A third-person note (also called a note verbale, when unsigned) is one of the most common forms of written diplomatic correspondence. It is drafted in the third person, refers to the sending mission and the receiving ministry by their full official titles, and avoids the first-person voice entirely. The format typically opens with a standard courtesy formula such as "The Embassy of [State] presents its compliments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of [State] and has the honour to..." and closes with a parallel formula renewing assurances of high consideration.
Third-person notes are used for routine but official matters: requesting visas for diplomatic personnel, notifying the host state of arrivals and departures, transmitting information, lodging mild protests, or replying to prior communications. They are generally typed on embassy letterhead, initialled (not signed) by a responsible officer, and stamped with the mission's seal. Because they are not signed, they are considered communications between institutions rather than individuals, which suits the impersonal character of much diplomatic business.
More serious or sensitive matters — formal protests, démarches on high-stakes issues, or communications between heads of mission — are typically conveyed by first-person notes, which are signed personal letters from the ambassador. The choice between the two formats itself carries diplomatic meaning: escalating from a third-person note to a signed first-person note signals heightened importance or displeasure.
The conventions governing third-person notes are not codified in any single treaty but rest on long-standing diplomatic practice reflected in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961), which governs the broader framework of mission-to-state communication. Style guides issued by individual foreign ministries (such as the U.S. State Department's Foreign Affairs Manual or the UK FCDO's protocol guidance) set out the precise formulas used by their own services.
Example
In 2017, the U.S. State Department delivered a third-person note to the Russian Embassy in Washington formally notifying it of the closure of the San Francisco consulate and two annexes.