to them. A visit is the usual means by which an agreement is concluded, a new relationship with an outside organisation is opened, or work under an existing agreement is carried forward. This page sets out the types of visit, how a visit is arranged and what each party provides.
Types of visit. Four types are recognised. The host named in the table is the body responsible for the programme; the Office of Protocol assists every host and is responsible for any part of a programme at which the order of precedence applies.
| Type | Purpose | Host | Length | Notice required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official visit | A visit by the head of an outside organisation to the Network, or by the Ministry to an outside organisation, with a full programme of meetings and a formal reception. | The Ministry | One to two days | Eight weeks |
| Working visit | A visit for negotiation or joint work under an agreement, with a programme confined to the business in hand. | The Office responsible for the business | Half a day to two days | Four weeks |
| Courtesy call | A short visit paid to the Ministry by a representative of an outside organisation, or by a newly appointed representative of a member, without substantive business. | The Office of Protocol | Up to one hour | Ten working days |
| Technical mission | A visit by specialists of an outside organisation to a member organisation, under an agreement, to carry out work specified in it. | The member concerned | As the agreement provides | Four weeks |
How a visit is arranged. A visit passes through six stages from proposal to record. The notice periods in the table above allow for each of them; a courtesy call passes through the same stages in a simplified form.
Step 1: Proposal
The visiting organisation writes to the Office of Protocol stating the purpose of the visit, the persons who will take part, the dates proposed and the type of visit sought. A member organisation proposing a visit to it by an outside organisation writes in the same way.
Step 2: Assessment and consultation
The Office confirms the type of visit, consults the Office or member organisation that will host it and, where the visit concerns a matter before the Council of Members, the Office of Member Relations. The visiting organisation is told within ten working days whether the dates can be met.
Step 3: Programme
The Office prepares a draft programme setting out each meeting, its participants and its purpose, and agrees it with the visiting organisation. The programme is settled not later than ten working days before the visit.
Step 4: Travel documents
The visiting organisation obtains entry permits for its party from the Immigration Department. The Office of Protocol confirms the purpose and dates of the visit to that Department on request but does not issue documents itself.
Step 5: The visit
An officer of the Office of Protocol accompanies the visiting party throughout an official visit and at the formal parts of a working visit. The order of precedence is applied at every occasion to which persons outside the visiting party and its hosts are invited.
Step 6: Record
The Office records the programme as carried out and the outcome of each meeting. Undertakings given during a visit are recorded and referred to the Office responsible for carrying them out.
A model programme. The programme below is the pattern on which the Office of Protocol bases a one-day official visit at which an agreement is signed. It is adapted to the business of each visit; a working visit omits the luncheon and the closing statement.
| Time | Engagement | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 09:30 | Arrival and welcome by the Head of the Office of Protocol | Ministry |
| 10:00 | Meeting with the Spokesperson and the heads of the Offices of the Ministry | Ministry |
| 11:15 | Working session with the Office of Agreements on the business of the visit | Ministry |
| 12:45 | Luncheon given by the Ministry; order of precedence applied | Ministry |
| 14:15 | Visit to the member organisation concerned and demonstration of connected systems | Host member |
| 16:00 | Signing of the agreement or record of conclusions, arranged by the Office of Protocol | Ministry |
| 16:45 | Closing statement to the Newsroom by the Spokesperson and the head of the visiting party | Ministry |
| 17:15 | Departure | Ministry |
What each party provides. Responsibility for the arrangements is divided as follows.
- Provided by the Office of Protocol
- The programme; a named officer as point of contact before and during the visit; meeting rooms at the Ministry; the arrangements for any signing or ceremony; a record of the visit; and the statement issued to the Newsroom at its close.
- Provided by the host member organisation
- Where a visit includes a member organisation, the member provides access to its premises and systems for the purposes agreed in the programme and names an officer to accompany the party while it is there.
- Provided by the visiting organisation
- The names and offices of the members of its party; entry permits obtained from the Immigration Department; its own travel and accommodation; and, for a signing, confirmation of the authority of its signatory.
- Not provided
- The Ministry does not meet the travel or accommodation costs of visiting parties, does not arrange private engagements and does not issue travel documents.
Common questions
Proposals for visits should be sent to the Office of Protocol at contact@ministry.gov.vin. For the ranking of persons at a visit, see Precedence and Forms of Address; for the way in which agreements signed during a visit are made, see Agreements.