Appointing a defence and/or military attaché

In accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, proposed candidates for assignments as defence and/or military attachés and their deputies, whether resident or non-resident, require the express consent of Global Affairs Canada. Written confirmation of Canada’s acceptance must be obtained before the appointee can apply for a diplomatic Temporary Resident Visa (TRV).

The Office of Protocol’s Accreditation Unit administers the Military Attachés Approval Process on behalf of the Government of Canada. Countries wishing to appoint a resident or non-resident defence and/or military attaché or deputy nominee must seek pre-approval by submitting a request to the Accreditation Unit by email at least 10 weeks before the start date of the assignment.

The appointment request must include the following information:

  • Name of the nominee (legal name as it appears in their passport)
  • Military rank
  • Position title that conforms to the table of Military titles
  • City of residence (Ottawa or Washington, D.C.)
  • The appointment form (2202E) completed and signed
  • A copy of the nominee’s passport biographical page (PDF format); if the biographical page does not specify the type of passport (for example, diplomatic, official service), a copy of the passport cover page must be included
  • Approximate assignment start date
  • Statement that the candidate is not a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, including a dual national (holding Canadian nationality)
  • Name of the military attaché being replaced and their effective/planed departure date (if it is a new position, a copy of Global Affairs Canada’s email authorizing the position’s creation should be included).

Requests submitted to the Department of National Defence (DND), other Office of Protocol e-mail addresses, or even geographic divisions of Global Affairs Canada or a Canadian mission abroad will delay the process.

The Office of Protocol cannot provide any information regarding the processing time for any application as this depends on the circumstances of each application. The sending State is responsible for submitting complete and accurate applications. Incomplete requests result in processing delays.

Once the nomination is accepted, the Office of Protocol will notify the country concerned and provide diplomatic TRV instructions. DND will also be notified accordingly.

For information on the issuance of accreditation documents to defence and/or military attachés, please refer to the Office of Protocol’s Accreditation Services Guidelines. For a copy of these guidelines, bilateral missions must email the Accreditation Unit. 

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