Brazilian order of precedence


The order of precedence in Brazil is a symbolic hierarchy of officials used to direct protocol. It is regulated by Presidential Decree number 70.274 of March 9, 1972, signed by former President Emilio Medici. The following order applies to ceremonies hosted by the federal government.
This formal order of precedence was established during the military dictatorship, and hasn't been amended after the country's return to democracy in the 1980s. However, changes have informally been introduced to it, so that the de jure precedence no longer corresponds to the de facto arrangements that prevail in current practice. For instance, the head of the military cabinet, the head of the intelligence service and general officers of the Armed Forces no longer enjoy a precedence as high as is assigned to them by the 1972 Decree.
Other modifications of the order of precedence arise from the fact that certain officers, such as the Chief of Staff to the President, the Solicitor-General, etc., have been granted by law the status of Ministers of State, and so the holders of such officers now have a higher rank than they would have otherwise.
The order of precedence is only used to indicate ceremonial protocol; it does not reflect the co-equal status of the branches of government under the Constitution, and is not an actual hierarchy. The ranking of Brazilian officers in the Order of Precedence also does not reflect the place of those officers in the presidential line of succession.
The placement of Roman Catholic cardinals in the order of precedence in spite of the separation of church and state in force in Brazil is justified on the grounds that they are princes of a foreign power residing in Brazil and/or holding Brazilian nationality. However cardinals are no longer ascribed as high a precedence as the 1972 Decree ascribes to them, being in current practice outranked for instance by the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies, of the Federal Senate, of the Federal Supreme Court and by the attorney general of the Republic, as well as by former presidents of the Republic and by the Ministers of State.

