A chargé d'affaires is the lowest of the four classes of heads of mission recognised under Article 14 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961), ranking below ambassadors, papal nuncios, envoys, and ministers. Unlike higher-ranking heads of mission, who are accredited to the host head of state, a chargé d'affaires is accredited from one foreign minister to another.
Two variants exist. A chargé d'affaires en pied (or titulaire) is the permanently appointed head of a mission, used when states maintain diplomatic relations but choose not to exchange ambassadors—often signalling cooler ties or non-recognition of a regime. A chargé d'affaires ad interim (often abbreviated CDA a.i.) temporarily heads a mission when the ambassador is absent, recalled, or the post is vacant; this role typically falls to the deputy chief of mission.
A chargé enjoys the same diplomatic privileges and immunities as other accredited diplomats but carries reduced symbolic weight. Downgrading representation from ambassador to chargé is a recognised diplomatic signal of displeasure short of severing relations. Conversely, upgrading a chargé-led mission to ambassadorial level often marks normalisation, as occurred with U.S.–Cuba relations in 2015.
In protocol terms, chargés rank below ambassadors in precedence and may have restricted access to senior host-government officials, typically dealing with the foreign ministry rather than the head of state or government. They nonetheless retain full authority to conduct negotiations, transmit communications, and protect the sending state's interests and nationals.
The position is common in small missions, in posts to states with which relations are strained, and during transitions between ambassadorial appointments—a routine occurrence given the months sometimes required for agrément, confirmation, and travel.
Example
After recalling its ambassador over the 2019 dispute, the sending state left its embassy under a chargé d'affaires to signal displeasure while preserving diplomatic channels.