Officers

Employee status in the Ministry is held by: officials, civil servants holding positions, civil service employees working on diplomatic and consular matters (hereinafter referred to as diplomats), civil service employees working on legal, ICT, resource and financial, accounting and administrative tasks related to diplomatic and consular matters (hereinafter referred to as clerks) and supporting administrative and technical staff (hereinafter referred to as supporting staff).

Officials

Officials in the Ministry are as follows:

• State Secretary;
• Head of Permanent Diplomatic Mission/Ambassador
• Non-Resident Ambassador;
• Consul General.

Civil servants holding position

Civil servants holding positions are: Assistant Minister and Secretary General of the Ministry, who are appointed by the Government under the law regulating the status of civil servants.

A civil servant holding a position may have a deputy who is designated by the Minister from among diplomats.

Diplomats

Diplomats are those holding diplomatic titles, who are employed at the Ministry for an indefinite period.

The status of a diplomat holding the title of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary/ Head of Permanent Diplomatic Mission, are appointed by the President of the Republic at the proposal of the Government and they are not employed at the Ministry for an indefinite period.

The status of a diplomat may also be granted to a person who performs special duties in a diplomatic or consular mission under an agreement with other Government agencies, for the duration of these duties.

Diplomatic titles

Diplomats may have one of the following titles:

• Ambassador in the Ministry;
• Minister Counsellor;
• First Counsellor;
• Counsellor;
• First Secretary;
• Second Secretary;
• Third Secretary and
• Attache.

General conditions for the granting of diplomatic titles are as follows:

1. For the title Attache: successful completion of the internship and passed diplomatic/consular exam;
2. For this junior diplomatic title: successful on-the-job performance during the trial period and passed diplomatic/consular exam;
3. For one of the titles required for the post to which the employee has been assigned and which corresponds to his/her work experience in the profession and to his/her exam results, it is necessary to pass the diplomatic/consular exam;
4. For one of the titles required for the post to which a civil servant has been assigned from another governmental administrative agency or the person referred to in Article 42, paragraph 1, of this Law, and which corresponds to his/her work experience in the profession, it is necessary to successfully complete the special training programme and preparation for work in a diplomatic or consular mission;
5. For the title of Ambassador in the Ministry it is necessary to have at least two years of service in the capacity as head of a permanent diplomatic mission in the rank of ambassador.

Special conditions for the granting and the manner of being granted or stripped of the diplomatic title, are prescribed by the Government at the proposal of the Minister.

Consular titles

The rank of a Consul General, a Consul, a Vice Consul or a Consular Agent is held by diplomats only during the period of their term in a consular mission.

The rank of a Consul General may be held by a diplomat having the title Ambassador in the Ministry or Minister Counsellor.

The rank of a Consul may be held by diplomats having the title First Counsellor, Counsellor, or the First Secretary.

The rank of a Vice Consul may be held by diplomats having the title the Second Secretary,Third Secretary or Attache.

The rank of a Consular Agent may be held by diplomats having the title Third Secretary or Attache.

Excerpt from the Law on Foreign Affairs (the Law was published in the Official Journal of the Republic of Serbia Nos. 116/2007, 126/2007 and 41/2009).