Chief of Protocol of the United States

Questions of diplomatic precedence, ceremony, and etiquette were handled informally by State Department clerks for more than a century until the department created a Division of Protocol and named its first Chief of Protocol in 1928. The office has grown into the Office of the Chief of Protocol, and the Chief is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate, holds the rank of ambassador, and reports to the Secretary of State while working closely with the White House.

The Chief of Protocol plans and runs visits to the United States by foreign heads of state and government, greeting leaders on arrival, arranging official ceremonies, and accompanying the President on some trips abroad. The office accredits more than 100,000 foreign diplomats, consular officers, and international organization staff and their families, determining who is entitled to diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961. It manages Blair House, the President's guest house across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, and keeps records of gifts that federal officials receive from foreign governments, as required by the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act.

Protocol can carry diplomatic weight, since the honors, seating, and schedule given to a visiting leader signal the state of a relationship, and missteps can cause offense. The office's gift records have drawn scrutiny when officials receive valuable items from foreign governments, which by law generally become government property. In 2025 attention to foreign gifts increased after the administration accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar for possible use as Air Force One, an arrangement handled by the Defense Department. Supporters said it was a lawful gift to the government, while critics said it raised concerns about foreign influence and the Constitution's emoluments clause.