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State award; submission of a proposal

  • Brief description

    Any citizen can propose the awarding of an honor, a medal or an award from the Free State of Bavaria and the Federal Republic of Germany to a deserving person.

  • Description

    The Bavarian Minister-President and the Federal President confer a wide range of orders and decorations for outstanding achievements and dedication in various areas of life. The ministers in charge of various departments also confer additional state honors within their respectiveareas of responsibility. Anyone may nominate another person for an award.

    In general, an informal letter containing the following information about the nominee is sufficient (personal information should be provided only if known, since the nominee is not to be included in the nomination itself):

    • First name and surname, if applicable the different maiden name,
    • Residential address,
    • Date of birth,
    • Presentation of the type and scope of special merits, chronological order recommended,
    • Optional: Reference persons or organizations who can comment on the merits of the proposed person to the competent authorities.

    Send the letter to one of the following Bavarian authorities:

    • Bavarian State Chancellery,
    • responsible state ministry,
    • Government of an administrative district in Bavaria,
    • District administrative authority.

    Tip: Use the appropriate forms (see 'Forms') for your order requests.

    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.

  • Forms

  • Costs

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

  • Legal basis

  • Further links

  • Procedure

    The procedure for all state awards is strictly confidential.

    Suggestions for the awarding of decorations, honors and other awards from 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 these test results and on the information in the applications.

  • Notes

    • Merely fulfilling professional duties or performing official duties in an exemplary manner as a public servant, or engaging in volunteer work alone, is not sufficient grounds for an award.
      The volunteer work must have been carried out over a long period of time with great personal dedication, while setting aside one’s own 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 can be nominated, honoring groups is not possible.
    • In order to be awarded a medal for services rendered, there must be a certain temporal proximity, i.e. the services rendered must not date back more than five years.
    • A minimum of 15 years of outstanding voluntary commitment is required to be awarded the Medal of Honor for Merit in Voluntary Service.
    • According to the law on orders, anyone who suggests their own award cannot expect to be awarded an order.
    • Orders are generally not awarded posthumously.
      (Exception: Bavarian Rescue Medal)
    • There is no entitlement to receive a state award.

  • Processing time

    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.

  • Related services


Responsible departments