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An envoy is a diplomatic representative sent by a sovereign, government, or international organization to conduct negotiations, deliver communications, or represent the sender's interests before a foreign authority. Historically, the term denoted a specific rank below ambassador. Under the 1815 Congress of Vienna's Règlement sur le rang entre les agents diplomatiques, envoys (formally envoyés extraordinaires et ministres plénipotentiaires) constituted the second class of heads of mission, ranking below ambassadors and papal nuncios but above ministers resident and chargés d'affaires.
The 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations consolidated diplomatic ranks into three classes (Article 14), effectively folding envoys into the broader category of heads of mission, though the title persists in modern usage. Today, envoy is most often used in two senses:
Envoys typically carry credentials or terms of reference defining their mandate, and their privileges and immunities depend on whether they are accredited under the Vienna Convention or serve under ad hoc arrangements negotiated with host states. Unlike resident ambassadors, envoys often lack a permanent mission and rely on logistical support from existing embassies. The role allows states and organizations to inject high-level attention into specific issues without altering the standing diplomatic architecture.
Historically, envoys ranked below ambassadors under the 1815 Vienna Regulation. Since the 1961 Vienna Convention, the distinction is largely titular; ambassadors typically head permanent missions, while envoys often handle specific or temporary mandates.
It depends on their accreditation. If formally accredited to a host state under the Vienna Convention, they receive standard diplomatic privileges; ad hoc envoys may rely on case-by-case immunities negotiated with the host or granted under the 1969 Convention on Special Missions.