Order of precedence according to the Decree

  1. The President of the Republic
  2. The Vice President of the Republic
  3. Brazilian cardinals
  4. #Odilo Pedro Scherer
  5. #Raymundo Damasceno Assis
  6. #João Braz de Aviz
  7. #Orani João Tempesta
  8. #Sérgio da Rocha
  9. #Leonardo Ulrich Steiner
  10. #Paulo Cezar Costa
  11. #Jaime Spengler
  12. Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of foreign diplomatic mission to Brazil
  13. The President of the Federal Senate and of the National Congress
  14. The President of the Chamber of Deputies
  15. The President of the Supreme Federal Court
  16. Former Presidents of Brazil
  17. #José Sarney
  18. #Fernando Collor de Mello
  19. #Fernando Henrique Cardoso
  20. #Dilma Rousseff
  21. #Michel Temer
  22. #Jair Bolsonaro
  23. Former Vice Presidents of Brazil
  24. #Hamilton Mourão
  25. Ministers of State
  26. #Minister of Justice and Public Security
  27. #Minister of Foreign Affairs
  28. #Minister of Finance
  29. #Minister of Agriculture and Livestock
  30. #Minister of Education
  31. #Minister of Labour and Employment
  32. #Minister of Health
  33. #Minister of Mines and Energy
  34. #Minister of Communications
  35. #Minister of Environment and Climate Change
  36. #Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation
  37. #Minister of Human Rights and the Citizenship
  38. #Minister of Defence
  39. #Minister of Tourism
  40. #Minister of Integration and the Regional Development
  41. #Minister of Indigenous People
  42. #Minister of Racial Equality
  43. #Minister of Women
  44. #Minister of Transport
  45. #Minister of Ports and Airports
  46. #Minister of Culture
  47. #Minister of Sports
  48. #Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger
  49. #Minister of Fishing and Aquaculture
  50. #Minister of Management and the Innovation in Public Services
  51. #Minister of Social Security
  52. #Minister of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture
  53. #Minister of Cities
  54. #Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services
  55. #Minister of Entrepreneurship, Microenterprise and Small Business
  56. The Head of the Institutional Security Bureau
  57. The Chief of Staff
  58. The Director of the Brazilian Intelligence Agency
  59. The Commanders of the Armed Forces
  60. #Commander of the Brazilian Navy
  61. #Commander of the Brazilian Army
  62. #Commander of the Brazilian Air Force
  63. #Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces
  64. #Secretary-General of the Ministry of Defence
  65. The Attorney General of the Union
  66. Foreign envoys
  67. The President of the Superior Electoral Court
  68. Justices of the Supreme Federal Court
  69. #Gilmar Mendes
  70. #Cármen Lúcia
  71. #Dias Toffoli
  72. #Luiz Fux
  73. #Alexandre de Moraes
  74. #Nunes Marques
  75. #André Mendonça
  76. #Cristiano Zanin
  77. #Flávio Dino
  78. Prosecutor General of the Republic
  79. Governors of State
  80. #Governor of Bahia
  81. #Governor of Rio de Janeiro
  82. #Governor of Maranhão
  83. #Governor of Pará
  84. #Governor of Pernambuco
  85. #Governor of Minas Gerais
  86. #Governor of São Paulo
  87. #Governor of Goiás
  88. #Governor of Mato Grosso
  89. #Governor of Rio Grande do Sul
  90. #Governor of Ceará
  91. #Governor of Paraíba
  92. #Governor of Espírito Santo
  93. #Governor of Piauí
  94. #Governor of Rio Grande do Norte
  95. #Governor of Santa Catarina
  96. #Governor of Alagoas
  97. #Governor of Sergipe
  98. #Governor of Amazonas
  99. #Governor of Paraná
  100. #Governor of Acre
  101. #Governor of Mato Grosso do Sul
  102. #Governor of Rondônia
  103. #Governor of Tocantins
  104. #Governor of Roraima
  105. #Governor of Amapá
  106. The Governor of the Federal District
  107. Senators
  108. Federal Deputies
  109. Admirals of the Brazilian Navy
  110. Marshals of the Brazilian Army
  111. Marshals of the air of the Brazilian Air Force
  112. Admirals of the fleet of the Brazilian Navy
  113. Generals of the Brazilian Army
  114. Ambassadors
  115. Lt. Brigadiers of the Brazilian Air Force
  116. The President of the Superior Court of Justice
  117. The President of the Superior Military Court
  118. The President of the Federal Court of Accounts
  119. The President of the Superior Labour Court
  120. Justices of the Superior Electoral Court
  121. Chargé d'affaires of foreign countries
  122. Justices of the Superior Justice Court
  123. Justices of the Superior Military Court
  124. Justices of the Superior Labour Court
  125. Vice admirals of the Brazilian Navy
  126. Divisional generals of the Brazilian Army
  127. Major-brigadiers of the Brazilian Air Force
  128. Catholic Archbishops
  129. The President of the Justice Court of the Federal District and Territories
  130. Secretaries-General of the Federal Senate and the Chamber of Deputies
  131. Prosecutors of the Republic in the States of the Union
  132. Prosecutors-General in the States of the Union
  133. Directors of the Ministries of State
  134. Deans of Federal Universities
  135. The Director General of the Federal Police of Brazil
  136. The President of the Central Bank of Brazil
  137. The Chairwoman of the Banco do Brasil
  138. The President of the Brazilian Development Bank
  139. The Secretary of the Federal Revenue Service
  140. Chairperson of Federal Savings Bank
  141. Mayors of cities with more than 1,000,000 inhabitants
  142. Counter admirals of the Brazilian Navy
  143. Brigadier-Generals of the Brazilian Army
  144. Brigadiers of the Brazilian Air Force
  145. Vice Governors of the States of the Union
  146. Presidents of the Legislative Assemblies of the States of the Union
  147. Presidents of the Justice Courts of the States of the Union
  148. Chair of the Permanent Committee of the Book of the Merit
  149. Chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
  150. Chair of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences
  151. Chair of the Brazilian Association of Press
  152. Deans of State and Private Universities
  153. State Secretaries
  154. Catholic Bishops
  155. Presidents of Employers' and Workers' Confederations in national scale
  156. Directors of Central Bank of Brazil
  157. Directors of Bank of Brazil
  158. Directors of Brazilian Development Bank
  159. Captains of sea and war of the Brazilian Navy
  160. Colonels of the Brazilian Army
  161. Colonels of the Brazilian Air Force
  162. State Deputies
  163. Commanders of the Military Polices of the States of the Union
  164. Desembargadores of the Justice Courts of the States of the Union
  165. Foreign consuls
  166. Federal Judges
  167. Catholic Monsignors
  168. Frigate captains of the Brazilian Navy
  169. Lt. Colonels of the Brazilian Army
  170. Lt. Colonels of the Brazilian Air Force
  171. Presidents of Employers' and Workers' Confederations in regional or state scale
  172. Presidents of Municipal Chambers in cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants
  173. Law Judges
  174. Public Prosecutors
  175. Department Heads of Federal Universities
  176. Mayors of cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants
  177. Corvette captains of the Brazilian Navy
  178. Majors of the Brazilian Army
  179. Majors of the Brazilian Air Force
  180. Department Heads of State and Private Universities
  181. Presidents of Municipal Chambers of cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants
  182. Universities professors
  183. Other Mayors
  184. Catholic Canons
  185. Lt. Captains of the Brazilian Navy
  186. Captains of the Brazilian Army
  187. Captains of the Brazilian Air Force
  188. Presidents of other Municipal Chambers
  189. Catholic Priests
  190. Principals of High Schools
  191. Aldermen