State award; submission of a proposal

The Bavarian Minister President and the Federal President award a large number of medals and decorations for outstanding achievements and commitment in various areas of life. The departmental ministers award further state honors in their areas of responsibility. Anyone can suggest that an award be presented to another person.

An informal letter with the following information about the deserving person is sufficient:

• First name and surname, if applicable the different maiden name,
• home address,
• date of birth,
• Description of the nature and extent of the special merits, chronological order recommended,
• Optional: Reference persons or organizations who can comment on the merits of the person suggested to the competent authorities.

Send the letter to one of the following Bavarian authorities:

• Bavarian State Chancellery,
• the responsible State Ministry,
• Government of an administrative district in Bavaria,
• district administrative authority.

Tip: Use the appropriate forms (see 'Forms') for your applications for orders.

Information on the Bavarian orders and decorations can be found on the state portal of the Bavarian State Government (see 'Related links'). Information on the orders and decorations of the Federal Republic of Germany can be found on the website of the Federal President (see 'Related links').

In the Legal bases tab you will find a collection of links to the legal bases and requirements for the awarding of the various state honors.

The procedure for all state awards is strictly confidential.

Proposals for the awarding of decorations, honors and other awards of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Free State of Bavaria are examined in advance by various authorities.

The Bavarian Minister President and the Federal President generally base their decisions on the results of these reviews and on the information provided in the applications.

• The mere fulfillment of professional duties or the blameless fulfillment of official duties by members of the public service or the assumption of honorary activities alone is not sufficient for an award.
  The honorary activity must have been carried out with great personal commitment over a long period of time, setting aside personal interests.
• For reasons of confidentiality and in order not to raise false expectations, the proposed person should not be included in the suggestion.
• Only individuals may be nominated; it is not possible to honor groups.
• In order to be awarded a medal for services rendered, there must be a certain temporal proximity, i.e. the services rendered must not have been rendered more than five years ago.
• A minimum of 15 years of outstanding voluntary commitment is required to be awarded the Medal of Honor for Merit in Honorary Office.
• To be awarded the Decoration of Honor for Services Abroad, an outstanding personal contribution must have been made during foreign missions carried out on behalf of or in the public interest. Except in particularly outstanding individual cases, this requires at least 400 days of service or at least five foreign assignments.
• Under the law on decorations, anyone who proposes their own decoration cannot expect to be awarded a decoration.
• As a rule, medals are not awarded posthumously.
  (Exception: Bavarian Rescue Medal)
• There is no entitlement to the award of a state decoration.

It is not possible to give a specific processing time from the suggestion to the final assessment of the granting of a state award. As numerous bodies are involved in the decision-making process to ensure a broad information base, the time span varies from case to case.

Suggestions for the awarding of honors, medals and other awards: free of charge