Procedure following nominations
Anyone may nominate someone else for an honour or decoration. There are then six steps before an honour is conferred. The last step is when the King signs a royal decree.
Step 1: The municipal official
An application form plus supporting documents are submitted to a municipal official in the place the nominee lives.
Step 2: The mayor
The mayor drafts a recommendation, focusing on any special services performed by the nominee and suggesting a suitable occasion for awarding the honour.
Step 3: The King’s Commissioner
The mayor’s recommendation is forwarded to the King’s Commissioner in the province concerned, together with the form and supporting documents. The King’s Commissioner also issues a recommendation.
Step 4: The Civil Honours Council
All documents are then sent to the Chancery of the Netherlands Orders in The Hague, where the Civil Honours Council makes a final recommendation.
Step 5: The minister
The minister responsible receives the final recommendation and decides whether the nominee’s name is put forward to His Majesty the King.
Step 6: The King
The ministry draws up a royal decree and presents it to the King. Without the King’s signature, no honours can be awarded.